Under Armour Not Signing Azzi Fudd Among Key Reasons Steph Curry Walked Away

After more than a decade together, Stephen Curry and Under Armour officially ended their partnership last month, a split that multiple sources tell us wasn’t the rosy farewell depicted publicly, and certainly not the ending either side would have preferred. Sole Retriever spoke with several individuals close to both Curry and Under Armour, all of whom requested anonymity given the sensitivity of discussions behind the scenes.

In the immediate aftermath of the separation, several reports suggested that Under Armour and Curry Brand failing to sign Caitlin Clark was the defining reason for Curry’s departure. Numerous individuals with direct knowledge of the situation tell Sole Retriever that this framing oversimplifies what actually happened and obscures a key part of the story. While the Caitlin situation was indeed a frustration for Curry, it was not the only reason he left, nor was it even among the leading factors.

Now, Sole Retriever can exclusively report that a major point of contention for Curry — described to us as even more important to him than the Caitlin Clark situation — was Under Armour’s failure to pursue and sign women’s basketball prodigy Azzi Fudd, a rising star he had supported and advocated for over several years.

Our sources emphasize that no single issue alone led to Curry’s departure from Under Armour; it was the culmination of several factors over time. But this was unquestionably one of the key ones.

Azzi Fudd: A Miss that Mattered to Steph

Stephen Curry’s frustration with Under Armour not pursuing Azzi Fudd was real, longstanding, and meaningful, according to multiple sources.

Fudd met Curry in 2018 at his Select Camp, where she was one of only two women invited, marking an early indication of how highly Steph regarded her. Since then, Curry has been a mentor, advocate, and consistent supporter throughout her rise, including her standout collegiate career and recent national championship with UConn.

Despite years of reporting and widespread assumptions about Fudd being tied to Curry Brand or Under Armour, she has never been under contract with either UA or Curry Brand. She did, however, have a relationship with SC30 (which is now known as Thirty Ink) — Curry’s personal business entity, which is entirely separate from both Under Armour and Curry Brand.

Sole Retriever has confirmed this information about Azzi having never been signed to UA or Curry directly with Curry’s personal brand team and multiple senior sources at Under Armour. All parties confirmed that any previous reporting suggesting Fudd was ever officially signed with UA or Curry Brand is inaccurate.

Steph viewed Fudd as a foundational athlete for the next era of Curry Brand, advocating for her repeatedly. Fudd represents the future of the game and embodies the values he wants the brand to stand for. She was the 2019 Gatorade National Player of the Year, the 2021 Morgan Wootten Girls High School Player of the Year, and most recently, the Championship Most Outstanding Player in UConn’s national title run.

However, according to our sources, Under Armour never progressed toward a formal offer. Multiple individuals close to the situation told Sole Retriever that it genuinely bothered Curry that the company never pursued signing Fudd to a contract despite how consistently he advocated internally for her as a critical signing.

Notably, in March 2024, Curry Brand signed South Carolina guard Milaysia Fulwiley as its first collegiate NIL athlete. It raises an obvious question: after years of Curry advocating for Fudd — and given her on-court résumé, off-court profile, and unique connection to him — why was she limited to his personal SC30 roster while Curry Brand, still operating under the Under Armour umbrella at the time, moved forward with Fulwiley as its inaugural NIL athlete? Fulwiley is a tremendous talent in her own right, but she did not have Fudd’s accolades, visibility, or the long-standing relationship with Curry. Fudd’s UConn Huskies ultimately went on to defeat Fulwiley’s Gamecocks in the 2025 NCAA Championship.

For Curry, this wasn’t just a missed business opportunity. Sources say it was a symbol of a deeper disconnect between him and Under Armour regarding how the brand valued the athletes and stories that meant the most to him.

Caitlin Clark: A Frustration, But Not the Reason

Recent headlines positioned the Caitlin Clark non-signing as the tipping point in Curry’s departure. But sources maintained that while it was a notable frustration, it was not the central reason for the split.

One source told us, “While not signing Caitlin Clark was a point of frustration, it was not the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

It surely contributed to the growing tension, but it was just one of many fault lines developing between Curry and the brand.

Timing of the Separation

Although the split between Stephen Curry and Under Armour had been building for months, the timing of the breakup was abrupt. Sources tell us the separation was initially expected to take place next summer, but in the days leading up to the announcement in November, discussions accelerated rapidly and the decision was made to expedite the timeline significantly.

As for the public-facing storyline that this was a mutual, straightforward exit? One source laughed and called it “total bullshit.”

The big question looming over the entire sneaker industry now is where Curry will sign next. For the first time in his career, he’s truly exploring the market, and insiders say several brands have quietly positioned themselves for conversations.

Sources close to him described his mood as energized, refreshed, and excited about navigating his first real sneaker free agency. We were told Steph is, “having so much fun with it.”

Bottom Line

Stephen Curry didn’t leave Under Armour because of one missed signing or one isolated disagreement. His departure stemmed from a longer history of misalignment between what he envisioned for the athletes and ecosystem around him and how the brand acted on those priorities.

Among those points of friction, the decision not to pursue Azzi Fudd was a meaningful factor according to multiple sources close to the situation — one piece of a broader pattern that ultimately contributed to the unraveling of one of the longest-running athlete–brand partnerships in modern basketball.

Sole Retriever reached out to Under Armour for comment. This was their response:

“We don’t agree with what you have written and refute the claims in your article.”

They did, however, agree with the statements made regarding Azzi having never been officially signed to UA or Curry Brand.

Sole Retriever

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