Stephen Curry is having fun in his new era of sneaker free agency.
He wore Klay Thompson’s signature sneaker as the Warriors beat the Mavericks on Christmas Day.
The Warriors guard donned the Anta KT 11 “Christmas” sneaker, which pays homage to the championships the Splash Brothers won together along the heel.
Curry and Golden State beat his former teammate and Dallas 126–116 in Thompson’s second return to the Bay since leaving in free agency in 2024.
“It was great. It was really cool,” Thompson said of Curry’s shoe choice. “Wish he didn’t get a win in ’em, but it was awesome. A lot of respect.”
Thompson’s sneaker was the third Curry showcased on Thursday. He warmed up in a throwback look, the Hyperdunk 2010 Christmas PE. The two-time MVP also walked into the arena wearing Kobe Bryant’s “Yellow Toe” sneakers, themselves a nod to Allen Iverson’s Reebok Question.
He’s been testing out different shoes over the past month, wearing the sneakers of athletes including Shaquille O’Neal, Dwyane Wade, Sabrina Ionescu, Warriors teammate Jimmy Butler, James Harden, Tyrese Haliburton, Michael Jordan, A’ja Wilson, and Anthony Edwards. On and off the court, Curry has been spotted sporting Nike, Jordan, Reebok, Adidas, Puma, Way of Wade, New Balance, and now Anta. If the sharpshooter is trying to hint where he might land next, there hasn’t been a consistent throughline.
Curry is a sneaker free agent after parting ways with Under Armour in November after 12 years. Curry owns all of his IP including his brand and signature logo, but Under Armour will still release the planned Curry 13 in February.
Curry joined Under Armour in 2013 after a botched Nike pitch meeting. In the meeting, run by Nico Harrison—who was fired by the Mavericks last month after earlier this year trading away franchise star Luka Dončić—someone mispronounced Curry’s name and a powerpoint made for Kevin Durant was shown. Curry went with Under Armour, and established his own Curry Brand in 2020.
The Curry Brand represents men’s and women’s basketball players including MiLaysia Fulwiley, De’Aaron Fox, and Davion Mitchell. Curry was reportedly unhappy that Under Armour never offered UConn guard Azzi Fudd, whom Curry has mentored for years and signed to an NIL deal for his personal business, Thirty Ink.
At 37, Curry is much closer to the end of his NBA career than he was during his last sneaker free agency. But athletes nearing retirement can still be a big business opportunity. Roger Federer famously left Nike in 2018 and signed with On Running, opening the brand up to tennis and later deals with stars like Ben Shelton and Iga Świątek.
The split isn’t coming at a great time for Under Armour, which in its November earnings report said revenue dropped 5% in its most recent quarter. Then again, trimming down could help the company regain some strength. In its own words taken from the Curry breakup announcement, “For Under Armour, this moment is about discipline and focus on the core UA brand during a critical stage of our turnaround.”
