GUANGZHOU, China -- Steph Curry had arrived at a university here to tutor the city's 30 best 16- to 20-year-old basketball players. He was about 30 minutes in when he couldn't avoid it anymore.
The crowd outside of roughly 1,000 students were cheering "CURRY! CURRY! CURRY!" so loudly that Curry himself could hear it through the metal doors and thick concrete. In the corner of his eye, on the bottom of the gym floor, he noticed a view that led to the outside. Faces and phones were crammed up against metal bars just to get a glimpse.
After a quick chat with this team and security, Curry sprung through the doors and waved to the crowd. For 30 seconds, he gave them what they wanted. A personal thank you for coming out, a memory of a lifetime for the students.
"I was in the gym and you could see these concrete cutouts and I could hear voices," Curry said. "But didn't really know how crazy it was until I went out there.
"That was the stuff you see in movies."
Curry, of course, isn't the first NBA player to go to China. Nike has sent players every summer since Michael Jordan first went in 2004, and LeBron James' appearance next week will mark his 12th annual visit.
But after spending a day with Curry on his Under Armour marketing tour, it also was clear something was a bit different about Curry's connection with his fans.
Start with the obvious. At 6-foot-3, 191 pounds, Curry is not built like a superhero or cartoon figure. He looks more like an everyday person than most NBA stars who visit the country.
Players such as Yao Ming (7-foot-6, 310 pounds) and LeBron (6-foot-8, 250 pounds) are celebrated, but their body frames make it harder to relate to the dream of one day being like them.
"I'm sure that has a little bit to do [with my appeal], but that's something I can't control," Curry said. "That's how I was made. I just try to play and be myself."
It's that "Everyman" perception that has captivated hundreds of wannabe Currys, who maniacally try to emulate the MVP's famous dribbling drill. Although James puts on a worthy show and Jordan and Bryant delighted fans in their day, not everyone can dunk. Most everyone, however, can practice and eventually master a dribbling drill.
In Guangzhou, the city's top 30 players were invited to Curry's clinic at a local university. And the first order of business? Doing that drill with Curry. As the crowd cheered, the local host screamed "Wow!" into the microphone.
"The way it started was me just literally getting ready for a game," Curry said. "I didn't do it for entertainment value." Curry said he feels no pressure when he's doing it before games, but there was pressure in China "because this is like the one hour they get to see it. If I mess up, then that will be their lasting memory."
The second part of the "Everyman Curry" show? The shooting. Fans clamored for Curry's signature 3-pointers and gasped when he hit five half-court shots.
If there's one strike against Curry right now it's that he has won only one NBA title. All else being equal, titles are more important to marketability in China than anywhere else in the world. It's a major reason why Jordan (six titles), Bryant (five) and James (three) hold the status that they do. But with Kevin Durant joining the Golden State Warriors, Curry is favored to pick up a second ring. But perhaps the true mark of legitimacy within the country is that Under Armour is finally being ripped off. A Chinese company called Uncle Martian, with a clear resemblance to Under Armour's interlocking logo, has announced itself in China. Under Armour is litigating.
After all, Curry is big business in China. Sales of Curry shoes and merchandise alone makes up 10 percent of all revenue for Under Armour in China. "It's pretty special to come over here for a week, share my passion for the game and the journey we've been on and grow it," Curry said.
That growth is essential because Under Armour has a lot of catching up to do in China. Revenues in China this year are expected to be $180 million -- Nike's entire business is 6.5 times larger than Under Armour's and 21 times larger in China alone -- but up from just $7.4 million in 2013, the year they signed Curry after Nike declined to match its offer.
Curry said he traveled to China for a second time because he's competitive off the court, too.
Although he hasn't publicly bashed Nike for not matching Under Armour's deal in 2013, it's well known that UA CEO Kevin Plank loves that he took Curry away from the competitor that he despises. That Curry's business for the 2015-16 season hit $200 million is that much more sweeter.
It's certainly in Curry's best interest to do all he can and grow sales, thanks to his contract's royalty structure. Although his exact deal has not been made public, a source with knowledge of the contract confirmed that it's similar to deals James and Durant have with Nike. That means Curry will make more from Under Armour than he will from his NBA team this season.