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NEW YORK — Four championships, 10 All-Star Game appearances, 10 All-NBA selections, the only unanimous MVP in NBA history, a gold medal at this summer's Olympics, and so many other illustrious accomplishments tell the story of Stephen Curry's legendary basketball career. With the way Curry continues to play for the Golden State Warriors, even more titles, All-Star selections, and records could be coming his way before he ends up in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Now, Curry is set to reach yet another milestone, only this time his achievement comes off the court with Under Armour.
Every NBA player and basketball fans around the globe know about the signature shoe deals Nike has with legends of the game. You have LeBron James and Kevin Durant's long line of shoes, Kobe Bryant's iconic kicks, and who could forget about everything Michael Jordan has created with Jordan Brand? Well, Curry has made it his mission to build something completely new, and he is doing so through Under Armour with Curry Brand.
The Warriors star started this partnership with Under Armour in 2020. Since then, the collection of footwear, apparel, and accessories has become one of the most-known brands around the NBA. Curry changed the game of basketball both from a professional and amateur perspective, which is why he has been able to find a lot of success in terms of launching 11 different signature shoes after releasing the Curry 11 before the start of the 2023-24 NBA season.
On the verge of the 2024-25 season starting and Curry embarking on his 16th season with Golden State, Curry Brand is back at it with the 12th edition of Steph's iconic signature shoe line. The Curry 12 is unlike any of its predecessors, and its slick innovation with a one-of-a-kind sole design makes this shoe the future of all basketball sneakers. More importantly, the Curry 12 tells the tale of Steph's journey from starting as a shooter nobody knew at Davidson to becoming the face of the NBA.
Under Armour and Curry Brand have officially announced the new Curry 12s with the following colorways:
"Gravity" – Grey with yellow
"Shooting Star" – White and black
"Wardell Mode" – Black with silverNew story coming shortly to @ClutchPoints: pic.twitter.com/BxBmf2nlCv
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) October 10, 2024
“It’s built on years. The Curry 12 was a result of many things,” Curry stated at an exclusive Curry 12 preview event in the NBPA offices in Manhattan. “We were in Portland four years ago, and they brought in every shoe that has ever been made by a lot of inspirational pictures. They laid it all out on the table and were like, ‘Just show us what you like.’ I did a little process of elimination based on color, design, silhouette, whatever it was. From there, we kind of formed an idea of what my design language was like and how he [Ed Wallace] could take that and make a shoe that was not only fit for me but has all the technology and visual aesthetic we just mentioned.
“That’s what happened when we came up with the 11s, and now that's what happened with the 12s. Ed was sending me text messages every once in a while with pictures and samples, and I would always be highlighting stuff. No matter what it was, Ed would take it and immediately change it to suit my needs. It means a lot to trust Ed because while he has a lot of design language and interest in mind, he also understands me in order to take the shoe to the level it needs to be.”
Stephen Curry's unique Curry 12 concept
Aside from the visual gravitation the Curry 12 holds, the uniqueness this shoe has expands to its technology. Compared to other shoe brands, Under Armour has been able to create something new through Curry Brand with the incorporation of something called Flow. UA Flow technology not only makes the shoe softer and lighter, but there is a noticeable difference in terms of how Stephen Curry's shoes glide compared to other players' shoes that drag across the court.
This is clearly on display when Steph is locked in on the court, as his shoes always tend to be the only ones that never squeak. Movement is key to Curry on the court, and his ability to rapidly change directions without any limitations helps make him the best shooter of all time. The dynamic nature and the new UA Flow technology associated with the Curry 12 are what make it such a unique shoe.
“Flow is our foam innovation that we have been using since the start of Curry Brand,” Curry Brand designer Ed Wallace explained. “It’s a foam that has certain properties about it that make it super grippy, which allowed us from having rubber outsoles. This saved a lot of weight, and best of all, the shoe doesn’t squeak. Those are the benefits of using it, and as we continued to iterate on the models, we figured out certain strengths and weaknesses to make it even better. Part of that came with us figuring out how to make it more comfortable. Naturally, it is fairly firm.
“In order to get the performance we need and court feel, we generally went a little harder with it, so Steph feels the responsiveness from it. As we tinkered and made the shoe better for the 12s, we went with a softer top Flow. I don’t want to get too nerdy with the numbers, but essentially, the top is a lot softer than the bottom, allowing Steph to get the right balance from top to bottom in the shoe.”
As for how Curry feels about the Flow technology instilled in his new shoes, he couldn't be happier with the way he is able to perform in them.
“For me, traction is of utmost importance in any shoe because of my style of play,” Curry pointed out. “With the Flow outsole, it's a silent assassin. It just grabs, and you can use that energy to move any direction you want. That slim margin and little area of separation are everything for me and my game. It is definitely a big change from a traditional rubber outsole to Flow, but once you get out there and play, from a performance standpoint, it checks all the boxes. It has been great for me throughout my career.”
