Stephen Curry turned heads at a Golden State Warriors practice in San Francisco after lacing up a pair of bright ANTA sneakers, instantly kicking his ongoing shoe free agency back into the spotlight. The kicks featured a bold yellow-to-orange gradient and what appeared to be Curry’s personal logo stamped on the heel, a custom touch that stood out during the workout. All of this comes while Curry is both between sneaker deals and sidelined with a right-knee issue the team is watching closely.
Practice photos and sneaker-feed posts quickly pegged the shoes as the ANTA Sneakerverse SV Eclosion Type 2. HotNewHipHop reported that the pair swapped out standard ANTA branding for Curry’s own mark on the heel and highlighted the yellow-orange colorway that fueled the online buzz. By Sunday evening, images of the sneakers were bouncing around sneaker accounts and forums across social media.
Curry’s ability to test-drive new brands follows his highly publicized split with Under Armour, which ended an 11-year commercial run that built out the Curry signature line. Andscape broke down the breakup and the unusual level of attention his sneaker free agency has drawn. Since then, Curry has rotated through an assortment of makes and models while his camp and the Warriors sort through long-term possibilities.
Anta Emerges as a Finalist
Sneaker-industry tracker Sole Retriever recently reported that Curry has trimmed his list to three potential partners, with ANTA making the cut as one of the finalists, a development that quickly spread across the sneaker beat. Yardbarker picked up that report and pointed to ANTA’s existing relationships with other NBA players. Industry observers note that a customized player exclusive like the practice pair often signals that talks between a star and a brand are getting serious.
The Knee and the Clock
All of this shoe drama is unfolding while Curry deals with patellofemoral pain syndrome. Team medical updates say an MRI on his right knee showed no structural damage and that he will be re-evaluated in 10 days. Heavy summarized the team statement alongside contemporaneous reporting from ESPN on the imaging results.
Curry also sat out Sunday’s win over the Denver Nuggets as the Warriors tweaked their rotations to cover his absence. AP/SFGate covered the game and noted that Curry did not suit up.
For fans in San Francisco, the timing is doing double duty: a new signature partner would mark a major branding shift, and Curry’s health will determine when he can actually roll out a full line on the court. Andscape has argued that this phase of his sneaker free agency could reshape how footwear is talked about across the league. The next few team medical updates, paired with whatever sneaker-beat scoops leak out, will dictate how quickly this story jumps from practice snapshots to a formal deal announcement.
For now, there is no contract to announce, just one high-profile practice sighting, a short list of reported finalists from sneaker insiders, and a medical timeline that gives Curry and the Warriors a bit of breathing room. When the next move comes, it will have to come from Curry’s camp or the brand that lands him, and both the Bay Area and the wider sneaker world will be locked in to see where he signs and what he wears next.