UNDER ARMOUR and Stephen Curry have announced that they will separate the Curry Brand from Under Armour, bringing their decade-long partnership to a close. As the company sharpens its focus on its core label, Under Armour will continue developing new UA Basketball products and supporting athletes and programmes at all levels of the sport.
Following the split, Curry will operate independently of Under Armour. The Curry 13, set for release in February 2026 will be the final Curry Brand x Under Armour shoe, with further colourways and apparel collections to follow through to October 2026.
Introduced in 2020 as an evolution of Curry’s longstanding relationship with Under Armour, Curry Brand has blended performance-driven innovation with meaningful community investment, particularly in youth sports and under-resourced basketball programmes. As part of this collaboration, Under Armour extended its Project Rampart youth sports and education initiative to Oakland, and it plans to continue supporting these efforts beyond the separation.
Under Armour has been grappling with soft consumer demand driven by shifting tariffs and weaker spending. The company recently issued a downbeat forecast for annual sales and profits. Founder Kevin Plank, who returned as CEO in April 2024 after two consecutive years of declining sales, has led a wide-ranging turnaround effort that includes tighter inventory controls, reduced discounting and workforce cuts.
The company said on Thursday that it has expanded its restructuring efforts and expects to incur an additional $95 million in charges, which include costs associated with the Curry Brand separation.
Plank said, “It’s been an incredible privilege to work with Stephen, who as President of Curry Brand has been much more than an ambassador – he’s become a thoughtful and strategic business leader. Together with our teammates, he helped build something rare: a brand with credibility, community impact, and product that performs at the highest level. For Under Armour, this moment is about discipline and focus on the core UA brand during a critical stage of our turnaround. And for Stephen, it’s the right moment to let what we created evolve on his terms. We’ll always be grateful for what he’s brought to the UA team.”
Curry added, “Under Armour believed in me early in my career and gave me the space to build something much bigger and more impactful than a shoe. I’ll always be grateful for that. Curry Brand was created to change the game for good and over the past 5 years, we successfully changed the game for kids, for communities, and for basketball. What Curry Brand stands for, what I stand for and my commitment to that mission will never change, it’s only growing stronger. I’m excited for a future that’s focused on aggressive growth with a continued commitment to keep showing up for the next generation.”
