Stephen Curry’s arrival in the House that D-Wade built didn’t go exactly as we’d imagine. The Warriors were severely shorthanded against the Miami Heat on a second day of back-to-back schedules in Florida. Curry was ruled out to play because of a right ankle strain. But that didn’t disrupt his very fashionable entrance into Kaseya Center. The same injured ankle was decked in a special shoe from the guy whose statue is right outside the arena. So of course Dwyane Wade was moved.

Fresh off his split from Under Armour, Curry didn’t wear one of his sneakers. He arrived in Miami wearing the “Stingray” Way of Wade 1. It’s not only a signature shoe from the Way of Wade brand that Dwyane Wade created after leaving the Jordan Brand over a decade ago. It’s the design that the namesake launched at the 2013 All-Star Weekend.

For his favorite player to rep his most iconic design, D-Wade said, “@StephenCurry30 continues to show why he’s different. Man, thank you for showing love to my first sneaker design 12 years ago when I started my Way Of Wade brand!”

Curry is on his Way of Wade 2.0. A year after D-Wade, then the reigning champion, left Jordan Brand and did something unconventional by signing with Li-Ning, Curry also left Nike in 2013. Infamously because Nico Harrison’s team botched the presentation. He signed with Under Armour and in 2020, established the Curry Brand.

Curry and Under Armour announced their commercial divorce on November 14. While the partnership’s final campaign will be seen through 2026, The Chef owns all the intellectual property and licenses to run the Curry Brand independently.

He’ll be free to find a retail distributor next year. Most think it would be Nike. But could he also be leaning into a partnership with Way of Wade?

Li-Ning’s current and former stars appeal to Steph Curry

Leaving Nike, the Jordan Brand no less, was unthinkable over a decade ago. But Dwyane Wade did it. He understood quickly that the window of his prime years were limited and he had to make the most of it in the sneaker business. He knew that was not going to happen under the Jumpman brand.

“I wanted to win in the shoe selling; I wanted to win in the apparel that I was selling. So, I was looking for a brand where I wanted to be a little bit more on the partnership side than just the athlete endorsement side. When we talk about this word legacy, I’m looking for somewhere I can build legacy in this sneaker world,” Wade had said in 2024 about joining Li-Ning in 2012.

In 2013, during his third title run, the Heat legend debuted his own brand under them, Way of Wade, with the ‘Stingray’ colorway sneakers launching at the All-Star Weekend. It was his eighth consecutive All-Star appearance. For most it was a downgrade. The Flash was in his prime with the Miami Big 3 and he just joined a company that was taking in washouts, like Shaquille O’Neal well past his prime. No one knew he was ahead of his time. Nor how he’d influence athletes and their decisions with signature sneaker deals.

Steph Curry was neither All-Star nor a champion yet. But Nike angered him enough to take the Wade route and join Under Armour. That was just as absurd to anyone who cared. Once the scoring titles, All-Star appearances, and championships kicked in, it didn’t look so ridiculous anymore.

Curry wearing another brand is being seen as more than a tribute to certain NBA superstars. He arrived in Orlando Magic yesterday wearing vintage Reebok Shaqnosis sneakers as a tribute to the franchise’s OG, Shaquille O’Neal.

Insiders in the sneaker business believe he’s experimenting with a new retail partner through his subtle tributes. Wade’s former teammate and the former Li-Ning endorser, Shaq could ruin that. Now the president of basketball at Reebok, he’s already keen on partnering with the Curry Brand.

Which of the sneaker heavyweights win the battle of Curry Brand will likely be decided in 2026.