Long before Will Wade founded Canvas Marketing and began telling Stephen Curry’s story through art cards, he was searching for a second chance.
After nearly 15 years battling opioid addiction, Wade found sobriety and a renewed purpose. One of the first people to reach out was someone who had known him since childhood: Stephen Curry.
“Steph was the first person to reach out to me that made me feel loved and cared for,” Wade told Collectibles on SI. “That sparked something in me.”
A Second Chance
Growing up in Charlotte, North Carolina, Wade found a second family in the Curry household. He credits Sonya Curry with providing the structure and accountability he desperately needed as a teenager, helping him catch up academically and setting him on a path toward college.
After college, life took a different turn. Wade spent years struggling with addiction before finally getting sober.
“I was finally thinking clearly,” Wade said. “It was the first time in my adult life I wasn’t selling drugs or using drugs.”
As he began rebuilding his life, Wade found himself reconnecting with Stephen Curry—not as an NBA superstar, but as the childhood friend who never forgot him.
A Golden Opportunity
As Wade began rebuilding his life, an unexpected opportunity helped launch the next chapter. While attending a Warriors game with his boss, Blaine, the conversation turned to what Wade hoped to build.
“He said, ‘Text Steph and tell him if he’ll give me that jersey, I’ll give you $100,000 to start this business venture,'” Wade recalled.
Wade sent the text. Curry walked over after the game, personalized the jersey for Blaine and handed it over. The signed jersey became more than a keepsake—it became the seed capital for Canvas Marketing.
A Friendship That Changed Everything
Today, Wade channels that friendship into Canvas Marketing, a creative studio producing artist-driven trading cards that blend original artwork, storytelling and authenticated memorabilia.
Wade initially built a business selling signed Stephen Curry memorabilia, but he quickly realized he didn’t want to broker collectibles—he wanted to create them.
“I didn’t want to be the middleman anymore,” Wade said. “I wanted to be the supplier.”
The company’s newest release, Season 1: The New Era, drops on August 10th, but for Wade, the cards have always represented something much bigger than another collectible.
“I wanted to make cards that weren’t just pictures,” he said. “I wanted every card to tell a story.”
That lifelong relationship with the Curry family, especially Stephen, became the foundation for Canvas Marketing. Unlike many collectible projects built around licensing agreements, Wade approaches Curry’s story from the perspective of someone who lived much of it firsthand.
Rather than producing traditional trading cards built around photography, Wade envisioned collectible art cards that captured the moments, relationships, and emotions behind Curry’s career.
“What story are we trying to tell?” Wade said. “That’s always the first question behind each of the cards.”
Telling Stories Through Art Cards
Every release begins with conversations about which moments deserve to become art—and which moments are still waiting to happen.
At Canvas Marketing, Wade and his go-to artist, LuckyMong have created a fantasy world of art and culture, drawing inspiration from 50 Cent, The Punisher and One Piece—all at the intersection of Stephen Curry’s electric career moments.
The duo also collaborated on Gary Vaynerchuk’s VeeFriends Super Stickers Manga <a href="https://comicvibe.com/steam-machine-vs-xbox-series-x-13-steps-90-min-2026/” title=”Steam Machine vs Xbox Series X: 13 Steps, 90 Min [2026]”>Series, an experience that reinforced his belief in building original intellectual property while remaining focused on storytelling over hype.
The Stephen Curry Crossovers in the Manga Series, features Curry playing against 20 different VeeFriends characters. pic.twitter.com/IuuJGCX1xb
— VeeFriends Cards (@VeeFriendsCards) June 26, 2025
Collectors have embraced the concept, particularly those looking for something different than another regularly scheduled, photo-based sports card release. “We’re trying to tell stories that traditional cards can’t tell,” Wade said.
That storytelling approach was on display at this year’s National Sports Collectors Convention, where Wade recalled watching a young collector pull one of the collection’s rare autograph cards.
“The kid looked at his dad and said, ‘Dad, we’re rich,'” Wade recalled with a laugh. “That was such a cool moment.”
Behind the Scenes
Wade also offered a behind-the-scenes look at how Canvas Marketing’s art cards come to life.
At the family-run operation in the San Diego area, the cards are printed directly onto holofoil, hand-assembled and precision-cut before being immediately sealed and authenticated.
Rather than relying on traditional third-party grading to establish authenticity, Wade designed the process so each card is authenticated “at inception”—sealed immediately after production to give collectors confidence from the moment it leaves the studio.
“I never wanted anyone to question whether something was authentic,” Wade said. “I wanted buyers to know exactly what they were getting.”
The process reflects Canvas Marketing’s commitment to craftsmanship and transparency, allowing collectors to focus on the story rather than proving authenticity.
The Next Chapter
Canvas Marketing continues expanding its lineup with releases like Adhesive Artifacts, which includes a rare case hit featuring Stephen Curry’s autograph—and his fingerprint, a very personal way of ensuring authenticity.
Another recent release features dual autographs from Stephen and Seth Curry. For Wade, who grew up alongside both brothers and now finds himself creating collectibles with them as Seth has embraced the hobby, the card represents a full-circle moment. For Wade, the collaboration represents more than another collectible. It’s a reunion with the brothers who helped shape his life—and now, his business.
A portion of proceeds benefits Eat. Learn. Play., Stephen and Ayesha Curry’s ESPY Award-winning foundation that supports the educational experience for Oakland kids, reinforcing Wade’s belief that the project should reflect the values of the family who helped shape his own life.
Looking ahead, Wade hopes Canvas Marketing continues expanding into new intellectual property while remaining true to the philosophy that inspired the company from the start.
“If people remember these because of the stories they tell—not just because they’re collectible—that means we did our job,” he said.
That’s the legacy Wade hopes Canvas Marketing leaves behind—not simply another line of trading cards, but art cards that preserve stories, celebrate relationships and give collectors something meaningful to pass along to the next generation, including his kids, William IV and Wesley.
“I think my culture sometimes gets wrapped up in celebrating the wrong things,” Wade said. “People might think I’m a nerd or a square, but I’ll happily be a law-abiding citizen who pays my taxes, treats others the way I’d want to be treated, and gives my family the opportunities the Curry family gave me.”
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LUCAS MAST
Lucas Mast is a writer based in California’s Bay Area, where he’s a season ticket holder for St. Mary’s basketball and a die-hard Stanford athletics fan. A lifelong collector of sneakers, sports cards, and pop culture, he also advises companies shaping the future of the hobby and sports. He’s driven by a curiosity about why people collect—and what those items reveal about the moments and memories that matter most.
