Recently, it was announced that Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry had signed a new long-term shoe deal with Chinese brand Li-Ning, ending his shoe “free agency” period after his split with Under Armour. The deal is for ten years and will only continue to help Curry build his brand overseas.
Now, more is being revealed about how Curry's Golden State teammate Jimmy Butler helped play a role in the decision.
“Steph’s favorite shoes he wore were Dwyane Wade’s and Jimmy Butler’s, who are also with Li-Ning. The moment Steph was announced as a sneaker FA, Jimmy Butler made sure he got him boxes of shoes,” reported NBA Courtside on X, formerly Twitter, citing a report from ESPN's Shams Charania (via Cousins with Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady), also revealing Curry turned down more money from competitors.
Indeed, Curry was seen trying on various shoe brands during his free agency period over the last seven months before settling on Li-Ning, and it remains to be seen how long it will take before a new signature shoe of his will be released with the brand.
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Curry had a long-standing deal with Under Armour, famously signing with them after Nike put him on the back burner earlier in his career, but evidently, things soured between the two sides at some point during the last year.
Meanwhile, Curry is hoping that the next time he takes the court in his new sneakers, it will be with a better supporting cast on the Warriors, as Golden State flamed out in the play-in tournament for the second time in three years this past season.
The Warriors will have some big decisions to make this offseason as they try to wring whatever they can out of Curry's twilight years.
Recently, it was announced that Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry had signed a new long-term shoe deal with Chinese brand Li-Ning, ending his shoe “free agency” period after his split with Under Armour. The deal is for ten years and will only continue to help Curry build his brand overseas.