On June 2, Stephen Curry announced on social media that his personal brand, Curry Brand, had signed a partnership with Li-Ning.
ESPN, citing sources, said the ten-year agreement covers basketball products, sports lifestyle apparel, Curry’s right to sign athletes under his personal brand, and a full line of golf clubs. The financial terms were not disclosed.
Li-Ning became Curry’s new partner after his 12-year relationship with Under Armour ended in November 2025. Anta had also been in contact with Curry and, according to media reports, was at one point considered close to a deal, but no agreement materialized. Speculation has focused not only on price, but also on the autonomy Li-Ning was willing to offer.
Curry has a history of choosing challenger brands. 13 years ago, he left Nike for Under Armour, then still an upstart in sportswear. One often-retold version of the story claims Nike had so many stars that it mispronounced Curry’s name during a pitch meeting and left traces of another player in the presentation deck. Under Armour seized the opening and turned the episode into part of its brand narrative.
At first, Curry was simply an Under Armour athlete. In November 2020, he gained his own sub-brand within the company: Curry Brand. It later released signature shoes from Curry 8 to Curry 13, opened its first standalone store in Chengdu, and signed athletes such as De’Aaron Fox.
