Steph Curry Changed Basketball Forever With His Shot — Now He's Teaming Up With De'Aaron Fox to Transform the Sneaker Game

Jan 31, 2025 11:30 PM - 1 week ago 10150

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Signature sneakers person been a cornerstone of the hoops business since Michael Jordan signed pinch Nike successful 1984. As the saying goes, everybody wants to 'Be Like Mike.' But the footwear crippled has travel a agelong measurement since Nike willingly paid MJ's fines for wearing Air Jordans successful "unapproved colors."

Turn connected an NBA crippled today, and you'll spot players rocking shoes successful each colour and style imaginable, each brace making a unsocial statement. Now, Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry — 1 of Jordan's fiercest challengers for the title of basketball's astir influential subordinate — intends to revolutionize the sneaker world conscionable arsenic he transformed the crippled itself. And we each cognize really deadly Curry's purpose is.

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From competitors to collaborators

In December, Curry Brand introduced its first signature athlete, Sacramento Kings prima De'Aaron Fox, pinch the motorboat of the Fox 1, marking an absorbing milestone for the quickly increasing brand. De'Aaron Fox, who holds the season's highest-scoring crippled pinch 60 points, signed pinch Under Armour successful 2023 aft leaving Nike, becoming Curry Brand's first non-eponymous signature athlete.

Fox's woody is unsocial successful that progressive players aren't typically signed to different progressive player's label. They often deterioration each other's shoes, but being signed to a marque wherever your rival is the acting president is unusual, to opportunity the least.

"There are group successful the manufacture and the world who person tried to flick astatine that, but we spot it arsenic a benefit," says Curry Brand caput of trading Nana Dadzie. "For De'Aaron, joining the marque of personification you've admired since precocious schoolhouse is special. Michael Jordan was the defining fig for my generation, and successful position of power connected today's game, Curry is the only 1 pinch that benignant of impact."

Like Jordan Brand pinch Nike, Curry Brand is Under Armour's only standalone label. It launched successful 2020, though Curry has been pinch the institution since 2013.

Dadzie joined successful 2022 aft 16 years moving successful higher education. "I'll ne'er hide gathering Steph for the first clip astatine Curry Camp, conscionable a fewer weeks into the role," Dadzie recalls. "We were successful an elevator, and I told him, 'I didn't travel present for the glitz, glam, aliases conscionable to beryllium your friend — though we've go friends. I'm present to thief you build a bequest brand.'"

Curry Brand takes a distinctive attack to marketing its products: building narratives astir an athlete's signature skill. Curry's legendary shooting has been beforehand and halfway successful campaigns for illustration the memorable Curry 2 ad (featuring different celebrated Fox — Jamie).

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Speed is key

For De'Aaron Fox, named the NBA's fastest subordinate successful the 2024 GM survey, velocity is key. As such, the run for his debut shoe, the Fox 1, is titled "Speed that Scares."

"People cognize maine for pushing the shot and playing pinch pace, truthful I felt for illustration the tagline ' was a cleanable fresh and thing that would make a connection pinch this being my first signature shoe," said Fox.

The accent connected signature skills is acold from a coincidence successful Curry Brand's marketing. "One point I ever punctual my imaginative teams is that we're successful the business of trading hoops shoes," Dadzie explains.

"It's easy to get carried distant pinch chaotic ideas, but we must create pinch intent. When moving pinch move players for illustration De'Aaron and Steph, the cardinal is leaning into what group cognize astir them."

Along pinch building astir an athlete's signature skill, Curry Brand leans connected joke to guidelines out. The iconic three-second ads featuring Curry himself item his shooting prowess by showing him bewildered astatine the show of a ceramic aliases producing steam aft dunking his signature basking manus successful a bucket of water.

The "Speed that Scares" campaign follows a akin approach, kicking disconnected pinch the first 30-second spot, "Any Shoes."

In the ad, Fox stands astatine halfway court, surrounded by a oversea of shoes, playfully musing astir really accelerated he is successful each of them. But it's the last brace — the Fox 1s — that defenders should genuinely fear.

"I emotion really we took thing truthful inherent to him — his on-court velocity — and built astir it, incorporating his characteristic on the way," Dadzie says.

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The 2nd ad, "The Janitor," is even much creative. This 1 puts a playful twist connected a acquainted hoops scenario: erstwhile a janitor interrupts your workout. Here, the janitor braces himself, donning goggles arsenic fast-paced euphony sets the tone. Fox past proceeds to blaze done drills pinch specified velocity that he sends the janitor's cleaning supplies flying and leaves him dazed. The spot ends pinch Fox casually stepping away, waving arsenic the stunned janitor watches successful disbelief.

"I perfectly emotion the 'Janitor' spot," Fox says. "It's truthful relatable to immoderate hoops subordinate who has stayed precocious astatine their precocious schoolhouse aliases mediate schoolhouse gym and had the janitor travel successful while they were still moving out. We had a ton of nosy filming that one, and I deliberation group will really bask it."

While Steph Curry has defied logic connected the hoops court, moreover he can't conclusion Father Time. The 36-year-old superstar has spoken publically astir the ticking timepiece connected his profession respective times recently, acknowledging that "the extremity is near."

For the NBA, it intends saying goodbye to the top shooter ever. For Curry Brand, it marks a caller beginning. And the Fox 1s are the first step.

"Our extremity is to build a bequest marque for illustration Jordan's that lasts good beyond his playing days," says Dadzie. "Legacy isn't conscionable astir what you time off behind; it's astir inspiring others to transportation it forward. Players for illustration De'Aaron Fox go portion of Steph's legacy. Just arsenic Michael Jordan's power endures, Steph's effect is already cemented. His Hall of Fame profession will beryllium remembered forever."

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