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via Imago

How often do you see ‘bullying’ being justified? Not often and shouldn’t be, but as we roll, you get what we mean. It all started with this when the crowd popped as The Chase Center witnessed a feat that was once perceived to be unfathomable. The center of it was yet again their very own, Stephen Curry. When facing the Sacramento Kings on Thursday, the Baby Face Assassin launched a three-pointer in the third quarter. This one though marked history. The four-time champion became the first player to hit 4,000 threes in NBA history! But it wasn’t just him who came to play tonight.

In addition to changing the game of basketball forever, Stephen Curry also changed a brand. Under Armour became a roaring success when they signed Curry. And to date, they have celebrated several of his achievements. But none may rank above the way they celebrated his 4k treys. Guess how they did?

They went back to where the journey began, at Davidson, North Carolina. The advert titled “4,000 was just a number. North Carolina was just a state. Stephen Curry was always him,” went beyond just his three-point achievement. It celebrated the Chef as far greater than just a shooter, and there is no lie in it.

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“Scorer. Champion. Icon,” those three words echoed his great basketball career. And the commercial itself pointed out how Curry too is an icon in North Carolina, a state that adores its basketball. But it also seemed to be a jab at Nike, the company that passed on him several years ago.

Expertly engineered to put Stephen Curry level with the impact of maybe Michael Jordan? “Say his last name and everyone knows,” such powerful lines narrated by Dave Chapelle just hit the emotion. And fans couldn’t contain their excitement as they longed for an enticing commercial from UA.

The commercial fans have been longing for

It’s not that in the past Under Armour didn’t celebrate arguably its greatest athlete. But no commercial came close to the impact this one managed to make. Fans couldn’t believe it. “Bullying works,” a fan wrote as for years they have requested UA to emerge with an advert that really captures it all.

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Stephen Curry: Has he surpassed Michael Jordan's legacy, or is he still chasing the GOAT?

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This one did just that. It grasped how Curry isn’t just a legend in the Bay Area, but also in North Carolina, the state that remembers Michael Jordan as another icon. The wording and the one-liners put him in the same company as His Airness. Hence, a fan congratulated the brand. “Y’all ate this one, cleared the plate,” they mentioned.

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However, it was not just a celebration! It included some soft jabs at Nike, walking the borders of how it celebrates Jordan. Notably targeting “The shoes. The highlights. The records,” all of which Stephen Curry has in plenty. Another great reference, “Everyone wants to be like him,” could be similar to Gatorade’s iconic ‘Be like Mike’ commercial.

For the fans, every detail hit the many as some were even surprised. “I’m surprised they remembered him and even made a tribute video,” a fan wrote. And for many occasions, Under Armour hadn’t delivered an advert that encapsulated some of Curry’s iconic moments like his recent heroics at the Olympics or even the maiden Finals MVP.

That wasn’t the case with this one. Under Armour put together all of its resources to Stephen Curry for a fitting tribute. And all fans want is one thing. “Finally you did something right for Steph. Keep doing it,” a fan expressed. And as the four-time champion gets closer to the end of his career, his loyal stans want to witness more of such greatness.

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With how good he has been, the remainder of Stephen Curry’s glistening career is bound to create more history. At least that’s the benchmark of expectation he has set for fans. And this commercial celebrates him as who he is. An icon of the sport that has earned a place among the greats. It may have taken a few Easter eggs to crack, but UA did their biggest athlete justice with this one.

That makes fans curious. Just what else is the creative team at the company capable of in the future?

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Stephen Curry: Has he surpassed Michael Jordan's legacy, or is he still chasing the GOAT?

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