Stephen Curry recently delved into his love for sneakers when he appeared on the recent episode of Sneaker Shopping for Complex. Speaking to host Joe La Puma, the Golden State Warriors star went sneaker shopping while revealing some interesting details about his sneaker choices. In particular, he spoke about his decision to go with Under Armour, and how his daughter Riley Curry played a major role in that decision. In fact, Riley continues to play a role in her father’s sneaker choices, even designing the shoes he wore against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Advertisement
The Baby-Faced Assassin looked to Michael Jordan for inspiration while creating his own brand with Under Armour. Emulating Jordan’s decision to create the Air Jordan brand, Steph insisted on making his own name in the shoe industry. As such, he partnered with Under Armour to create the Curry Brand, helping the sportswear company make its mark in the basketball world.
However, there’s one more similarity between Curry’s brand with Under Armour and Jordan’s brand with Nike. Both superstars’ daughters played a role in designing shoes for their fathers’ brands, albeit to different effects.
Riley Curry helped her father Stephen Curry with designing shoes
The story about how Stephen Curry rejected Nike and other brands for Under Armour is well known. However, while he already had made up his mind, it was actually his daughter who further cemented the process. As he recounted to Joe La Puma, Curry had presented Riley with shoes from all the different companies he had offers from, for fun. Riley, merely a toddler back then, handed him the Under Armour shoes instinctively among all the other choices.
This is how Curry became the face of Under Armour’s basketball line. Over the years, Riley has continued to influence Steph’s relationship with the sportswear company. She even helped design the very shoes he wore against the OKC Thunder, the same game where he hit the iconic game-winner in 2016.
“Actually, that’s the one that Riley designed[pointing to a pair of Curry 10 Double Bangs]. That’s the one I wore against OKC when I made the shot,” Curry told La Puma.
All this has led to some interesting comparisons between Riley and Jasmine Jordan. The daughter of Michael Jordan, Jasmine is the heiress to the Air Jordan brand, which made $5,100,000,000 in gross sales in 2022. Additionally, she too was just like Riley growing up. In fact, she even tried her hand at designing shoes for her father’s brand like Riley. However, after seeing the prototypes, she rejected them herself for being too “ugly”.
It’s interesting to see the parallels between Riley and Jasmine. Ironically, there are parallels between their fathers as well. Aside from the fact that they both have their own brands, Curry and Jordan are two icons of the sport. They both revolutionized basketball in their own way. And, once all is said and done, Steph will be recognized as one of the greats, just like His Airness.
Steph always looks to honor and appreciate his family with the shoes he wears
The Curry brand is a direct reflection of Stephen Curry and the person he is. A family man, Chef Curry is always looking for ways to honor and show his appreciation for his family. More often than not, he does this through his shoe line. The four-time NBA Champion has released many shoes over the years, paying tribute to his family.
From the “Unicorn and Butterfly” shoes he dedicated to Riley and Ryan, to the “Wolf” shoes he made for Canon, and finally the Mother’s Day shoes he got for his mother Sonya and his wife Ayesha. Steph loves keeping his family close to heart.
Steph is sure to continue paying homage to his family. Whether it’s through his shoe line or some other medium. After all, even he knows he wouldn’t be in the position he is today if it weren’t for them.
