Steph Curry sent shockwaves through the basketball world late last year when he ended his partnership with Under Armour, the company behind his Curry Brand sneakers.
The collaboration spanned 12 years, and following the split, Curry entered sneaker free agency. Now, it appears that chapter may soon come to a close.
Steph Curry’s Sneaker Free Agency Set to End Soon
On Sunday, Sole Retriever’s Drew London reported that Curry has trimmed his list to three potential brands, two of which remain undisclosed, with ANTA — a Chinese giant valued at $15.4 billion in assets according to Forbes — confirmed to be in the mix.
ANTA has expanded aggressively, most recently acquiring a $1.8 billion stake in PUMA to become the sportswear company’s largest shareholder.
“Sole Retriever can exclusively report that Stephen Curry has narrowed his potential landing spots to three sneaker brands, and ANTA is among them,” London wrote. “We can’t say just yet who the other two brands are in the race.”
During this year’s NBA All-Star Weekend, Sole Retriever reported that Curry was spotted training with Kyrie Irving wearing the ANTA Enclosion Type 2 featuring his signature logo.
London also pointed to Curry’s ties to Klay Thompson, who is signed with ANTA and recently secured a lifetime deal. The two, famously dubbed the “Splash Brothers,” played pivotal roles in the Warriors’ dynasty, capturing four championships together.
“Longtime supporter and sneaker sponsor of his former Splash Brother, Klay Thompson, ANTA has made tremendous strides in the US market in recent years, opening up their first stateside flagship store in Beverly Hills during NBA All-Star Weekend,” London wrote.
“It was at this ribbon cutting that they rewarded Klay with very own lifetime deal, showing they can offer the kind of loyalty Curry Brand’s previous home ultimately could not.”
Since entering free agency, Curry has been seen wearing multiple brands, including Nike, On and Reebok, among others.
