A signature shoe marks a whole new level of brand development and image for NBA players. Just like Nike & Puma, Under Armour has also signed players to collaborate on signature shoes. Although they have just started to mark their name in this particular field, they have got hold of the current game’s biggest stars.
The only two players that have signature shoe deals with UA are Stephen Curry and Joel Embiid. Steph was with Nike before his current brand, whereas Joel left Adidas before joining UA.
Who has the most signature shoes with Under Armour?
Player name | No. of signature shoes | Signature shoe name |
---|---|---|
Stephen Curry | 9 | UA Curry |
Joel Embiid | 1 | UA Embiid |
It is clear Steph is the winner with 9 signature shoes, compared to Embiid’s 1. The GSW star signed with the American brand back in 2013, making it an almost a decade-old partnership. For the first four years of his NBA career, Steph was signed with Nike. That’s right, Nike had the two biggest players in the world at one point, Steph & LeBron James.
Why did Steph leave Nike?
There were a number of reasons why Curry left Nike nine years ago. Many reports say that one of them included a Nike official mispronouncing Stephen as Steph-on. This caused the Currys to feel disappointed in the sports giant, as anyone would. However, the reasons do not stop there.
Additionally, Steph felt he was not important to Nike. Seeing other young players, Anthony Davis & Kyrie Irving get their own camps sponsored by Nike, Steph wished for the same too. The swoosh did not offer him a deal with this particular part included.
Moreover, the Chef let his then 2-year-old daughter, Riley Curry, chose between Under Armour, Nike, Adidas, and Brand Black. He mentioned, “Go pick your favorite and hand it to daddy.”
It is only recently that Embiid joined him on the UA stage. The 76ers star released his signature shoe line during the pandemic in 2020. This was a couple of years after he signed a multi-year deal with the same brand. When he announced that he was signing with them, he told fans that the reason for choosing Under Armour was “bigger than basketball.”