Stephen Curry, Under Armour part ways, ending a 12-year partnership
After more than a decade, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry and Under Armor parted ways, the company announced. announced on Thursday. The Golden State Warriors guard has been one of the brand’s signature faces since leaving Nike in 2013.
Under Armor said in a statement that the point guard’s Curry Brand will leave the company and Curry himself will be independent from the company. Under Armor says it will continue to develop new basketball-related products “with a disciplined focus on its own brand.”
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Curry and Under Armor launched the Curry Brand in 2020, with Curry eventually taking over as president of the brand. Curry also acquired a significant amount of Under Armor stock as part of a long-term deal in 2023.
Scheduled to release the Curry 13 in February 2026, Under Armor says it will release the sneaker as planned, but that this will be the last release from the Curry Brand under the Under Armor brand. Additional colorways and apparel collections will be available by next October, according to the company.
Kevin Plank, Under Armour’s founder and CEO, wrote in a statement that working with Curry was “an incredible privilege” but that it was “the right moment” to split the partnership.
“Together with our teammates, we helped create something rare: a brand that is trusted, has a community impact, and has a top-performing product,” Plank said. “For Under Armour, this moment is about discipline and focus on the core UA brand at a critical stage of our transformation. And for Stephen, it’s the right moment to let what we’ve created evolve on his terms. We will always be grateful for what he added to the UA team.”
Curry added that he was “grateful” for the company’s belief in him early in his career.
“Under Armor believed in me early in my career and gave me the space to make something much bigger and more impactful than a shoe. For that, I will always be grateful,” Curry said. “What the Curry Brand stands for, what I stand for, and my commitment to that mission will never change, it’s only getting stronger. I’m excited for a future focused on aggressive growth with the determination to continue to show up for the next generation.”
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Before the split, Curry was one of the few NBA players on a lifetime deal; LeBron James and Kevin Durant had lifetime contracts with Nike, and Damian Lillard signed a lifetime deal with Adidas last winter.
