The FTX scandal, which resulted in the arrest of cryptocurrency brokerage founder Sam Bankman-Fried, has implicated several well-known celebrities including Tom Brady and Stephen Curry. Author Michael Lewis, known for his books "The Blind Side" and "Moneyball," will be publishing a book titled "Going Infinite" based on Bankman-Fried's rise and fall. Lewis recently appeared on "60 Minutes" and revealed that he had seen internal documents from FTX.
According to Lewis, Bankman-Fried paid Tom Brady $55 million for 20 hours of work per year for three years, and also paid Stephen Curry $35 million for a similar arrangement. Both Brady and Curry were featured in FTX commercials, with Brady and his ex-wife Gisele Bundchen appearing in a Super Bowl LVI commercial. Curry stated in a commercial that he was not an expert in crypto trading but endorsed the FTX platform. FTX also held the naming rights for the Miami Heat's arena, which Lewis claims Bankman-Fried purchased for over $100 million.
Lewis expressed that Brady seemed to admire Bankman-Fried and found him interesting, despite Bankman-Fried not being particularly interested in sports. Lewis characterized their interaction as akin to "the class nerd and the quarterback." Representatives for Brady and Curry have not yet responded to requests for comment.
Lewis also alleged that Bankman-Fried had floated the idea of paying Donald Trump not to run for president, with a rumored amount of $5 billion. However, Lewis stated that the idea did not come to fruition due to Bankman-Fried's lack of funds.
Brady and Curry are also facing a lawsuit from investors who claim that they promoted FTX's strategies after the exchange collapsed. Attorneys for the celebrities have filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
Bankman-Fried's jury trial in New York City is set to begin on Tuesday.