When Steph Curry switched from Nike to Under Armour in 2013—famously after Nike executives offended Curry and his father Dell in a pitch meeting to re-sign the rising star—it was seen as a major coup for the scrappy Baltimore apparel brand.
Curry quickly became the brightest star in Under Armour’s athlete endorser firmament, a lineup that included Tom Brady, Cam Newton, Michael Phelps, Lindsey Vonn, Bryce Harper, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Now Curry and Under Armour are splitting up, the company announced suddenly Thursday, in what both sides are calling a mutual decision. Under Armour will still release one last Curry sneaker, the Curry 13, in February, and in October 2026 Curry will leave—and take his brand and signature logo with him.
He owns all his IP, a spokesperson for Curry told Front Office Sports.
The announcement comes as a surprise after Under Armour and Curry announced a “long-term contract extension” just two years ago. That announcement also named Curry president of his brand.
Its strong athlete roster hasn’t helped Under Armour avoid a long decline. The stock is down 52% in the past year and down 91% since its all-time-high just above $53 in 2015. The company is muddling through a long rebuild, and headlined its announcement of the Curry split by saying it will “focus on core brand comeback.”
In May of last year, the company announced a major restructuring that included significant layoffs.
That rebuild comes with very public cost-cutting measures that have also included exiting expensive long-term college apparel sponsorships with the likes of Cincinnati, UCLA, and Cal.
One year from now, Curry can take his talents to another big brand, or could market his brand independently.
