“You look at examples like the Jordan brand — the peak of an athlete taking their platform and presence and turning it into something. I’m trying to build my version of that” said Stephen Curry last year. Since 1984, the year that Michael Jordan was drafted into the NBA, the shoes carrying his name have dominated the basketball sneaker market. The Chicago Bulls legend himself boasts a major portion of his $3.5 billion net worth to his percentage cut of the revenue earned from the sale of each Air Jordan over the last couple of decades. No one has come close to matching that, but Stephen Curry looks to make at least a dent. Therefore, to expand the message of the ‘Curry Brand’, the NBA star is heading overseas, and with much enthusiasm.

Stephen Curry recently took to his official X account to share a post with his 17.5 million followers. The 2x MVP featured clips of his previous visit to China to promote the Curry brand. The footage highlighted thousands and thousands of fans gathered outside and inside buildings, both at night and day, just to get a glimpse of the Golden State Warriors’ shooter. Several of them carried Curry’s jersey in their hands, and one fan even had two separate designs of the Curry sneakers with him.

After highlighting the clips, Curry wrote in the post’s caption that “Counting down the hours until I touchdown in China. 🇨🇳⏳. These tours have been something I loved since the earlier days in my career. My fan base in China is like no other and I can’t wait to share all the Curry Brand activations we have lined up this year. See you August 17th! #CurryBrandPartner”.

Stephen Curry’s visit to China is part of the 2025 Curry Brand World Tour. The same was set to be spearheaded by the Warriors star and Curry Brand athlete De’Aaron Fox. However, according to the recent notice by the brand, Fox will be unable to travel to Asia for the tour.

The promotional trip kicked off in San Francisco earlier this month and is set to make a stop in Chongqing, China. There, Curry will make the Asian debut of Curry Camp and Curry Con, which is described as “the ultimate basketball immersion experience for fans”.

In the 10 years that Stephen Curry has had his shoes with Under Armour, his signature collection has been the brand’s most reliable growth engine. According to reports, it accounted for nearly 30% of Under Armour’s global basketball revenue last fiscal year. The Curry 12, which was launched in China last quarter, outperformed expectations with a 40% sales increase over the previous shoe. Analysts have stated that this success is thanks to Curry’s deep connection with Chinese fans, which has been built up through multiple off-season visits since 2017. Now, Curry leverages that same goodwill to expand the reach of his brand further.

Stephen Curry traveling halfway across the globe is just one way he is positioning himself as the face of another big signature sneaker brand. It is another example of the unique ways the player takes to make himself stand out. All in part to match, or even surpass, the legacy created by the Air Jordan brand.

Stephen Curry Looks to Mirror Michael Jordan’s Signature Sneakers In Next 10-20 Years: “This is a marathon”

As reported by ‘Feature’, Air Jordan was the first basketball shoe to jump outside of the basketball industry. It became popular not only for use on the basketball court, but in everything from the skateboarding industry to high fashion. For 3 decades, the brand went by without any major competition, until Stephen Curry signed up with Under Armour. The NBA’s 3-point leader realizes that he won’t reach the level of ‘His Airness’ quickly. However, he is willing to be patient.

Back in December 2024, Bloomberg Originals host Emily Chang sat down with Stephen Curry to discuss his business ventures. During the interview, Chang asked him if he was trying to compete with Michael Jordan‘s shoes. In response, Curry said that “My version of that in the sense of he set the standard and then everybody’s in the comparison game of his career on the court and obviously, what Air Jordan means, you know, culturally on court as well. This is a marathon. We can have some success at a high level when it comes to what is, you know, 10-20 years look like that mirrors Jordan Brand, but does it in a way that’s authentic to what I stand for, what Curry brand wants to stand for”.

When asked about what ways the Curry brand would take to win over sneakerheads, he replied, “For us, we have to focus on what we do great. What I know we do great is, from a performance standpoint, I truly feel like our shoes, or my shoes are the best in the biz when it comes to making athletes better”.

Curry continues to do that by donning different variations of his shoes on the NBA court. The brand also utilizes De’Aaron Fox, MiLaysia Fulwiley, and Keisei Tominaga, aka the ‘Japanese Steph Curry’, to further spread the message.

The Jordan brand was reportedly the strongest performer of Nike’s divisions back in 2023, as it saw a 6% sales gain to $7 billion. Its revenue has reportedly doubled since 2020. Meanwhile, the Curry brand faces challenges as Under Armour’s overall market share in China slipped to 2.3% in Q2 2025. It fell behind Nike (22%), Anta (16%), and Li-Ning (12%). Before Curry gets to Jordan, he has to deal with Anta’s Klay Thompson signature shoes and even Li-Ning’s Dwyane Wade collection. Throughout his stop in China, it remains to be seen what impact the Warriors star’s presence will have on the sale of his shoes.