Two weeks ago, Kevin Durant — who is sponsored by Nike — said this about Under Armour on The Bill Simmons Podcast:
“Shoe companies have a real, real big influence on where these kids go. Nobody wants to play in Under Armours. I’m sorry. The top kids don’t because they all play Nike.”
On Monday, teammate Stephen Curry — one of the faces of Under Armour — addressed the barb for the first time in an interview with the Charlotte Observer. Curry said that he has spoken with Durant about the comments and while they didn’t bother Steph and won’t create an issue, Durant is wrong about kids not wanting to play in Curry’s shoes.
“Where we were four years ago and where we are now — you can’t tell me nobody wants to wear our shoes,” Curry told the Observer. “I know for a fact they do.”
“There is nothing that is going to put a wrench in our locker room,” Curry added.
Interestingly, Durant was very close to becoming the face of Under Armour in 2014, when the company offered him a 10-year deal worth around $265 million. Durant eventually signed with Nike after the apparel giants offered him an even more lucrative contract. Nike also tried to ink a deal with Curry, but botched the potential partnership in a now infamous pitch meeting that included a Nike executive mispronouncing Curry’s name.
Curry eventually signed with Under Armour and has helped the company reach revenues of up to $200 million while releasing three signature shoes. The company experienced a dip in revenues last year due to a lack of sales with the Curry 3, however.
During the interview, Curry also revealed how long he plans on playing in the NBA
“When I came into the league, that’s the only thing I did say — I want to play 16 years just because my dad did,” said Curry, in reference to his father, Dell Curry. “I’ve always had an appreciation of what that meant. But now — having done eight years and understanding the work that it takes and whatnot — playing eight more years somewhere near the level I’m playing now would be solid.”