Warriors’ Steph Curry Set to Replicate Michael Jordan With His Sneaker Deal

Steph Curry is one of the most recognizable basketball athletes in the world. His trips to five straight Finals as part of the Golden State Warriors have him etched into history. He set the tone for the modern game by breaking shooting threes with his backcourt partner Klay Thompson.

Curry, like other famous basketball stars, has his own shoe line. Curry is under contract with Under Armour, who also recently signed Joel Embiid. Curry’s current contract with Under Armour is supposed to be on till 2024, but some major changes might be coming to their deal.

Like Nike did with Michael Jordan, Under Armour may be giving Steph an entire brand of his own. This would mean that Steph would have a company in his likeness under the Under Armour banner. Considering how much success Nike had with the Jordan brand, it makes sense for other companies also looking for stars that will be willing to have such relationships.

This was first reported by Let’s Go Warriors.

Steph Curry and sneakers

Steph’s relationship with Under Armour has had its tense moments. Curry almost left the brand in 2018 after arriving at an impasse with the company. Curry’s shoe sales had been lagging, which made Steph upset with the company. The company, in turn, were upset that Curry wouldn’t represent UA merch at NBA games. However, Curry stayed on. This is where the initial brand rumors for Curry had begun, but news on that front has been quiet since.

Steph signed with Nike for his first sneaker contract. This was because he was a fan of the brand. However, Curry wasn’t a superstar and got a basic deal at the time. When the time came for renewal, Nike made a couple of faux pas that led Curry to leave. This included forgetting to remove Kevin Durant’s name from the presentation they made to Curry. Steph would leave to join Under Armour. Steph became a superstar after 2014, the year he left Nike for UA.

Steph’s rise has helped UA explode in profitability. The company went from Brandon Jennings as their flagship to Steph Curry. Now, they look to build on that by letting Curry have an entire brand in his name.

SOURCE: NY Times, Let’s Go Warriors