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12 years have passed by, but the love is still intact between Stephen Curry and his longtime partner. No, we’re not talking about Ayesha Curry, but another relationship the NBA veteran has developed, thanks to a botched PowerPoint presentation…
The year was 2013, and Curry was still developing himself into the icon he’s today. Shy of being a 4x NBA Champion, or an NBA Finals MVP, or a 2x NBA Most Valuable Player, the then 25-year-old was just another face in the crowd to Nike. In retrospect, though, that thought didn’t age well.
When Curry’s first sneaker deal was about to expire, his family took pitch meetings to several major sneaker brands. Nike offered the young talent a $2.5 million per year deal. Under Armour, on the other hand, went above and beyond with a $4 million per year deal, along with giving him a signature shoe and making him the face of the company. However, the final nail in the coffin was when Curry was essentially close to being insulted during his meeting with Nike.
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As a young Stephen and his mother sat down for an interview with the mega brand, one of Nike’s representatives reportedly mispronounced Stephen’s name as Steph-on. What’s more? A PowerPoint presentation reportedly displayed Kevin Durant’s name instead. Now, no matter how much of a rookie, that’s not an insult anyone would take lightly, let alone the Curry family. But, who was this unnamed executive who committed the cardinal sin?
For the longest time, people assumed it would be Nike’s then Vice President of North American basketball operations, Nico Harrison. However, the executive-turned-Dallas Mavericks GM cleared the air, saying, “There is an article out. And the article says I mispronounced his name. It wasn’t me. It absolutely wasn’t me. But they didn’t know the other person, they knew me. So, they say I mispronounced his name because it’s sexy. But I’m like, first of all, I’ve known this guy forever, like since he was in high school. I used to represent his dad. How am I going to mispronounce his name? I might have called him Seth, but I wasn’t going to mispronounce his name. So yeah, Nike made a mistake.”
“In all honesty, if he would have stayed with Nike, his business would be a monster right now. A monster,” Harrison had further added, which Curry seems to sorely disagree with. Just last month, the player appeared in a Bloomberg documentary where journalist Emily Chang had asked him, “A former Nike executive said that if you had stayed with Nike, your business would’ve been a monster. How do you respond to that?”
To this, the 36-year-old responded, “There’s a reason I’m not there. I’ve always been an underdog. It’s kind of my mentality, and when I joined Under Armour back in 2013, the basketball roster was pretty slim and basically starting the category from scratch. So, to be a signature athlete for the seven, eight years that I was there to then turning it into a Curry brand and the success that we’ve had, I’m super proud of that, to be honest. But the fact that I took a chance and wanted to create something on my own, and you know, and sitting where I am right now, that speaks way more than saying what could have been with Nike.” Well, looks like Curry has clearly chosen sides, which was also evident in his recent appearance at an event…
Now that you know everything that went down, have you seen those Instagram videos where people are asked to break down their outfits and rate themselves? If so, you’ve probably heard of Ajay Porter, popular by the name Mystery Fashionist on the platform. Well, the guy just got lucky last night during All-Star weekend, adding another celebrity interaction pinned to his IG account—the Currys!
Both Steph and Ayesha Curry were absolutely stunning in their high-fashion outfits, but an uncomfortable situation soon dawned on them. Although… Steph, in his naturally cool and composed manner, proved again where his loyalty lies…
The video started with a simple introduction, followed by Ajay asking them to rate their outfits from 1 to 10. Ayesha went first saying, “I would rate my outfit a 7.” Wondering why she deducted the three points?
“Due to comfortability,” she explained. Sometimes fashion doesn’t prioritize comfort, and that’s exactly what Ayesha chose on Saturday night. She went on to add, “I Have on Givenchy boots, they’re denim thigh-high. I have on a diesel top. Some Alex Moss jewelry.” And let’s not forget her skinny red leather pants; they were from Fashion Nova. If that wasn’t a diva-like appearance, then what is? While Ayesha kept her fashion game strong, Steph preferred staying loyal to his brand.
When the mic turned towards him, Curry said, “I was gonna rate it like an 8, but then I got a lot of compliments walking through here.” So he bumped his rating up to a “9”. Now that’s the kind of confidence we expect from the Warriors star. So what exactly was he wearing? A grey matching top and bottom set, paired with “the Bottega shoes” and “an Under Armour tee.” He could never go wrong with that. “So I’m locked in comfort under here,” he stated. His UA brand saved the day when it came to comfort.
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Both Steph and Ayesha have packed schedules during the All-Star weekend, as they’re the unofficial hosts of the event. But despite the chaos, they’ve kept their priorities straight, always making time to give back to society first.
Stephen and Ayesha Curry make an impact by giving back to the community
The couple’s weekend kicked off on Friday, not with the events, but with a noble cause. Though they no longer live in Oakland, the city where their journey began will always feel like home to them. So, turning their back on it was never really an option.
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They started by providing a day’s service to the elementary school of Oakland, along with a playground renovation. Their goal is to help children in need by supporting their education and future through their Eat.Learn.Play Foundation. “We have an amazing team behind us that is taking the direction and the commitment that Ayesha and I have to Oakland and leverage that to create amazing impact,” Curry said in an interview with The Associated Press.
Besides their charitable work, Steph will be expected to bring his energy to the All-Star game, which just began, while Ayesha could be seen in the stands cheering him on, as she always does.
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Steph Curry's loyalty to comfort over fashion—Is this the secret to his success on and off court?
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Steph Curry's loyalty to comfort over fashion—Is this the secret to his success on and off court?
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