Perhaps the biggest story in basketball on November 24 regarded Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry’s and Under Armour’s relationship coming to an end after 13 years.
While this was already known after reports of this split surfaced earlier this month, a November 21 report from Bloomberg began making waves on Monday, especially in the women’s basketball community.
“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,” the article wrote.
Clark reportedly signed an eight-year, $28 million deal with Nike in April 2024, right before her WNBA career began. Under Armour reportedly offered Clark a four-year, $16 million deal, which obviously wasn’t enough to entice her away from signing with Nike. And Under Armour’s low-balling the world’s biggest women’s basketball star clearly wasn’t appreciated by Curry.
Every offer Caitlin Clark got before signing with Nike 💰 @brkicks pic.twitter.com/fOS0DCmsV8
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 23, 2024
Clark is not the only women’s basketball superstar to be part of Nike’s team. Also on Nike’s roster are Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson (whose debut signature shoe was released earlier this year) and New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu, whose signature shoe line has been a massive success since its release in 2023.
Ionescu was in the building for Curry and the Warriors’ November 24 game against the Utah Jazz. And Curry, who is now no longer tied to Under Armour, decided to commemorate this by wearing Sabrina’s signature shoe.
Nov 24, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Detailed view of the shoes worn by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) against the Utah Jazz in the third quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Steph Curry Speaks on Sabrina Ionescu Under Armour Recruiting Miss
It seems that Curry didn’t only want Clark to be a part of Under Armour. When speaking with the media about wearing Sabrina’s signature shoe after Monday’s game, Curry said, “[Sabrina and I] have a long history. She’s from the bay, and obviously just following her career,” per an Instagram post from Bleacher Report.
“And there was a time when she was coming out of school, that I was trying to get her to Curry Brand. It’s hard to get an Oregon Duck to leave Nike,” he added.
Ionescu played her college ball at the University of Oregon, which is strongly tied to Nike because of co-founder Phil Knight being a student athlete there and facilitating a massive financial partnership with the school that continues today.
Therefore, Clark wasn’t the only Nike women’s basketball athlete that Curry wanted Under Armour to get.
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