Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry recently made headlines when he and Under Armour announced a mutual parting of ways.
Curry originally signed with Under Armour in 2013 after playing the first four seasons of his career as a Nike athlete. In now separating from Under Armour, the Curry Brand is going to move forward independently. Though, plans remain for Under Armour to release the Curry 13 in February 2026.
Now that he’s a proverbial sneaker free agent for the first time in over a decade though, the Warriors star was free to wear whatever he wants and again made headlines on Friday night when he warmed up in the Nike Kobe 6 Protro Mambacita Sweet 16 shoes before switching back to his usual ones for the game.
After the Warriors’ comeback win over the San Antonio Spurs in which he scored 49 points, Curry explained that he did that to pay tribute to the Los Angeles Lakers legend, via the NBA’s official X account:
“I think it’s one, I know it’s just weird seeing me in anything else than my own shoes. But just the idea of what he meant. I’ve talked about Kobe a lot, and that specific pair, I think it speaks for itself what it means. And other than that, it’s just something I wanted to take advantage of in that moment and pay tribute. I think it gave me some good energy tonight.”
Bryant and Curry always shared a mutual respect during their battles, so it’s really nice to see the Warriors star pay tribute to the late, great Kobe and his daughter Gianna.
Steph Curry switches out of Kobe 6 protro Mambacita
Before his first game since part ways with Under Armour, Curry chose to wear the Nike Kobe 6 Protro Mambacita Sweet 16 during pregame warmups.
Given his previous history with Nike and impact the Los Angeles Lakers legend had on his career, it didn’t come as much of a surprise to see him wearing Kobe’s shoes.
However, Curry did not play his first game after the Under Armour separation in the signature Kobe shoe. Instead, he switched into the Curry 12 “Eat Learn Play” player exclusive come tip off at Frost Bank Center.
Another change came during the game as the guard switched into a blue colorway of his Series 7 shoe. Wearing the shoes he has always worn makes sense, but it will be interesting to see if he plays any games in Kobes moving forward.
The Series 7 by Curry Brand released this past August.
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