Top overall pick from the 2025 WNBA Draft, Paige Bueckers, is leaving her imprint so far in her rookie season. She hasn’t just made a name for herself through her dominant play but has caught the attention of many with the sneakers she graced the court with, so much so that Stephen Curry might have just proposed a business partnership.
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Curry is the best three-point shooter in NBA history, but that doesn’t mean he’s fearful to shoot his shot in other areas. The Under Armour star has established his Curry Brand through the renowned athleisure company, having followed in the footsteps of Michael Jordan.
The Golden State Warriors star made a huge splash by signing De’Aaron Fox to his brand in 2023. Since adding Fox, the Curry Brand has signed Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell and Japanese basketball star Keisei Tominaga. These names are a good start, but Curry has high aspirations for his conglomerate of signature athletes.
Bueckers’ former collegiate teammate and rumored girlfriend, Azzi Fudd, is a Curry Brand athlete. Despite her allegiance to Nike, she revealed Fudd’s involvement in her sneaker choice.
“I love a pretty shoe,” Bueckers said. “I actually let Azzi choose my shoes. She chose my color.”
Curry saw this quote and immediately turned into the business mogul that he is. In an Instagram post highlighting Bueckers’ quote, he tried to plant a seed for the future.
“Well… Sounds like Curry Brand is in your future then,” Curry said.
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Of course, Curry would have his work cut out for him if he wanted to pry Bueckers away from Nike. After all, he has experience switching between the two companies. But it won’t be easy considering Nike has treated Bueckers as their golden child.
Bueckers became the first college athlete to receive her own PE of a Nike sneaker with the G.T. Hustle 3 in 2024. The sneaker features baby blue as the primary color on the upper with purple accents throughout. The tongue features a bucket logo, an ode to her nickname, ‘Paige Buckets.’
UCONN’s Paige Bueckers becomes the very first NIL athlete to release a Nike PE shoe pic.twitter.com/4GEnoFNHcr
— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) December 2, 2024
That said, Nike has yet to provide Bueckers a signature sneaker. Perhaps the one way Curry could convince Bueckers to join his brand is by offering her precisely that.
Curry is one of Bueckers’ role models. Although it seems she’s more than happy with Nike, Curry has the team in place to potentially welcome Bueckers if she chooses to explore.
