Steph Curry is Changing the Way We Think About Superstars and Sneaker Brands

Steph Curry debuted a brand-new basketball shoe over the weekend.

It was the first time he had premiered a new silhouette since he left Under Armour to become a sneaker free agent last year. The finale of his UA deal, the Under Armour Curry 13, is dropping next month, coinciding perfectly with 37-year-old Curry’s latest starting spot in the NBA All-Star Game.

Curry didn’t debut the Under Armour Curry 13 last week, though; he’s never even worn that shoe in public.

Instead, he debuted the adidas Crazy Energy Plus, an optical illusion of a one-piece hoop shoe in an all-over print mix of hypnotizing black-and-white patterns. The random adidas basketball silhouette was just the latest in Curry’s recent sneaker industry exploration, but instead of lacing up a rival player’s signature model like he did with Kyrie’s new ANTA Kai 3 or tipping his hat to an opposing city’s retired Hall of Famer, this was the first time Steph helped launch a new inline shoe, a role usually reserved for players signed and paid by the brand.

Steph is still a sneaker free agent, and from what we’ve heard, he’s not getting paid to put on any of the shoes he’s been wearing to the stadium, in warm-ups, or in the games. But the attention Steph is getting every time he laces up a new pair of shoes brings the kind of value sneaker brands would pay top dollar for, and it raises new questions about the future of superstar sneaker deals and the pro athlete’s place in the influencer landscape.

Is Diversity Worth More than a Signature Line in the Attention Economy?

Sure, Steph Curry has more money than God and can afford to wear three pairs of sneakers across the brand landscape on game day without worrying about how much a brand would pay to put him in their shoes for an hour or two - we’re guessing somewhere in the low six-figure range - but it does raise interesting questions about the future of sneaker endorsements.

While we are used to athletes of Steph’s caliber taking the route he did with Under Armour, signing long-term deals and putting their stamp of approval on signature shoes, and, at the highest levels, a their own brand under the parent company, we are also used to entertainers, musicians, and other celebs following an influencer model that values per-project time frames and far less personal stake.

Typically, this model has been used by brands to avoid taking on the financial responsibility that producing a signature shoe requires, but hot on the heels of superstar Jalen Brunson reportedly saying he’d rather wear Kobe PEs the rest of his career than launch his own signature model, you can see other players making a push towards lower stakes, too.

It’s also worth noting that Curry was not making waves in the sneaker world before he left Under Armour, and his daily sneaker rotation has brought more attention to Curry’s footwear in sports and sneaker media than any of his past UA Curry models did. In a world of celebrity that demands constant uploads to feed the attention machine, leaving room for spontaneity and variety is at a premium like never before.

What Could Be Next for Steph… and Other NBA Superstars

Steph Curry has impossibly large shoes to fill. The influencer model might be working for him - and for free, at that - but you would be hard-pressed to find another athlete who could command the same kind of attention night in and night out. You can see that in young draft picks like Cooper Flagg taking the classic route with his New Balance deal, along with NIL stars like AJ Dybantsa signing with Nike, and All-Stars like Tyrese Maxey getting set to drop his first signature silhouette, carrying on the long tradition of player pro models.

But at the same time, it will likely be easier for Brunson to sell out limited Kobe PEs across the Protro line than it would be for him to compete with countless colorways in the signature sneaker landscape. Caitlin Clark will no doubt make a seismic shift in the industry with her first signature shoe, but in the meantime, her influence is bringing eyes to every pair of Kobes she wears, PEs or otherwise. He might not be Steph Curry, but the closest comparison we’ve seen is Trae Young, who left his adidas deal to become an influencer at Jordan Brand, where he’s been able to debut limited edition colorways, which we covered much more excitedly than we ever did a Trae Young adidas shoe.

He might not inspire the youth to abandon the sportswear brands, with their paychecks and signature product, but we could see aging superstars opting out of deals to take the Steph route, paying tribute to their friends and favorite players of the past, picking up paychecks tied to specific campaigns, and keeping it moving to the next opportunity when it arises, just like everyone else in entertainment.

All indications are that Steph Curry still plans to eventually sign a major deal with a shoe brand and restart his Curry Brand signature line. If you ask us, though, he should leave the money on the table and keep his sneaker rotation all about surprises and shoutouts. Because after 17 record-breaking seasons, we’ve never had this much fun covering Steph Curry’s sneakers.

Zach Harris

Zach Harris is a writer based in Philadelphia. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Vice, Complex, High Times, and more. He is obsessed with skateboarding and bowling. He is still looking for his first 300. For tips, reviews, and anything in size 10.5 - zach.h@soleretriever.com