Did you know that a recycled Kevin Durant presentation used by Nike to pitch Stephen Curry 13 years ago actually played a role in Curry choosing Under Armour over Nike? Yes, it wasn’t just the mispronounced “Steph-on” that rubbed him the wrong way during that pitch. Fast forward to 2025, and Curry has officially parted ways with UA. Not because of old slides or awkward pronunciations, but because he’s ready to embrace the free-agent life and fully focus on growing his independent Curry Brand.

Kevin Durant thinks Curry probably shouldn’t let that awkward pitch bother him and should take the next step. On the Up and Adams Show, he weighed on the possibility of Curry reuniting with Nike, saying, “That would be incredible. I hope that happens. Yeah, he should — no disrespect to Under Armour. He should have always been a Nike athlete, 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 once you still want your services at 37. Know he could just tell his legacy and his brand is intact, you know. So it’s a free agent, and it feels like he’s still a rookie. You know what I’m saying.”

Yes, yes, KD, we get it, you’ve got strong opinions about Under Armour. This isn’t even the first time he’s thrown shade. Back in 2017, during a podcast with Bill Simmons, Durant didn’t hold back: “Shoe companies have a real big influence on where these kids go. Nobody wants to play in Under Armour, I’m sorry. The top kids don’t because they all play Nike.” Ouch. 

It’s hard to argue when the alternative comes stamped with that much legacy. Simmons even gave Durant a chance to soften the blow, asking if he thought Curry might approve of it. But KD stayed firm, doubling down: “Everybody” knew it to be true.

Interestingly, this all went down while Durant was still in Golden State, but Curry didn’t let the comments spark any tension in the locker room. He shrugged it off with a simple explanation: “I told him that he has a certain opinion based on his experience growing up in the Nike business.” And he wasn’t wrong.

Durant, a Maryland native, famously bypassed local options like Maryland and North Carolina to play his college ball at the University of Texas: a flagship Nike school with national reach. Even though Maryland was sponsored by Nike during Durant’s recruitment, the program switched over to Under Armour in 2008, adding a little irony to KD’s strong opinions about shoe loyalties.

Once upon a time, even Kevin Durant was on Under Armour’s radar. Back in 2014, with a few months left on his initial seven-year, $60 million Nike deal, UA swooped in with a jaw-dropping offer reportedly worth $265–285 million. The deal wasn’t just cash. It included company equity and even a recreational center named after Durant’s mother, making it a package that could have tempted anyone.

Nike wasn’t about to lose one of its biggest stars, though. After initially lowballing, they matched Under Armour’s offer at the last minute, adding performance bonuses that could push the total to around $300 million. In the end, Durant decided to stay put with Nike, choosing to continue building his brand and legacy under the Swoosh rather than jump to the Baltimore-based apparel giant.

Is Curry signing with Nike?

Last week was a blast from the past for NBA fans as Stephen Curry hit the court against the Spurs rocking the “Mambacita” Nike Kobe 6, sparking immediate speculation that Curry might be returning to Nike. But the plot thickened when he was also spotted in Reebok’s Shaqnosis. So which sneaker is it going to be? 

Curry originally signed with Nike upon entering the NBA, but in 2013, he made the leap to Under Armour, then a smaller but ambitious brand ready to make him its superstar face. Starting in the 2013–14 season, he became a flagship UA athlete, rolling out shoe after shoe under his name and eventually launching Curry Brand in 2020. 

The financial side of things has been key to Curry’s sneaker journey. His 2023 deal with Under Armour included $75 million in future equity, but with UA’s stock down about 50%, he’s effectively leaving $37.5 million on the table by walking away. 

While Under Armour projects basketball sales, including the Curry division, around $120 million this year, that’s still less than 3% of their expected $5 billion revenue, especially tiny compared to Nike’s Jordan Brand, which generated over $7 billion last fiscal year. Money matters, and moving back to Nike would certainly solve that particular headache.

Adding fuel to the fire, a TikTok video claimed Curry is on the verge of signing a £593.6M ($780M) contract with Nike, positioning him as a “global face of the brand” like LeBron James and Kobe. 

While the clip hasn’t cited official sources and Nike hasn’t confirmed any deal, the frenzy online shows how huge this potential move could be. If true, it would eclipse nearly every endorsement deal in sports history, and for Curry, it’s a perfect storm of legacy, branding, and yes, a very tidy financial upgrade.