Tales from the Kicks: The Under Armour Curry One
The journey Stephen Curry has embarked upon since his collegiate days—shaved head, running down the court in an oversized Davidson uniform—has exceeded all expectations.
Remember when Curry was put through the office shredder? NBA scouts were given the chance to write about, pick apart and dissect his game. They didn't hold back. Today, all of the perceived weaknesses they pointed out have zero resemblance to the player we've seen win two NBA titles in a three-year span.
"Although he's playing point guard this year, he's not a natural point guard that an NBA team can rely on to run a team," Stevan Petrovic of NBADraft.net wrote back in 2008.
Curry has since revolutionized that same point guard position he was criticized for with fearless shooting from beyond the arc and ostentatious passes worthy of Oscar nominations. His poetry-in-motion style continues to captivate audiences—he once again led the NBA in jersey sales, as measured by the NBA store.
What's fascinating about Curry's ascension is that it has shifted the sneaker landscape. Originally a Nike athlete, Phil Knight's Swoosh brigade couldn't keep him in the family in 2013. For a company that at last count in 2016 had around 74 percent of NBA athletes signed, according to ESPN's Nick DePaula (h/t former ESPN staffer Ethan Sherwood Strauss), losing Curry wasn't supposed to happen.
Strauss' must-read story details how Nike blew its chance to re-sign Curry. "The pitch meeting, according to Steph's father Dell, who was present, kicked off with one Nike official accidentally addressing Stephen as 'Steph-on,' the moniker, of course, of Steve Urkel's alter ego in Family Matters."
Missing out on Curry was a significant miscalculation. Meetings with the brand and its representatives left the future MVP feeling like he couldn't become a signature athlete.
Nike's strategy gave Under Armour the chance to swoop in and steal Curry from its clutches. With the help of Kent Bazemore—his teammate at the time and fellow UA athlete—plus the underlying fact Nike refused to match the $4 million per year offered up to Steph, Under Armour became successful in signing him to lead their footwear endeavors.
Under Armour's signature status with Curry took flight in 2015 when the Curry One hit retailers. Built as an extension of the UA ClutchFit Drive—the company's standard release—the Curry One took the league by storm right around the same time Curry had pushed himself into the superstar category.
Designers at UA used the Curry One as a chance to take long strides in the tech department. The Curry One was the first sneaker equipped with a Charged cushioning system—a system that has become standard today on Curry models—as well as anaFoam materials. It was a pivotal, "here we are" moment for the brand and helped reshape the landscape of footwear.
Following in the footsteps of Nike and Adidas, Under Armour made sure Curry and, by extension, his fans were supplied with a myriad of colorways. The "MVP" edition even sold out after its online release, marking a huge victory for Team UA, as reported by Sole Collector.
Curry finished his first season in the UA Curry One averaging 23.8 points per game. He was running point for the No. 1-seeded Warriors. However, the real cultural explosion of these kicks came during the NBA Finals. Logging 255 minutes of play over six games, Curry led the Warriors' offensive output with an average of 26 points and 6.3 assists per contest on his way to an NBA title.
The win marked a turning point for the brand. After its release and the title was comfortably stationed in the Bay Area, UA reported a 754 percent growth in sales, according to Hayley Peterson of Business Insider.
Matt Powell of the NPD Group explained why he believes the Curry One took off: "Shoes often light up like the Curry One. What made it stand out was the fact that UA had a 'street' shoe and also that UA basketball was coming off a small base."
It doesn't matter what happens to the future of Curry's line with Under Armour. The genuine impact the Curry One made in 2015 is enough to carry the shoe's legacy from a historical perspective.
Rarely does a sneaker break through into the marketplace and move the needle like the Curry One was able to do.
All stats and information provided by Sports-Reference.com, unless noted otherwise. All quotes obtained firsthand, unless noted otherwise.
