Stephen Curry and Caitlin Clark have been mentioned in the same breath since the WNBA star first rose to prominence by taking over college basketball with the Iowa Hawkeyes. Clark’s deep shooting range and nightly three-point barrages recalled the way Curry once changed men’s basketball, but that wasn’t their only similarity: while Curry and Clark both seem goody two-shoes at first blush, they also both celebrate excessively on the court and never miss an opportunity to talk trash to their opponents.
Stephen Curry wanted Caitlin Clark on Under Armour, frustrated by ‘underinvestment’
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
As Clark was entering the WNBA, Curry saw it as an opportunity for his shoe sponsor, Under Armour, to ink another big star and take the brand to the next level. When Under Armour made its pitch, the monetary value came in lower than Nike, who eventually won the bid of Clark’s services.
Curry is now out at Under Armour, making him a sneaker free agent. As Bloomberg reported details of the split, it included the bit about Curry’s frustration with Under Armour for failing to land Clark, which the Warriors star feared signified “underinvestment” in the brand.
One sore point for Curry was the attempt last year to recruit Caitlin Clark to join his brand, according to people familiar with the matter. He and the company pursued the phenom, but Under Armour’s offer trailed the total value of Nike’s pitch, the people said. Clark, now a star in the WNBA, opted to sign with Nike.
Curry and his advisers became frustrated by what they viewed as underinvestment in the brand, according to people familiar with the situation who asked to not be identified because details of the relationship are private. Meanwhile, the division’s sales weren’t meeting the company’s or Curry’s expectations, the people said.
Is failing to give Caitlin Clark a bag the real reason for the Curry/Under Armour divorce? It is not, at least according to a statement from the brand on Monday.
“The story is unfortunate and untrue,” Under Armour said in a statement to Complex. “Both parties have rejected the premise that Caitlin Clark was a contributing factor to the separation.”
Failing to land Clark might be the reason for the split, but it sure seems a reason that plays into Curry’s irritation with the UA’s failure to rival Nike, Adidas, and other shoe companies in terms of buzz and starpower.
Let’s be honest: Under Armour is never going to out-bid Nike for a talent as obvious as Caitlin Clark. The only reason Curry landed at Under Armour in the first place is because Nike didn’t realize what they had in the Warriors star during a slow start to his career plagued by ankle injuries. The story of Nike fumbling the bag with Curry is the stuff of legend at this point. It’s funny to go back and re-read the details around Nike’s failed pitch to Curry now, since it was led by none other than Nico Harrison. It still isn’t the worst move of Harrison’ career, of course.
Here’s an older video of Curry talking about his admiration for Clark:
And here’s Curry talking about hoping Under Armour would sign fellow WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu:
Under Armour will still release the Curry 13 sneaker in Feb. 2026 before the partnership ends. Clark finally has a signature shoe on the way with Nike next year as well. Curry’s sneaker brand will continue unaffiliated going forward until he finds a new brand partnership.