The journey to Olympic gold
The Curry 12 is very comfortable and exactly what Steph wanted in his new shoe release, which is why he decided to give everyone a glimpse of what is to come when he wore a special pair at the Summer Olympics in France. Although Curry may not admit it, all of his success and carrying Team USA to a gold medal has to be because of the shoes, right? If you ask Spike Lee, a.k.a. Mars Blackmon, he will tell you it was definitely the shoes!
On the world's biggest stage, Curry delivered for the United States and basketball fans around the globe. Wearing the same pair of the Curry 12 shoes with his red, white, and blue colorway, Curry scored 60 combined points in Team USA's final two games of the Olympic tournament, including 24 points in the championship game against France.
Finally securing a gold medal at the Olympics completed Curry's accolades mantle. There is nothing the future Hall of Famer hasn't accomplished in his career after securing his first gold medal, and he can now focus on the final years of his time in the NBA. More importantly though, Curry's Olympic experience allowed him to find peace and happiness after adversity hit the Warriors hard during the 2023-24 NBA season.
“Obviously we missed the playoffs, so there were two awkward months where I was watching playoff basketball and getting motivated since I was missing out on the moment. This shoe got to contextualize the moments during the summer for me,” Curry discussed. “The unseen hours of reps I was getting in a high school gym in Paolo Alto, working out before I showed up in Las Vegas, and knowing this would be the debut moment. Pulling up to Vegas with the white and blue pair and showing it off at practice, it gave me the idea of, ‘This is going to be a special moment all around.’ The shoe was just a visual and reminder of that. I felt so confident that I was going to be able to do what I needed to on the court, and the shoe was going to perform extremely well.”
Curry 12 represents a universe
The launch of the Curry 12 signifies a key moment in Steph's career as a whole to this point. If you take away all of the All-Star appearances, MVP awards, and historic NBA achievements from Curry, you are left staring at a basketball player who has still changed the game with his innovation and commitment to making a difference with his brand. At this point in his career, it is safe to say that Curry has been one of the most impactful figures in NBA history.
If you need proof of this, just look at what the league was before Steph joined the Warriors. There were players like Reggie Miller, Ray Allen, Kyle Korver, and other three-point specialists, but the way three-pointers were perceived changed drastically with Steph. The point guard position as a whole changed with Steph. What it meant to be an All-Star and MVP of the league changed with Steph.
Curry isn't just a last name, or even just a brand. It is a whole universe, and that is what Steph and Under Armour realized when they came up with the concepts for the Curry 12 shoes.
“When we really started to envision where Steph was at right now and what story we wanted to tell about him pertaining to the Curry 12, we all realized this story was about him being his own universe,” Under Armour told ClutchPoints. “When we came up with the idea of Steph not being a star but a universe, we started coming up with a lot of the themes for the shoes like Gravity, Supernova, and so on that just fit him.”
The idea of Curry and his brand becoming its own universe is super exclusive, especially considering that Jordans, LeBrons, KDs, and Kobes are all still hot commodities. It has become clear that Steph has entered the upper echelon of greatness when it comes to building his own brand with Under Armour, which adds to how special of a moment it is to launch his 12th signature shoe.
Now that he is 36 years old and on the verge of his 16th season with the Warriors, Curry certainly has a new appreciation for everything that has happened. When you ask him about the three-point records, the championships, and all of that good stuff, his answer remains the same: “There is more history to be made.”
Not only does this pertain to the remainder of Steph's career, but what he has planned with Under Armour and Curry Brand as a whole. Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox joined Curry Brand in 2023, and the roster has even expanded to South Carolina women's basketball player MiLaysia Fulwiley and Nebraska men's basketball standout Keisei Tominaga. There are high hopes that the brand will continue to add basketball personnel to its roster, as well as possibly become involved with professional golf due to Curry's involvement and participation with the growth of golf as a whole.
At the end of the day, the release of the Curry 12 is a moment for Steph to reflect on everything that has happened in his career and over the last four years with Under Armour. While 12 different shoe launches is a lot, this is still the start of something special that Curry Brand is building.
“It’s surreal, truly,” Steph said regarding the Curry 12 launch. “I still remember designing the first Curry 1 shoe. It has been amazing to go in my garage and look at history in a time capsule as far as what we’ve been, what we are, and where we are trying to go. It is a very exclusive group that has made it to 10 (signature shoes) and it is even more exclusive the more you get into it. Counterparts in the league are a little further, like LeBron and KD. I am excited to keep going as long as I am playing and beyond. I took a big leap of faith in 2013, knowing that I wanted to create something for myself and be a part of what Under Armour Basketball was and what Curry Brand is.
“We are doing it.”
