Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry’s sneaker game has been on point this year. After separating from Under Armour, the 37-year-old guard has been showing off his massive collection. Steph not being with Under Armour still doesn’t feel right, though, and the reason behind the surprising split has now surfaced.

According to Sole Retriever, when Curry began the season in his Series 7 takedown instead of the newer Curry 13, it wasn’t an accident. Curry reportedly disliked the new shoe and felt that his feedback during the design process was overlooked. He watched Under Armour roll out a final product he didn’t believe in.

And well, we are aware of how things unfold when an athlete doesn’t like their shoe. That moment arrived for Kyrie Irving well before his relationship with Nike officially ended in 2022. Despite being one of the brand’s most lucrative signature athletes at the time, cracks began to show in 2021 when early photos of the shoe originally known as the Kyrie 8 appeared online.

The model was later renamed the Kyrie Infinity, but Irving’s reaction to the design was immediate and blunt. Responding on Instagram, he wrote, “These are trash. I have absolutely nothing to do with them!”

So, it seems like a similar case has happened between Curry and Under Armour.

Usually, the new Curry models debut just before the start of the NBA season in October, but the first look for the Curry 13 had to wait until December, before being announced that the model would be released in February 2026 and drop through October 2026. That would mark the final collaboration between the Warriors star and Under Armour.

Just a few days ago, it was also reported that the leadership behind the UA’s Curry Brand team, including at least five people in the core group, is being disbanded, and multiple employees are being reshuffled across the company in new roles. For the time being, they are working in hybrid roles, helping Curry Brand wind down in the final months of their partnership.

It’s also clear that UA isn’t promoting their sneaker releases in the same manner as earlier. The Curry Brand Instagram account was the only place that the Curry Fox 2 and Series 7 Christmas drops were promoted, and both went under the radar. Soon afterward, the Instagram account was deactivated.

How Curry Brand’s Mission Outgrew the Partnership That Built It

When the split with Under Armour became public, Stephen Curry addressed it carefully. Instead of a fallout, he seemed to frame it as an inflection point, acknowledging the disappointment while making it clear that the decision was rooted in long-term alignment.

“Just in the best interest of both parties,” Curry said in a statement. “You know that sneaker industry is difficult and like I said, things change over time… a little disappointing how it turned out based on where Curry Brand has been the last five years and the announcement we had two years ago.”

Curry Brand was never meant to function as a traditional sneaker line, and that’s where the disappointment matters. After being launched in 2020, it positioned Curry as both an endorser and a steward, with the goal being impact: the team wanted to redefine what an athlete-led brand could look like.

Curry made it clear that moving on felt necessary to him, and now, with UA no longer in the picture, Curry has taken full ownership of his vision. He thanked the company for believing in him early, but made it clear that the mission remains unchanged.

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