Under Armour just unleashed its first signature shoe, the Curry One, and the Curry looks up to the challenge it faces. Named for Golden State Warriors phenom Steph Curry, the Curry One takes direct aim at Nike’s Air Jordan brand, longtime king of the sector. Nike owns more than 90% of the basketball sneaker market. Under Armour has made major inroads against the champ in apparel–and the six new shoe styles coming out under the Curry One line announce Under Amour’s aggressive intent to compete in the sneaker biz too. The Curry One goes on sale Friday.
There’s some affinity between Under Armour’s underdog status against Nike and Curry. Steph Curry plays the underdog pretty well for being a guy whose Dad was one of the best 3-point shooters in the history of NBA. A dynamic scorer for this year’s NBA West Coast darling, the Golden State Warriors, Curry is more than just that: he really fills out the stat sheet on offense, plays menacing defense, and clocks in as team leader day in and day out. Under Armour–after failing to lure Kevin Durant away from Nike this past summer–has put all its basketball eggs in Curry’s shoebox for now. And the results are looking really, really good.
