An anonymous bidder has paid more than $9 million in a charity auction for the privilege of sharing a private lunch with basketball star Stephen Curry and legendary investor Warren Buffett. The 95-year-old billionaire has also pledged to match the winning bid, ensuring that both his and Curry's favoured charities will benefit from the significant sum.
Auction Revival
The auction, conducted on eBay, was designed to revive an event that Buffett had hosted for over two decades, which raised a total of $53 million for the GLIDE Foundation, a homeless charity based in San Francisco. This year's auction, which concluded on Thursday night, also raised funds for Curry's Eat.Learn.Play. Foundation, established alongside his wife, Ayesha.
The unidentified winner secured the prize with a bid of $9,000,100, which entitles them to a private lunch with Buffett and the Currys in Buffett's hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, scheduled for next month.
Statements of Gratitude
In a joint statement, Stephen and Ayesha Curry expressed their overwhelming gratitude for the opportunity. They noted that the auction reflects a shared belief that when different generations and institutions collaborate with purpose, they can create deeper and more lasting impacts for those most in need.
History of Buffett's Charity Lunches
The Buffett charity lunch auctions began in 2000 and continued annually until the COVID-19 pandemic forced a hiatus of a couple of years. Starting in 2008, every winning bid for lunch with the investing icon exceeded $1 million. Buffett discontinued the event after a 2022 auction saw a winning bid of $19 million.
A subsequent auction in 2024 raised $1.5 million for a lunch with software titan Marc Benioff, but that version of the event did not endure.
Curry's Involvement
Buffett reached out to the Currys earlier this year to propose their participation in the lunch auction. Curry, who missed 27 games during the season due to injury, returned to help the Golden State Warriors in the latter part of the campaign.
Buffett's Transition
In January, Buffett stepped down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway after six decades at the helm of the conglomerate. He remains chairman but recently experienced his first annual shareholder meeting as a spectator, sitting in the audience rather than leading the event from the stage.
