The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Golden State Warriors 124-112 on Tuesday night. Warriors point guard Stephen Curry is still out with a quad injury, but his sneaker free agency is going full steam ahead.
Since his unexpected split with Under Armour last month, Curry has spent the past three weeks flexing his newfound footwear freedom.
The 37-year-old has paid homage to NBA legends and WNBA players, while signaling his openness to signing with other brands. Curry has warned brands, “Everybody should be on alert.”
Gary Payton’s Retro Nike Sneakers
First, Curry arrived at Chase Center wearing the Gary Payton’s Nike Air Zoom Flight “The Glove” sneakers. It was a nice tribute to an Oakland native and the father of his teammate, Gary Payton II.
Payon wore the old-school basketball shoes during a stretch of his legendary NBA career, including his role with Team USA Basketball at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. The retro shoes are expected to return in Fall 2026 for $170 in adult sizes.
After that, Curry took the court before the game to work out in a pair of LA Clippers guard James Harden’s unreleased adidas basketball shoes. Earlier this week, the adidas Harden Vol. 10 made its official debut. It appears the new hoop shoes already have a fan in Curry.
James Harden’s New Adidas Shoes
The adidas Harden Vol. 10 is expected to launch in the “Imma Be a Star” colorway on Monday, December 15. Online shoppers will be able to buy the new performance basketball shoes for $160 in adult sizes at adidas.com.
The only downside to Curry’s incredible run as a sneaker free agent has been his current injury. Last night, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr confirmed that Curry will not travel with the team during its three-game East Coast road trip.
However, that will not stop Curry from being the most talked-about athlete in the footwear industry. Shaquille O’Neal, Dwyane Wade, and Kevin Durant are among the many NBA legends who have discussed Curry’s options in the footwear world. O’Neal and Wade have a vested interest in seeing Curry sign with their companies.
Curry’s Footwear Options
Additionally, there is plenty of misreporting out there as well. Under Armour refuted the reporting that Caitlin Clark had anything to do with Curry’s breakup with Under Armour.
So far, Curry has worn adidas, Jordan, Li-Ning, New Balance, Nike, PUMA, and Reebok sneakers before or during games.
This story is not going away any time soon. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated’s Kicks On SI for all your footwear news from the NBA and beyond.
More NBA Footwear News
Adidas and Fear of God drop more Derrick Rose shoes.
LeBron James debuted the Nike LeBron 23 “Stewie.”
The Nike LeBron 23 nods to a 2002 Sports Illustrated cover.
Joel Embiid debuted his first signature Skechers shoe.
