Stephen Curry’s decision to leave Nike for Under Armour in 2013 caught a whole lot of sneakerheads off-guard. Two MVPs and three championship rings later, the Golden State Warriors superstar’s massive bet on himself has paid off more than even he could have known.
On the latest episode of Boardroom’s “The Sneaker Game,” Stephen takes Nick DePaula through the origin story of the Curry Brand, expanding into golf, running, and lifestyle products, and what the brand’s “Change the Game for Good” tagline means to him:
“Any time you get to a position where you get to stand up your own brand, create your own vision, and get to a point where you’re creating a dope product — footwear, apparel, all of that — it’s kind of surreal. But it’s standing on the shoulders of seven-plus years in the signature game with Under Armour and going through all the ups and downs, the wins, the losses, learning the game. It’s not an easy business to be in, but I think that being in the position where I can do something unique and special Under Curry brand and make this something hopefully that will live beyond my playing days will be a huge success.
“You want to have the dopest signature shoe, you want to have the dopest takedown models, you want to have the dopest running/training product. I want to use Curry Brand Golf as a way to continue to drive opportunity and representation within the game and thinking about golf in a different kind of approach than your country club-type tradition. There’s a fine balance there, and I want to push the limits there. There’s a huge opportunity with product and apparel, but for us, being in a position where our storytelling and our impact can drive true change for the next generation in terms of people who participate in a brand.
“You’re giving back to kids who love sports, want to be out find themselves in whatever game it is, be impacted by coaches in programs that are having their best interests and looking out for them. Hopefully, we continue to grow and continue to drive amazing revenue every year and hit our goals and our targets, but even at this point, we’re still in our starting blocks, and it’s been dope to see the energy. I’ve got to continue to do my work on the court, keep hooping at the highest level. I’ve got a lot of years left, but I want Curry Brand to outlive what that is in its own way.”
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