Steph Curry is not on the court in the 2026 NBA Finals, but the Golden State Warriors star still made history during Finals week.
A rare 2024-25 Topps Now MLS Gold 1-of-1 card featuring Curry and Lionel Messi doing the “Night Night” celebration sold for $111,057 at auction, according to Topps. Topps said the sale made it the most expensive MLS card ever.
The timing gives the sale a different layer from Curry’s side. The NBA Finals are underway between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, with the Knicks leading the series 2-0 entering Game 3 on June 8 at Madison Square Garden. Curry is not part of that series, but one of his signature basketball moments still turned into a record-setting soccer collectible.
That is what makes the card more than a quirky crossover item. Curry’s “Night Night” celebration has become recognizable enough to carry value outside basketball, and Messi’s use of it with Inter Miami helped turn a Topps MLS release into a six-figure sale.
Steph Curry’s ‘Night Night’ Celebration Hits Another Level
Curry’s “Night Night” celebration already had NBA meaning before it reached Messi. It became one of the visual signatures of Curry’s late-career dominance: the Warriors guard putting games to sleep, then turning the gesture into a piece of basketball culture.
Messi adopting it gave the celebration a second life in soccer. The Topps card captured both stars side by side, pairing Curry in a Team USA basketball uniform with Messi in Inter Miami colors.
The result was a rare collectibles bridge between two fan bases that do not always overlap. Warriors fans know the celebration. Messi fans know the global weight of anything attached to the Argentina and Inter Miami star. Card collectors saw the combination of a 1-of-1 parallel, a PSA Gem Mint 10 grade and two of the most marketable athletes in the world.
That combination produced a record MLS card sale.
For Curry, it is another reminder that his influence has stretched well beyond three-point shooting. He changed NBA spacing on the court, but he also created gestures, products and moments that have become part of the wider sports marketplace.
Why the NBA Finals Timing Works for Curry
Curry’s name surfacing during NBA Finals week is not the same as Curry playing for another championship. The Warriors are watching this Finals from outside the matchup, while the Knicks and Spurs control the basketball stage.
Still, the timing matters because Finals week is when NBA fans are most tuned into legacy. Curry is a four-time NBA champion, a two-time MVP and one of the defining players of the modern Finals era. A Curry-linked collectible making history during the championship round naturally pulls his legacy back into the conversation.
He is also still expanding the business side of his career. Reuters reported on June 2 that Curry signed a long-term deal between Curry Brand and Chinese sportswear company Li-Ning.
That matters here because the card sale fits the same broader theme. Curry’s brand is no longer limited to Warriors games or NBA highlight packages. It moves through shoes, apparel, golf, international basketball culture and now even MLS collectibles.
And with the World Cup just days away, Curry is now firmly attached to the newscycle surrounding one of the biggest sporting events in the world, and to one of soccer’s greatest players ever.
Lionel Messi Helped Turn Curry’s Celebration Into MLS History
The record sale also depends heavily on Messi’s current place in American soccer.
Messi’s move to Inter Miami did not just change the team’s competitive ceiling. It changed the attention economy around MLS. His matches, jerseys, highlights and collectibles all carry a different level of demand because he brought a global fan base into an American league.
That is why a Curry-Messi card could become an MLS record instead of just a novelty. It did not ask collectors to care only about a random crossover. It captured a real cultural exchange: one superstar borrowing another superstar’s celebration, then seeing that moment preserved in a rare card.
From a Warriors perspective, that is the cleanest takeaway. Curry’s celebration became valuable enough that Messi using it helped create the most expensive MLS card ever.
The NBA Finals will still belong to the Knicks and Spurs on the floor. But during Finals week, Curry found a different way into the history books, through Messi, MLS and a six-figure “Night Night” card.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Warriors Star Steph Curry Makes History During NBA Finals appeared first on HEAVY.