When people speak about juggernauts in the athletic apparel industry, they have to mention Under Armour. Despite originating in only 1996, in such a short period of time, they have put themselves in a position to rival the likes of Nike and Adidas. The turning point for the brand was the acquisition of Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry. However, their means of acquiring the four-time NBA champion were a bit unconventional, to say the least.
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All it takes is one big star to change the course of a company’s future. Under Armour had been on the hunt for the face of their brand, but struck out on a few candidates. 2013 would be the year their future would change.
Stephen Curry had been with Nike till then and was up for a contract renewal. After a falling out with the company, he decided to explore his other options. Adidas was a frontrunner to add the highly talented point guard. Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank knew the perfect opportunity was in front of him. That opportunity came in the form of Kent Bazemore.
“Ken was Steph Curry’s locker mate for the Warriors,” Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank said on In Depth with Graham Bensinger. “In seducing Steph, it was like, ‘Well, how do we get our first handshake?’ The first handshake was, ‘Let’s sign the guy in the locker next to Stephen.'”
Plank and Under Armour thought two steps ahead. They went on to sign Bazemore as a signature athlete, but their main focus was on Curry. It didn’t take long before they made quite a strong impression on the 11-time All-Star.
“We’re going to overwhelm [Kent Bazemore] with product. We’d send him a package every day. Imagine Steph’s like, ‘Man, these guys take care of you. And Ken, you don’t play that much either. I wonder what it’d be like if I talked to them,” Plank said.
Eventually, Plank’s hard work paid off and earned Under Armour a slot in the Curry sweepstakes. Although they were now in the running, the job wasn’t over. They needed to stand apart from the rest of the competition. Luckily, they didn’t have to put together an elaborate presentation. They received some good fortune from someone very close to Steph.
“Who put us over the edge was his daughter, Riley,” Plank revealed. “He was sitting on the couch and had all three shoe boxes lined up on the coffee table. He goes, ‘Which one do you think I should do?’ So, [Riley] turns around like a two-year-old and picks up the Nike shoe. She looks at it, throws it over. She picks up the Adidas shoe. Looks at it, throws it over. She picks up [the Under Armour shoe] and goes, ‘Here, daddy, this one.'”
After seeing Riley’s co-sign, Steph didn’t give it much more thought. Subsequently, he finalized a deal with Under Armour, and the rest has been history. In 2018, Steph launched his own Curry Brand with Under Armour. In 2022, he signed a life-time deal with the brand. As of 2025, he has his own signature athletes with Curry Brand, the first of whom was Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox.
Plank’s investment in Bazemore to get Curry was a master stroke, but ultimately, it was Steph’s then-two-year-old daughter, who made this successful partnership possible.
