On Thursday, Under Armour made the sudden announcement that it plans to split with NBA star Stephen Curry after a 12-year partnership.
The split includes the Curry Brand, the sub-brand of the Warriors star that launched in 2020.
Under Armour has seen its stock price go down by 54% over the past three years. A year ago, the company had significant layoffs and has implemented multiple cost-cutting measures to combat declining sales. The layoffs came a month after founder Kevin Plank returned to the company as its CEO. Post-Plank, the company cycled through several replacements over four years before going back to its founder.
“For Under Armour, this moment is about discipline and focus on the core UA brand during a critical stage of our turnaround,” Plank said in a statement Thursday night. “And for Stephen, it’s the right moment to let what we created evolve on his terms. We’ll always be grateful for what he’s brought to the UA team.”
The announcement left several questions about Under Armour’s future in basketball, as well as the future of Curry, who remains one of the NBA’s most famous and marketable players at 37.
What’s next for Steph Curry?
Curry owns all his intellectual property, meaning he can take Curry Brand independent or bring the Curry Brand and logo along with him to another company that can produce his shoes.
Athletes changing brands is not rare—Curry himself famously moved from Nike to Under Armour in 2013—but a sub-brand like Curry’s moving to a different company would be unusual. Sub-brands operate as quasi-independent brands from their parent companies, and can sign specific athletes. The most famous is Nike’s Jordan Brand, which has Luka Dončić and Jayson Tatum as endorsers and has apparel deals with schools like the University of Michigan.
A Curry spokesperson tells Front Office Sports that the two-time NBA MVP is free to sign with another brand immediately.
“There’s no non-compete whatsoever,” the spokesperson says.
Until Curry signs with another company, he’s with Under Armour through October 2026, and he will still release the Curry 13 signature shoe with the company in February.
Will Under Armour continue to sponsor men’s basketball players?
There are only six Under Armour athletes in the NBA, including Curry, and one in the G League. Four of them are under Curry Brand:
Curry Brand:
- Steph Curry
- De’Aaron Fox
- Davion Mitchell
- Quincy Olivari (G League)
Under Armour:
- Aaron Wiggins
- Derik Queen
- Jarace Walker
There are several other Curry Brand basketball players, including LSU women’s basketball star MiLaysia Fulwiley.
Under Armour said it will continue to develop new basketball products, and athletes under Curry Brand will maintain their contracts with Under Armour. But Curry Brand will have “the right of first refusal,” should they seek new shoe deals elsewhere.
Other Under Armour basketball players who are not under Curry Brand are Auburn sophomore Tahaad Pettiford as well as WNBA players Kelsey Plum, Diamond Miller, Laeticia Amihere, and Nika Mühl.
Despite the thinning basketball roster, UA still has a line of athlete and celebrity endorsers that includes Mets star Juan Soto, Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper, WWE wrestler turned actor Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, and Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
Will Davidson continue its apparel deal with Under Armour?
Under Armour has been the official athletic apparel provider for Davidson, Curry’s alma mater, since 2016–a year after its most famous alum won his first of four NBA titles. A private university, the terms of Davidson’s contract with UA aren’t publicly available, but it’s no coincidence that the Wildcats wear the same brand as Curry, who is also the assistant GM of the Wildcats basketball programs. An Under Armour spokesperson said its partnership with Davidson “will continue as planned according to the terms of their current agreement.” A Davidson spokesperson declined to comment.
What about Fox’s signature shoe?
Under Armour released the Fox 1’s in December 2024, in what was the then-Kings guard’s first signature shoe after being recruited by Curry to sign with his brand. Fox was traded to the Spurs in February. The Fox 2’s came out in August and an Under Armour spokesperson told FOS the company will continue to release planned colorways of the sneaker through the spring.
