Video Breakdown
- 0:00 Introduction
- 1:10 Nike’s 2017 Rookie Class
- 3:45 Under Armour Athletes
- 5:24 Embiid was Underutilized
- 6:10 Curry and Fox: Parallel Paths
- 9:00 Will Nike Respond
- 10:11 Only Basketball by Nike no Ja?
- 12:20 Fox is like Curry
- 13:10 Jordan Brand vs Curry Brand
- 15:10 Curry’s Influence in the KD Clone Era
- 18:05 Curry Sale’s Data
In 2017 Nike added a new rookie class: Markelle Fultz, De’Aaron Fox, Jayson Tatum, Malik Monk, Bam Adebayo, Harry Giles and Jonathan Isaac. I wrote these words:
Of all of the guys that Nike has signed De’Aaron Fox may be the only guy who stands out as a potential shoe endorser who earns a signature at some point. The only reason I say this is because he has a memorable name, and The Fox 1 provides some incredible marketing opportunities.
Seven years in, Tatum is with Jordan Brand and has a signature sneaker. The rest, as I stated in the post, do very little to add energy to a saturated sneaker market. De’Aaron Fox is a mirror image of Steph Curry. With recent news that Joel Embiid is possibly signing with Skechers Basketball, Under Armour found itself with only one signature athlete in the stable, not counting The Rock. Embiid was underutilized, but ultimately he would have never really sold a lot of kicks. He had an amazing story which didn’t get any spotlight and if Under Armour places the same energy into Fox with Curry Brand, the result will be similar.
It seems the NBA understands the parallel paths of Fox and Curry and they’ve taken the time to highlight the moment. This video falls short of stating the obvious. Curry was with Nike and left the brand. Soon after the Golden State Warriors became a dynasty. Fox was with Nike and began wearing Under Armour last season. The Sacramento Kings had been living in basketball purgatory. 16 seasons passed and the Kings, led by Fox, stormed back to relevance and the NBA Playoffs only to face Curry and the Warriors. The Prince and the King… the synergy is perfect.
Fox influence Under Armour performance solutions, but he will also oversee Under Armour’s grassroots basketball and UA Next programs – providing access to sport and training to athletes at every level, including supporting Stephen’s annual Curry Camp
In a league where Nike is omnipresent and quickly capable of snatching athletes away from any brand if desired, the Swoosh tends to land on the mercurial talents. Nike has Ja Morant. An elite highlight reel in a small market who could have become the face of the league, but chose to engage in behavior detrimental to the NBA. His 25 game suspension has seen his sneaker release bogged down and unable to be promoted as it was initially. Morant doesn’t even make an appearance in the latest Nike spot airing on NBA Games this season:
Fox, and it’s unfortunate to make comparisons of this type, is the anti-Ja. He hasn’t any on-court or off-court incidents. He took a terrible NBA team back to relevance and had an explosive 38-point game against Curry in the Playoffs. Fox has an amazing, memorable performance in the NCAA tournament for Under Armour to call upon.
The most unfortunate comparison I can make, from the outside, is he is very much like Steph Curry. He’s clean-cut, tattoo-less (Curry actually has tattoos), athlete who can be held up as an example. That’s not to say a young Black athlete with locs and tatts can’t be a model… but there is a certain segment of the population Under Armour caters towards and Fox fits the bill. I hate writing that.
Will it Sell Kicks?
Curry is entering the latter stage of his career. Michael Jordan unretired as Jordan Brand was being born. When Jordan Brand began signing athletes like Eddie Jones, Vin Baker and Michael Finley basketball was still the most prominent option for sneakers as casual wear. Jordan with the Wizards was a different moment.
Curry remains with the Warriors and is still extremely relevant. Like LeBron, Curry will play for another 5 years. His game will allow this, but there won’t be championships and his influence on young athletes will wain as the Wembanyama era unfolds and the league moves towards long, athletic Kevin Durant clones like Chet Holmgren.
The Curry Fox 1 (CF1 has a nice ring to it) is on the move towards a 5–7-year trajectory which will undoubtedly see Morant vs Fox in the Playoffs. As amazing as the KD Clone era will be, basketball at the grassroots level is filled with guys like Fox and Ja. The sneaker battle will happen there, but it won’t capture the type of sales Under Armour is hoping for unless they actually follow through on the promise of this new moment with a long-term strategy which deviates from copying Nike’s EYBL and adds more regionalized components supported by training and other aspects.
Under Armour + Curry + Mens (Data)