Steph Curry Controls His Destiny After Under Armour Split

Could this have been a contributing factor to them severing ties? Perhaps, but Curry affirmed that he was still committed to Under Armour, so long as the company’s values aligned with his.

“If I can say the leadership is not in line with my core values, then there is no amount of money, there is no platform I wouldn’t jump off if it wasn’t in line with who I am,” he said to Bay Area sportswriter Marcus Thompson following the incident.

Plank and the brand’s ambassador continued their partnership after reaching an understanding about where each party stood on the situation. 

Curry even went so far as to help recruit NBA players to join the brand, with Joel Embiid being his first athlete, then eventually Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox.

Conflicting Issues

Trouble arose again in 2018 when the Curry 3 shoe sales performed underwhelmingly. Curry was unhappy with how his shoes sold, which many attributed to poor marketing and design.

Plank himself took issue with the All-Star inconsistently wearing UA apparel. 

Their partnership was salvaged by reaching an agreement where Curry gained significantly more autonomy in shoe and clothing designs, and a subsidiary brand for him would be created (as Michael Jordan had with Jordan Brand). For Steph, this was the innovation of his Curry Brand, which launched in 2020 during the pandemic.

When Curry was asked what it felt like to join the small group of athletes who have had their own branch under a larger company, he pushed back on the idea of going about his subsidiary the same way as them.

“Jordan is the goat standard of success (for having a legacy brand attached to a company), but we are going to do it a different way and something authentic to me,” Curry explained.

Whether or not a difference in vision and objectives caused the contractual dissolution, Curry will now be operating on his own. Despite Under Armour previously owning his signature logo, he will gain the rights to it as he moves on solo.

What’s Next?

Major companies like Nike and Adidas are expected to make big swings at the sportswear free agent to sway him over. 

Curry has already been testing out a variety of shoes from several companies. The 11-time NBA All-Star sported the Nike Kobe 6 Mambacita during last Friday’s game against the Spurs. His past connection with Kobe Bryant could potentially play a factor in him deciding to sign with Nike down the line.

For someone with a clear vision for how he wants to operate, remaining independent could be the way. He could follow a similar path as Celtics star Jaylen Brown, who started his own brand, 741, to independently release shoes and other products.

The 37-year-old previously stated his reasoning behind starting his own brand in the first place. For Curry, his reasoning behind starting his own brand was a way to live out his purpose, specifically referring to investing in kids’ sports and underserved communities and creating safe places for the youth to play. 

Riding solo would also allow Curry to maintain complete autonomy from a design and business perspective, solely controlling his destiny. The best marketing is being the greatest shooter on the planet. And with access to business resources at the palm of his hand, he may not need another affiliate. 

Stephen Curry will be in control of whichever direction he decides to take. Regardless of which way he chooses, it will be authentic to him. He can sell any product without significant assistance from a major brand.

He’s the greatest shooter in NBA history; He is the brand.