Stephen Curry and long-time partner Under Armour have gone their separate ways after a 12-year partnership that saw the Warriors point guard become the face of the brand.
In 2013, Curry signed a breakthrough deal with Under Armour, a company that hadn’t made its mark in the world of basketball just yet. This deal came after Nike had flopped on their interview with Curry, listing Kevin Durant’s name on the PowerPoint presentation instead of the all-time greatest three-point shooter. Curry wasn’t a superstar just yet; however, brands were eager to sign him because of his groundbreaking potential.
Two years later, in February 2015, Under Armour would release the “Curry 1” signature shoe to the public. It became a smash hit with basketball fans around the world, especially amongst children. At that point, Curry had become a global sensation, transforming the game of basketball while influencing a generation of kids who wanted to shoot just like him. The immediate success of the shoes called for the brand to make a second edition.
Not too long after, in the fall of 2015, the “Curry 2” was released with initial success in terms of sales. However, the shoe slowly began to lose traction with consumers as 2016 rolled around.
For the better part of the next decade, Under Armour and Curry continued to release signature shoes. Some were more popular than others, but no matter how you look at it, kids everywhere wanted these shoes, and parents had no problem buying their children shoes from such a marketable athlete. The only year a new signature shoe wasn’t released was 2016. Until 2025, there was a new pair of shoes put out on the market annually.
It was believed that Steph Curry would be a for-lifer with Under Armour. After all, this was the brand that signed him before he grew into a superstar and stayed loyal to him for over 10 years — not to mention, Curry signed a lifetime deal with the company in 2023 that was reportedly worth over a billion dollars.
In 2020, the Warriors guard created the “Curry Brand,” a sub-brand of Under Armour that altered the design of how his previous shoes once looked. This brand had the goal of making shoes more affordable for kids and parents who couldn’t afford expensive shoes. It also allowed Curry to sign other athletes to the brand, including De’Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell.
On Nov. 13, 2025, the basketball world was shocked by the news of Curry’s departure from the Under Armour brand. As information began surfacing, it became apparent that not everything was as smooth as once thought between the two.
The two sides were reportedly unhappy with the financial state of the partnership and believed that the sales of the shoes weren’t meeting expectations. It was surprising that the deal fell apart, considering the once-popular discourse surrounding these shoes. Once looking into the details, however, it becomes obvious that the low selling price of the shoes may have been the reason for its downfall. Now, as a brand free agent, many fans are eagerly waiting to see which company Curry will jump to next.
Just days after the split, fans were taken aback by what they saw in Curry’s next game. Instead of wearing his own brand, he was sporting a pair of black and white Kobes in pre-game warmups. It looked like a dream; seeing him wearing a pair of Nikes was not on the bingo card.
Although he would go back to wearing Curry Brand shoes in the following games, it was now apparent that there were no more restrictions on what Stephen Curry would be wearing on the court.