Look back at photos of Stephen Curry’s early career. In those, you’ll notice the Nike Swoosh on his feet. Today, it’s Under Armour everything. Nike has always maintained its dominance in the basketball world. At one point in time, its roster featured Stephen Curry to go along with Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James, proven superstars.
Unfortunately, they didn’t treat Steph with the same respect and he moved on to sign with Under Armour. In the offseason of 2013, the Currys went to meet Nike as they pitched to Steph. The meeting was disastrous for Nike and the rest is history.
Dell Curry recounts the pitch meeting, one of the last encounters and the reason Steph would leave the Swoosh for Under Armour. According to ESPN True Hoop, Nike’s blunders made the decision an easy one:
The pitch meeting, according to Steph’s father Dell, who was present, kicked off with one Nike official accidentally addressing Stephen as “Steph-on,” the moniker, of course, of Steve Urkel’s alter ego in Family Matters. “I heard some people pronounce his name wrong before,” says Dell Curry. “I wasn’t surprised. I was surprised that I didn’t get a correction.”
It got worse from there. A PowerPoint slide featured Kevin Durant’s name, presumably left on by accident, presumably residue from repurposed materials. “I stopped paying attention after that,” Dell says. Though Dell resolved to “keep a poker face,” throughout the entirety of the pitch, the decision to leave Nike was in the works.
Using the same slideshow purposed for another athlete is a huge sign of disrespect. Nobody in the organization took the intiative to give it a second look to assure the details were in place before the t. In the season before the meeting, Steph broke the record for 3-Pointers made in a season and led the Warriors to a Western Conference Semis. Easily put, Nike didn’t believe in the rising star.
In the meeting, according to Dell, there was never a strong indication that Steph would become a signature athlete with Nike. “They have certain tiers of athletes,” Dell says. “They have Kobe, LeBron and Durant, who were their three main guys. If he signed back with them, we’re on that second tier.”
Another reason Steph left Nike was the sponsored basketball camps, something Steph has gotten with Under Armour, he probably wouldn’t have received with Nike. Steph understood his place in the basketball realm and looked to give back. Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis got theirs before Steph was even considered.
In truth, there had been other indications that Nike lacked interest before this meeting. There was the matter of whether Curry would get to lead a Nike-sponsored camp for up-and-coming players. These camps aren’t high on the list of fan concerns, but they matter deeply to the game’s elite. They’re a chance to teach a younger generation, to have interactions more meaningful than strangers clamoring for autographs on the street.
Today, Stephen Curry is an MVP, NBA Champion, and continues to gain fans. Under Armour has surpassed adidas and holds the number two spot. Although its a long way to go, after signing Steph, the company has risen in popularity and gained tons of attention. With Under Armour, Curry has had two signature shoes after wearing the Anatomix Spawns and Clutchfit Drives.