NEW YORK — Athletes in any professional sport are always trying to grow their brands on and off the field or court. While Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry is known for his jaw-dropping shooting abilities on the basketball court, he is beginning to make a huge name for himself with Under Armour and his Curry Brand off the court. Much like how Michael Jordan built Jordan Brand with Nike, Curry is building his own brand with Under Armour and assembling his own unique roster of talent, which features Sacramento Kings All-Star De’Aaron Fox.
Despite the Warriors and Kings being rivals, Curry and Fox have built a very strong relationship with one another through their Curry Brand ventures. The 26-year-old guard signed with Curry Brand in October 2023 and is now on the verge of releasing his very own Fox 1 signature shoe with Curry’s help.
Although Fox will undoubtedly be wearing his new shoes and different colorways throughout the 2024-25 NBA season, the Kings guard has been rocking the league’s all-time greatest shooter’s shoes since signing with Curry Brand. For Steph, this has led to some funny and real moments on the court.
“We were both in the playoffs against one another, and he was wearing Curry products exclusively at that point. I’d always do a pregame check. Since our pregame shootings were around the same time, I’d come out, look down at the court, and look to see what color kicks he had on because sometimes he’d wear stuff even before I’d debut them on the court,” Curry said at an exclusive Curry Brand event held at the NBPA offices in Manhattan. “That playoff series was the same exact thing. I kind of had a script of the shoes I was going to wear, but I think I changed one time because he might have had the same color on.”
Players having their own shoes is nothing new around the NBA. We are constantly seeing stars wear signature shoes from LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, and, of course, Jordan Brand. While support around the league runs deep for the biggest names with their own shoes, the narrative always changes when players go up against those whose shoes they are always wearing.
Curry recognizes this, and the idea of Fox wanting to beat him in his own shoes is something the Warriors legend loves.
“There’s always that thing of former players saying how they would wear Jordans and Kobes and change shoes when they played them,” Curry explained. “To me that was dumb because it’s like: ‘Are you going to beat him or not?’ To me, the sign of respect is saying: ‘I’m going to beat you in your own shoes.’
“D-Fox has always been that way with me. He rocks the shoes whether I am playing him or not because he knows they’re going to help him. Obviously, they got us in the play-in tournament last year, and we got them in the playoff series the year before. I know the battles are going to keep getting tougher and tougher because he’s nice and that team is nice.”
De’Aaron Fox helping Stephen Curry grow Curry Brand
The Warriors and Kings have had plenty of battles throughout the years. Those who cheer for Golden State will remember the 2023 first-round series that resulted in Curry and Kevon Looney carrying the Warriors past the Kings in a winner-take-all Game 7 in Sacramento. On the other side of things, Sacramento supporters look no further than this past season’s play-in game when the Kings eliminated Curry and the Warriors from postseason contention.More stories and lore will be written between these two franchises for many years to come, but the connection Fox and Curry share with one another is only going to grow due to their partnership with Curry Brand and Under Armour.
It was a big deal for Steph and his brand to sign Fox to a shoe deal and for him to represent Curry Brand simply because the Kings guard is the only other NBA player on this brand’s roster. Steph has a vision for the future of his Curry Brand, and Fox is just the start of it.
“Signing D-Fox and our roster speaks to this moment in time,” Curry detailed. “As a signature athlete and now with Curry Brand, our statement is: ‘Change the game for good.’ What does that mean for someone else to come in and adopt or amplify that mentality authentically for themselves? You have to be about community, you have to be about family, you have to be about pursuing excellence and doing it your way. Just the ability to share this platform with an amazing roster of not just athletes, but people and their families and their teams, I feel like this is going to become an avalanche of this roster beginning to grow.”
The vision for Curry Brand right now, especially after Fox joined the mix, is to continue expanding. Not only does this mean in the game of basketball and possibly bringing in other NBA players, but also other sports like golf, which Curry has a strong presence in.
Despite their battles and rivalry on the court, Curry and Fox are building a really strong friendship off the court because of their ventures with Curry Brand. As time goes on, Curry is only going to achieve more with his Under Armour brand.
“It has been a lifelong journey of growth for this brand. For me, I am excited to take D-Fox to China and wave the Curry Brand flag. We are going to continue to change the Curry Brand for good, but I want them to do so their way, not my way.
“Take the blueprint, but do it the way you see fit and authentic to you.”
