NBA’s Curry reportedly close to $1B Under Armour deal
Under Armour athlete and NBA superstar Stephen Curry is reportedly close to reaching a potentially $1 billion lifetime extension of his contract with the Baltimore-based athletic apparel brand.
The Golden State Warriors point guard, a two-time regular-season Most Valuable Player and scoring champion who’s widely considered the greatest shooter in league history, has nearly finalized the contract with Under Armour, Rolling Stone magazine reported in a wide-ranging profile of Curry.
Under Armour declined to comment Wednesday, saying in an email that the company does not disclose that level of detail on his contract.
Curry signed with the sports apparel and footwear maker in 2013 after a previous deal with Under Armour rival Nike expired. He had entered the ranks of Nike athletes when he joined the league but before becoming a superstar.
In September 2015, he extended the Under Armour sponsorship through 2024 and was given an equity stake in the brand.
Curry said at that time that he looked forward “to being part of the brand’s story for the rest of my playing career and beyond.”
After some friction with Under Armour in early 2017 after founder Kevin Plank praised then-President Donald Trump’s business philosophy, the company created the Curry Brand as a subsidiary in 2018.
Curry Brand shoes have contributed to Under Armour’s rise as a basketball brand, Plank said last month while addressing analysts during a quarterly earnings conference call.
Plank said during that call that Under Armour has continued to prove itself in basketball, outfitting 29 men’s and women’s NCAA tournament teams in March and through a sponsorship with 2021-22 NBA scoring champion and All-Star Joel Embiid.
“And oh yes,” Plank said, “having Stephen Curry, the reigning greatest basketball player in the world wearing UA footwear in partnership with building the Curry brand.”
Besides Curry, Under Armour has given a stake in the company to one of its most high-profile endorsers, legendary quarterback Tom Brady. In February 2021, as Brady headed to his 10th Super Bowl, Under Armour dropped an on-field contract with the NFL but said it had no plans to end or change its endorsement deal with Brady.
And like Curry, Brady had left Nike for Under Armour. A November 2010 agreement with Under Armour gave him a stake in the company from the outset. The seven-time Super Bowl champion has worn the brand’s apparel, including its football cleats and gloves, made appearances at its stores, been featured in its advertising campaigns and created his own line. He helped test the prototype for Under Armour’s “performance” sleepwear.
Brady makes an appearance in the brand’s new campaign, “Be The Athlete No One Saw Coming,” aimed at encouraging young athletes to look beyond comparisons. In the campaign, Brady encourages the next generation of athletes to “focus on being the best versions of themselves.”