Stephen Curry Is Ready for Decade-Long Battle With Michael Jordan’s $6.5 Billion Brand as Under Armour Begins Expansion

When Nike launched the Air Jordan 1 in partnership with a rookie Michael Jordan they had hoped for success but could have hardly imagined the cultural impact it would have. Released on April 1, 1985, the Air Jordan was retailed at $65 and by the end of the year, Nike would make more than $100 million thanks to the Jordan Brand. This opened the door for brands to market individuals instead of teams as the Nike-Jordan partnership revolutionized athlete endorsements.

35 years after the launch of Jordan Brand, Stephen Curry teamed up with Under Armour to launch the Curry Brand. Launched on December 1, 2020, the brand features footwear, apparel, and accessories backed by Under Armour’s performance product innovations. The brand has grown over the years, looking to make imprints in the international market.

In September, the Curry Brand launched its first store in China and Jason Archer, the managing director of Under Armour’s Asia-Pacific division called it a “great example of how the brand is expanding internationally and growing its roster.” Meanwhile, the brand plans to explore further international markets to expand its impact. As the Curry Brand’s vision takes shape, we hear from the man himself about the vision for his venture.

On Thursday, Stephen Curry sat down to talk with journalist Emily Chang on The Circuit. When asked “Is the ambition to be as big as Air Jordan?” Curry revealed, “My version of that in the sense of he set the standard and then everybody’s in the comparison game of his career on the court and obviously, what Air Jordan means, you know, culturally on court as well.” The 36-year-old is well aware that Michael Jordan’s legacy, both on the basketball court and in the sneaker industry, will serve as the benchmark for comparison for anyone or anything that comes along in the same market.

During Jordan’s near two-decade career, a new Air Jordan sneaker was released every season. With time its impact went beyond basketball into pop culture, fashion, and hip-hop. Hollywood icon Will Smith sported the Grape Air Jordan 5 on the TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Flims like Got Game, saw Denzel Washington’s character Jake Shuttlesworth wear the Air Jordan 13.

Rappers like the Notorious B.I.G., Ice Cube, Jay Z, and others would reference Jordan’s sneakers and career success lyrically in songs and it was a common sight to see celebrities wearing the Jordans in different settings. Moreover, the Jordan Brand has immensely enhanced Nike’s reputation both as a brand and in terms of pushing the company’s revenue. Last year, the Jordan Brand ended the fiscal year with a $6.6 billion total revenue and is currently valued at $6.5 billion. In comparison, even though Under Armour didn’t reveal Curry-specific numbers for its revenue, TD Cowen last year estimated the brand accounts for as much as $250 million in annual sales. Curry understands there is a long way to go.

He is focused on taking a unique approach and staying true to his identity when it comes to his brand. “What we’ve learned over the last 4 years, doing what we do great, and I understand this is a marathon,” the 4-time champion added. “And I think we can have some success at a high level when it comes to what is, you know, 10, 20 years look like that mirrors Jordan Brand. But does it in a way that’s authentic to what I stand for, what Curry brand wants to stand for.”

When the Curry Brand was first launched, his priority was to give back to the community, just like his father had done with The Dell Curry Foundation in North Carolina to support the youth of the area.

The Curry Brand aims to create at least 20 safe places to play and support 125 programs that impact young athletes by 2025. They also plan to deliver opportunities to train more than 15,000 coaches—making an overall impact on more than 100,000 youth.

“We have a shared goal of unlocking play for kids, so that became a natural place for us to focus,” Curry said in 2020 when his partnership with Under Armour first began. Meanwhile, at Under Armour, the retailer’s revenue went down in the second quarter. The metric was down 11% year over year to $1.4 billion, with North American revenue falling 13%. Hence, the company is planning its most significant marketing effort to date.

GlobalData Managing Director Neil Saunders said that they “extensive amount of work” to do in order to rebuild brand equity. A large part of it will be driven by reconnecting to its wholesale partners, with  CEO Kevin Plank telling analysts the company plans to increase communication with its key retailers and work to earn more shelf space.

So Curry will have the backing of his partners in order to expand his brand further and take it beyond traditional markets. He knows this is a long road and one which he is willing to tread, but what about his NBA career?

Stephen Curry reveals what his future will look like 10 years down the line

Emily isn’t the only person who’s curious to know what Stephen Curry‘s life will be like after a decade. Every basketball fan shares that curiosity. Before revealing his plans, Curry made one thing clear about where he would be in 10 years, “Basketball will be done by then. I can pretty much say that for sure. I don’t think I’ll be playing anymore.” That’s a harsh reality. By then, Steph will be around 46, and playing won’t be in the cards. So, what is it that he wants to achieve next?

“Everything that I’m doing, I love, I’m passionate about, and I wanna continue to go deeper,” Curry said. “So I’ve dreamed big before, and I’ll kick my coverage on that tremendously. So, hopefully, that happens again for the next 10.”

Many players have returned to the sport after retirement in various roles. Even Michael Jordan did as a part-owner of the Charlotte Hornets. Similarly, Curry has expressed interest in owning a team earlier. So, maybe he’ll follow in MJ’s footsteps here as well once he retires.