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Steph Curry and Under Armour broke up Thursday after a dozen years together. By Friday night, he made clear he’s open for business elsewhere.
The internet immediately noticed the two-time NBA MVP was warming up in a pair of Nikes ahead of Friday night’s matchup between the Warriors and Spurs. Specifically, he was wearing Nike Kobe 6 Protro “Mambacita” sneakers—unveiled in 2022, meant to recognize Bryant’s relationship with his daughter, Gigi.
By tipoff, he had changed into Curry 12s. The shoes served him well—Curry erupted for 49 points and sank game-winning free throws in a 109-108 victory over San Antonio. And on Sunday night, he was wearing the Curry Series 7 shoes.
But the sneaker world has been officially put on notice.
“I’m a free agent,” he said when asked about warming up in Nikes after the game. “New beginnings.”
Curry was originally a Nike athlete for four years before signing with Under Armour in 2013. He famously fled the checkmark for the scrappy Baltimore apparel brand after Nike executives—including newly fired Nico Harrison—botched a pitch meeting that offended Curry and his father, Dell Curry.
Curry quickly rose to stardom and helped turn Under Armour into a relevant competitor. Before long, the brand had an athlete endorser lineup that included Tom Brady, Cam Newton, Michael Phelps, Lindsey Vonn, Bryce Harper, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Now, Under Armour is without its brightest star and trying to turn around a long-lasting slump in performance. Its stock is down 52% in the past year and down 91% since its all-time high of just above $53 per share in 2015 (it closed Friday below $5 per share).
The timing of the separation was intriguing because Under Armour and Curry had announced a “long-term contract extension” just two years ago. That announcement also named Curry president of his brand.
Kevin Plank, founder and CEO of Under Armour, said in the press release announcing their breakup that working with Curry has “been an incredible privilege,” and looked toward the future: “For Under Armour, this moment is about discipline and focus on the core UA brand during a critical stage of our turnaround.”
Under Armour will release one last Curry sneaker, the Curry 13, in February. By next October, Curry will be gone—and he’s taking his brand and signature logo with him. He owns all his IP, a spokesperson for Curry told Front Office Sports this week.
Under the separation agreement, Curry—who is 36 years old, still playing excellent basketball, and remains one of basketball’s most marketable stars—does not need to wait until October to sign with another brand. He is free to sign elsewhere immediately.
A representative for Nike did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday night.
