Ever wondered how Steph Curry, one of the NBA’s best players, ended up at Under Armour instead of the powerhouse that is Nike?
Although he began his career at Nike, the Warriors point guard parted ways with the brand in 2013. Since then, his signature shoe with Under Armour has become one of the top-selling basketball sneakers in the world. According to a new report from ESPN, Steph’s break from Nike stemmed from a bad pitch meeting.
ESPN reports:
The pitch meeting, according to Steph’s father Dell, who was present, kicked off with one Nike official accidentally addressing Stephen as “Steph-on,” the moniker, of course, of Steve Urkel’s alter ego in Family Matters. “I heard some people pronounce his name wrong before,” says Dell Curry. “I wasn’t surprised. I was surprised that I didn’t get a correction.”
It got worse from there. A PowerPoint slide featured Kevin Durant’s name, presumably left on by accident, presumably residue from repurposed materials. “I stopped paying attention after that,” Dell says. Though Dell resolved to “keep a poker face,” throughout the entirety of the pitch, the decision to leave Nike was in the works.
Sounds pretty unprofessional. We’re sure Nike is kicking themselves right now; Steph is reportedly worth $14 billion to Under Armour.
