Stephen Curry stands by his decision to choose Under Armour over Nike.
In 2013, in what was arguably the fumble of that decade for Nike, the shoe brand conducted a pitch meeting with the Golden State Warriors point guard. He had been signed to the company since being drafted to the NBA in 2009, according to Basketball Network.
Sports Illustrated notes Curry began setting up meetings with leading shoe companies, and the new Under Armour ultimately came out on top. Under Armour offered a $4 million annual contract that included the promise of a signature shoe and the chance for him to become a key figure for the brand. Nike’s offer was $2.5 million without the additional perks, and the meeting reportedly didn’t go so well. A representative was said to have mispronounced Curry’s first name, calling him “Steph-on” instead of “Steph-en,” and a slide presentation allegedly had Kevin Durant’s name on it and not Curry’s.
With Curry choosing Under Armour, the deal kicked into gear in 2013. He has remained with the company ever since. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, their partnership would lead to the creation of The Curry Brand in 2020. A vision of assisting more than 100,000 athletes by 2025 was also part of its mission.
The partnership has since led to the launched of 12 signature shoes at the time of this writing.
Reflecting on his decision to venture from Nike to Under Armour, Curry revealed to Boardroom ,“It’s kind of my mentality and when I joined Under Armour back in 2013, the basketball roster was pretty slim and basically starting the category from scratch. So to be a signature athlete for the seven, eight years that I was there to then turn it into a Curry brand and the success that we’ve had, I’m super proud of that to be honest. But the fact that I took a chance and wanted to create something on my own and sitting where I am right now, that speaks way more than saying, you know, what could have been with Nike.”
