Although his personal model remains in development, Curry plans to wear Li-Ning footwear crafted by Jimmy Butler, his Warriors teammate, and by former NBA star Dwyane Wade while he finishes his own design. He said the new partner had to deliver longevity, legacy and a worldwide footprint. As he put it, "I tried literally everything, and there was a reason that Li-Ning stood tall at the end because the product reigned supreme." Reflecting on the transition, he added, "I don't have any regrets of how anything happened."
Curry called his 13-year Under Armour chapter "a great run," and said the decision to part ways was "mutual," noting, "Sometimes good things do come to an end." He revealed the Li-Ning move in June and, according to ESPN, signed a 10-year, $400 million contract. The four-time NBA champion said his decision was influenced by input from Jimmy Butler, his Golden State Warriors teammate, and from former NBA player Dwyane Wade - both of whom are associated with Li-Ning.
Curry said he wants to keep the jersey he has worn his whole career. "I want to be a lifer with Golden State," he said.
"What we've built there, the fact that I get to run it back with Draymond [Green] and Coach Kerr ... my interest and mission is to stay and be competitive. ... The contract stuff will take care of itself." He also confirmed he tried to recruit LeBron James after James announced he was leaving the Lakers. "If anybody didn't [try to recruit him], I think they'd be a fool," Curry said, calling it "a good time for the NBA - obviously with a guy of his stature, his notoriety, to be in that position where he got to choose where he wanted to go." Various outlets reported James chose the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-year deal worth $8 million.
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Curry spoke to CNBC at Bethpage Black Golf Course during an Underrated Golf Tour event, the nationwide junior circuit he launched to open doors for young and underrepresented golfers. He said he is pursuing a deal with Golf Channel, owned by Versant, to put the tournament on television for the first time next year. For media diehards, the CNBC Sport newsletter with Alex Sherman drops weekly with top sports business headlines and exclusive interviews. Disclosure: CNBC and Golf Channel are divisions of Versant Media.
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