Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry is one of the best players the league has ever seen. Being a superstar of his caliber comes with a lot of benefits. One of those benefits is having an immense brand value, which helps him in acquiring a large fortune.
In exchange, brands get great exposure and convert new customers as well. Curry is most popularly known as the face of shoe brand Under Armour. Ever since Curry joined the brand, its value has increased exponentially.
But what if Steph had never signed with it? Instead, he could have been a Nike athlete, if it weren’t for a disastrous meeting with the brand.
It is a well-known fact that Nike messed up big time in the meeting with the 2-time NBA MVP. Nike mispronounced Curry’s name and didn’t even make a new slideshow to adhere to the Warriors guard. While most fans are aware of this, we have never heard Steph make any comments on it.
Well, this changed when he revealed his views about the meeting with Nike in a recent video. Curry said:
“You have an emotional reaction because you’re feeling good about yourself. Y’all supposed to be rolling out the red carpet in this situation if you really want me. This is supposed to be buttoned up, dialed in and like you said it’s been talked about enough. But I think in the moment you’re just trying to be observant of everything. Like how everybody’s speaking to you, how every detail of the presentation, of the vision, how well they know you as a person. That was one of the first meetings and it kind of set the table for the rest of the meetings. I was like alright, can’t get any worse than this so let’s see where it goes from here.”
(starts at 5:05)
Well, the aftermath of this blunder on Nike’s part cost them a fortune. Curry went on to become a sensational superstar in the league and his likable personality is perfect for sneaker brands to maximize their investment.
It’s hard to see Steph sign with any other sneaker brand in his career. One thing is certain: Nike will forever regret not taking that meeting seriously with him.
