An anonymous bidder has paid more than $9 million to secure a private lunch with basketball superstar Stephen Curry and legendary investor Warren Buffett. The winning bid of $9,000,100 was placed on eBay, and Buffett has pledged to match the amount, benefiting both his and Curry's chosen charities.
Reviving a charitable tradition
The auction aimed to revive a long-standing event that Buffett hosted for over two decades, which raised $53 million for the GLIDE Foundation, a homeless charity in San Francisco. This year's auction, which concluded on Thursday night, also raised funds for Curry's Eat.Learn.Play. Foundation, established with his wife, Ayesha.
Details of the lunch
The anonymous winner will enjoy a private lunch with Buffett and the Currys in Omaha, Nebraska, next month. The 95-year-old investor's hometown will host the gathering. The Currys expressed their gratitude in a statement, saying: "We're overwhelmed with gratitude for this opportunity, which reflects a shared belief that when different generations and institutions come together with purpose, we can create deeper and more lasting impact for the people who need it most."
History of Buffett's lunch auctions
The Buffett lunch auctions began in 2000 and continued annually until the COVID-19 pandemic caused a two-year hiatus. From 2008 onward, every winning bid exceeded $1 million. Buffett discontinued the event after a 2022 lunch fetched $19 million. A follow-up auction in 2024 raised $1.5 million for a lunch with software titan Marc Benioff, but that version did not persist.
Recent developments
Buffett reached out to the Currys earlier this year to propose joining the lunch auction. Curry, who missed 27 games this season due to injury, returned to help the Golden State Warriors in the final stretch. Meanwhile, Buffett stepped down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway in January after six decades at the helm. He remains chairman but attended his first annual shareholder meeting as an audience member rather than leading from the stage.
