Today, Stephen Curry has 10 signature shoes that produce millions of dollars in revenue. With the launch of Curry Flow 10 in June 2023, he became only the 9th athlete to have 10 shoes under his name. As one of the most marketable athletes in sporting history, is this even a surprise? The thing is, he achieved all this with Under Armour. However, it was never meant to be the Baltimore-based company that reaped the rewards of the Chef.

The infamous story of Nike botching their pitch to land Curry has become well-known. They reportedly didn’t know how to pronounce the sharpshooter’s name, as Dell Curry once revealed. In Nike’s pitch meeting, one of the brand’s representatives called his son ‘Steph-on.’ What did he think about that? “I heard some people pronounce his name wrong before. I wasn’t surprised.” It only got worse from there as it became clear that this was originally a Kevin Durant deck. Can you imagine Nike forgot to remove the Slim Reaper’s name from a place or two?

Notably, KD is still with Nike. However, these weren’t the only weird details of that meeting. During Steph’s Heat Check podcast, a clip of Jeff Austin, his agent, suggested the Swoosh had a chance to match the deal. “In the Under Armour case, I didn’t push but I let them know that I prefer Under Armour for a number of reasons. Part of which was the Nike pitch meeting was fraud and mistakes.”

“It indicated to me that they did not value Stephen, and I actually went to Nike when we got the Under Armor offer… They had 10 days to match the offer and keep Stephen. And I just said, ‘I respect Nike a lot. We have a lot of Nike players. But for Stephen, this Under Armor opportunity is a chance for him that very few athletes ever get. A chance for him to be the face of the brand and to really take the brand and make it his own,’” Austin said while reminiscing about his client’s life-changing decision.

With or without Austin pushing for Under Armour, Stephen Curry had made up his mind. His father, Dell, was present during Nike’s careless presentation. The moment he realized it wasn’t an original deck they prepared for the Splash Brother, his dad once claimed, “I stopped paying attention after that.” But even then, it’s tough to reject the allure of the biggest athletic sportswear brand in the world. So, what was the absolute deal-breaker that persuaded the Curry family to ditch Nike?

Jeff Austin read through the lines, and Stephen Curry hit the jackpot

Despite the faulty pitch, Stephen Curry knew how Nike treated their athletes and the advantages of being part of their elite brand name and presence in the global markets, too. He was with the brand for the first four years of his career wearing Nike Zooms. Those remain collector’s items in his garage. “I definitely kept all my favorite [shoes] just as a memory of where my career has gone,” Steph once said. Should he decide to ever auction them, it’ll likely be worth more than modern-day real estate!

However, when considering the position Under Armour was in and the exclusive platform they were willing to give Curry, it became a no-brainer. “They have certain tiers of athletes. They have Kobe, LeBron and Durant, who were their three main guys. If he signed back with them, we’re on that second-tier,” Dell Curry said about Nike years ago.

Nike didn’t know it then, but Steph knew his worth. Even if he didn’t, his dad, who’d been an NBA star, knew what it was like to be signing these professional brand deals. Dell’s son wasn’t meant to be “second tier” anything. Hence, he signed with UA in 2013 in hopes of becoming the face of the brand one day. After a plethora of accolades and endless history, he is now the poster boy for Under Armour. The Chef has generated billions for the athletic brand since inking his first deal.

Per Sports Business Journal, Curry-specific footwear accounts for “about a quarter of Under Armour’s annual revenue,” and in 2023, the sales amounted to almost $1.5 billion. On average, his brand accounts for around $250 million in UA’s annual sales. Last year, Stephen Curry also signed what is believed to be a lifetime contract with Under Armour. It’s worth $215 million and includes an equity stake.

Only three NBA players have availed such luxury so far (lifelong deals): LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Kevin Durant. As part of the extension, he was made Creative Director of the Curry Brand, which Under Armour launched in 2020. Missing out on Stephen Curry is probably one of the most catastrophic mistakes Nike has ever made. And for Under Armour, he is the treasure they capitalized on. What do you think was the biggest factor in Stephen Curry’s decision to join Under Armour over Nike? Comment below!