Close to three months ago, LeBron James graced the court with his new gold LeBron 22 sneaker in Paris for the gold medal encounter. It symbolized the obvious. But the man who catapulted Team USA to their predicted destination was Stephen Curry playing in his debut Olympics. That night’s three-point extravaganza and the infamous ‘Night Night’ celebration forced French announcers to call the Chef a “demon”. Finally, after all this time, Under Armour gave him the kicks to make his grand tournament immortal.

Curry will be aiming to continue his good fortunes for the NBA season as the Golden State Warriors begin their season with two games on the road. Starting in Portland, Curry’s pregame sneakers caught the attention of his ardent fans. He sported his latest Curry 12 sneaker during warmups in a new “Gold Medal” PE. As the name suggests, the body of the shoe is painted in gold with a hint of white on the sole of the shoe, creating some contrast. The tongue, a dark blue color, hosts the logo of the Curry brand. He did not wear the shoe for the actual game, though.

Coincidentally, it also draws some resemblance to the Warriors’ home threads. It also contains an American Flag insole and the midfoot honors all of his four family members. Additionally, the $3.56 billion brand also made smaller shoes as a surprise for the entire Curry family and presented them “last night” according to Nick DePaula. Alongside the border of the shoe, the phrase ‘Greatest Shooter Ever’ provides the needed touches to elevate the shoe’s exclusivity.

The strap at the back of the shoe has the color scheme of the French flag, devoted to his amazing debut tournament held there. “It was the most surreal feeling, especially the way it ended. I felt like a kid again. A 12-out-of-10 experience,” Curry said about his Olympic experience. It might have been the first and only time the basketball world witnessed what ‘Olympic Curry’ looks like. But as far as his brand goes, they are on a herculean rise.

The meteoric rise of the Stephen Curry brand

After the Olympics, the Baby Face Assassin visited China, a basketball hub to do something unprecedented. He opened his very own Curry brand store in Chengdu. Fans came flocking into the store, but that was only one highlight of his trip. Joined by Kings’ De’Aaron Fox, the 36-year-old also announced him as the brand’s first signature athlete. A Fox-Curry sneaker saw the eyes and fascination of the fans for the first time. Because of regular overcrowding, several events had to be stopped.

However, not a visit to the Shanghai Indoor Stadium. The capacity of 10,000 seemed too low. Wild and passionate fans of the Warriors legend cheered on as he took the basketball court and addressed his followers. So even though there were disruptions in his schedule, the intensity of love and openness that Curry experienced in China is one he won’t forget.

He left them with a parting message. “Dear China, what a trip, what a tour, what a time,” he wrote in a tweet. In the brand’s latest creation, they will release a new galaxy colorway of his latest Curry 12 sneaker in the coming weeks, which has fans buzzing already. As far as influence can go, Stephen Curry is moving into territory very few athletes have ever had the privilege of being in.

And his journey is only just getting started.