Stephen Curry’s breakup with his long-time partner Under Armour has once again put the focus back on his shoes. For the Golden State Warriors vs. the Orlando Magic game, Curry surprised the NBA world by wearing Shaquille O’Neal’s legendary Reebok kicks, Shaqnosis.
This is the first time in a long time that someone of his stature is looking for a completely new deal with a shoe brand, and Curry’s milking it for all its worth. He arrived at the Kia Center wearing the former Magic center’s classic shoe and followed that up by wearing the Volt Penny 2s from 2012, from Penny Hardaway’s shoe line, another Orlando veteran.
Here
We
Go@Rakuten || #DubNation pic.twitter.com/58fY1RIesD
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) November 18, 2025
Everyone on social media understands what the Baby-Faced Assassin is trying to do, so fans chimed in with some hilarious reactions on X.
“Bro really auditioning shoes for various companies on some ‘this could be you’ s*** lmaooo.”
“Yeah, I know Steph has an aura, but even God couldn’t sell those ‘Air Wacks’ to the people!!”
“Must be playing center tonight.”
“Shaqnosis on a guard just feels wrong.”
“He has been dying to wear other brands.”
“Steph going to Reebok to work with Shaq and Iverson would be (fire)”
“Another reason why Kobe has influence. He started the free agent sneaker trend when there was no social media & still made waves.”
“He should get more random during this sneaker free-agency. Pull up in some John Walls or some Steve Francises or D Roses. Even if he doesn’t wear it in court, he should have fun with it.”
O’Neal released the Shaqnosis again in April of this year, for the first time in three years. It is one of the most recognizable shoes from the ’90s era, but no one ever thought that a superstar guard would try and pull them off.
But Curry is having fun with it. Imagine wearing the shoes of the legends from the opponents he’s facing. It works in two ways, as a tribute to them and as an advertisement for him to shop for a new deal. For the last decade, he’s had to wear Under Armour shoes exclusively, and being a sneaker-head, he would’ve collected so many exotic pairs over the years. Now is his chance to do as he pleases.
Even last week, he went viral for wearing the Nike Kobe 6 ‘Mambacita.’
“That specific pair, it speaks for itself,” Curry said.
Although it should be noted that it looks like he’s still playing in his own shoe. For the game against the Magic, he has worn two different pairs of shoes: one for arriving at the game and a different one for warming up. But during the game, he was seen wearing the Curry Series 7.
So, despite being in his sneaker free-agency, he’s not taking risks with his on-court appearances, but off the court, though, anything goes for one of the sharpest shooters in NBA history.
