Kevin Durant urges former teammate Steph Curry to join Nike after departure from Under Armour.
When Steph Curry parted ways with Under Armour after 12 years of sponsorship and signature shoes, he opened himself up to a world of possibilities.
He remains one of the most recognizable and marketable athletes, not only in the NBA, but in all of North American sports.
The potential that he has ahead of him when it comes to a future sponsorship contract appears to be limitless. He will likely be a popular client for any athletics company that missed out on him the first time around when he signed with Under Armour. He even has one former teammate and current Nike client trying to convince Curry to sign with the sports apparel giant.
Shaq’s OGs guard Stephen Curry (30) of the Golden State Warriors and forward Kevin Durant (35) of the Phoenix Suns look on in the game against Chuck’s Global Stars during the 2025 NBA All Star Game at Chase Center. Kyle Terada-Imagn ImagesDurant Says Curry Should Have "Always Been a Nike Athlete"
"That would be incredible. I hope that happens," Kevin Durant told Kay Adams on Friday of Curry potentially joining Nike (via NBC Sports). "Yeah. No disrespect to Under Armour, [but] he should have always been a Nike athlete."
Curry began his career wearing Nike's but shifted to Under Armour back in 2013. Since he's been free of his obligations to Under Armour, Curry has wasted no time putting the Swoosh back on, starting with Mambacita Kobe 6s.
“I know it’s just weird seeing me in anything else other than my own shoes,” Curry said. “But just the idea of what he meant. I’ve talked about Kobe a lot. And that specific pair, I think it speaks for itself and what it means. Other than that, it’s just something that I wanted to take advantage of that moment and pay tribute."
IF Curry was to join Nike, and even secure his own shoe line, he would be joining his seemingly rightful place alongside other icons of NBA basketball like Durant, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Michael Jordan.
Despite Durant's excitement about the idea of Curry joining him at Nike, what he finds most impressive about his former teammate's availability in the sports apparel market is just how popular his brand is and just how desired he would be as a client this late into his career.
"But he built his brand, and this is an exciting time for him to be able to choose and to have people out there that want to still want your services at 37. You can just tell his legacy and his brand is intact, you know. He's a free agent, and it feels like he's still a rookie, you know what I'm saying?"