Nico Harrison, currently the Dallas Mavericks‘ General Manager and President of Basketball Operations, is facing intense scrutiny for trading away Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. But, this is not the first time in his career that he has been involved in a questionable decision regarding a generational talent.
Before his NBA front-office days, Harrison was a key executive at Nike, where he played a pivotal role in one of the most infamous blunders in sports marketing history: losing Stephen Curry to Under Armour.
In 2013, Nike had the opportunity to re-sign Stephen Curry to a lucrative shoe deal. At the time, Curry was an up-and-coming star, but he had yet to win an MVP award or an NBA championship.
Under Armour saw his potential and aggressively pursued him with a $4 million-per-year contract and the promise of a signature shoe line. Meanwhile, Nike’s offer was only $2.5 million per year, and, as history now shows, their pitch meeting to Curry was a disaster.
According to Ethan Sherwood of ESPN Strauss, Nike executives—including Harrison—mispronounced Curry’s name as “Steph-on” during the presentation. The blunder went uncorrected, making it evident that Nike had not put enough effort into personalizing the pitch for Curry.
To make matters worse, the PowerPoint slides used in the meeting still had Kevin Durant’s name on them, suggesting that the presentation was merely a recycled deck from previous meetings. This showed a lack of genuine interest in making Curry a major priority for Nike.
Dell Curry, Stephen’s father, was reportedly so unimpressed by the careless approach that he stopped paying attention midway through the meeting. Curry took his father’s advice and signed with Under Armour—a decision that would turn into one of the biggest marketing wins in sports history.
Fast forward to 2025, and Nico Harrison is once again at the center of a controversial decision—trading away Luka Doncic, a five-time All-NBA First Team player, at just 25 years old.
Much like Nike failed to recognize Curry’s long-term potential, Harrison and the Mavericks front office seemed to underestimate Doncic’s future impact, prioritizing short-term financial flexibility and defensive improvement with Anthony Davis.
The trade has left Mavericks fans outraged, much like Nike likely regretted losing Curry. Doncic, much like Curry, was a franchise cornerstone—a player around whom an entire dynasty could be built. Now, instead of securing their superstar for the future, the Mavericks have handed him over to the Lakers, one of the most powerful brands in basketball.
In the years following Curry’s move to Under Armour, the Curry Brand became a billion-dollar entity, transforming Under Armour into a legitimate competitor in the sneaker industry. Nike’s blunder not only cost them one of the greatest players of all time but also gave an edge to their rival.
Now, with Doncic moving to the Lakers, history may repeat itself. The Mavericks’ loss could become the Lakers’ biggest gain, setting them up for another dynasty run once LeBron James retires.
The similarities between Nike’s failed Curry pitch and the Mavericks’ Doncic trade are striking. Both cases suggest that Harrison has a pattern of underestimating generational talent, whether it be in the boardroom or the front office.
Losing one generational talent might be excusable, but losing two in a lifetime? That’s a legacy-defining mistake.
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