Should Steph Curry Sign With Nike? His Game-Worn Nike Hyperfuse PE Is Up For Auction

Stephen Curry’s time with Under Armour has come to an end. The American sportswear brand struck diamond when they signed Curry in 2013, who after... © Sneaker News, 2025. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us The post Should Steph Curry Sign With Nike? His Game-Worn Nike Hyperfuse PE Is Up For Auction appeared first on Sneaker News. The post Should Steph Curry Sign With Nike? His Game-Worn Nike Hyperfuse PE Is Up For Auction appeared first on Sneaker News.

Stephen Curry’s time with Under Armour has come to an end. The American sportswear brand struck diamond when they signed Curry in 2013, who after choosing to leave Nike after what was essentially a show of disrespect on the Swoosh’s side, began his ascent as one the most influential players in the history of the NBA.

Under Armour went to work rather quickly, launching a signature shoe a year after the partnership was made official. It just so happened to be the same year Curry won his first NBA Championship and league MVP. The instant success of the Curry One proved that there was business to be done outside of Nike Basketball; his debut signature shoe was the hottest thing on the basketball shoe market, and by replicating the blueprint laid out by the Swoosh, Under Armour beat Nike in its own game through a consistent arsenal of strong colorways, timed releases, and rich storytelling.

So how did Nike lose Steph Curry? Steph was signed to Nike since coming into the league in the 2007 NBA Draft. When his contract was coming to an end in 2013, the Curry camp and Nike came together for a standard pitch meeting with hopes of renewing the partnership. In what is regarded as the worst blunder in the history of sports marketing/partnerships in the athletic sportswear industry, Nike fumbled the Top-10 player due to a sh*t-show of a pitch highlighted by an all-too-common brain-fart that occurs in the corporate world. Whoever was in charge of that Powerpoint presentation forgot to swap out another athlete’s name for Steph, essentially putting in writing that the Swoosh didn’t see much in Curry beyond being a Player Exclusive-level threat. Other athletes that fell into that category are De’Aaron Fox (left for Under Armour), Tyrese Haliburton (left for Puma), and Klay Thompson (left for ANTA).

The person responsible for this mistake? Nico Harrison, the former Dallas Mavericks General Manager whose legacy will be orchestrating the worst trade in NBA history.

Why did Under Armour and Steph Curry part ways? Simply put, Under Armour was looking to cut down on costs and restructure financially. In 2020, Steph Curry and Under Armour founded Curry Brand in a deal worth close to $1-billion with the potential for a lifetime partnership. Not five years later, the union as come to an end. Curry Brand acts more as a basketball organization than a standalone shoe brand, so the costs to pay Steph and cover marketing costs were high while the returns were likely limited. Under Armour wasn’t exactly capable of carrying Curry’s impact and significance to the game to market; they’re a much, much smaller machine than Nike and even adidas and never once did an Under Armour Curry sneaker ever sniff the lifestyle market.

Will Steph Curry sign with Nike? Now that Curry is essentially a sneaker free agent, Stephen Curry would have to partner with a manufacturer to bring Curry Brand product into market. Of course, Nike fans would love to see the two rekindle the partnership and deliver product that hoop fans were essentially deprived of for over a decade. This Nike Hyperfuse Player Exclusive, game-worn and signed by Steph himself, is just a reminder of those good ‘ol days and it doesn’t need to be said that a Nike Curry signature shoe line will go down as the biggest “what if” in the history of the 21st century. If you do want to own a piece of rare Nike x Stephen Curry history, check out this auction from Grey Flannel Auctions.