Steph Curry Left Nike After Failed Meeting & Mispronounced Name

In an in-depth article for ESPN, sports writer Ethan Strauss detailed how Nike Brand ultimately lost Stephen Curry to Under Amour, where his worth is "potentially upwards of $14 billion." Aside from their lack of interest in Curry in comparison to players like LeBron and Kobe, it was a shaky meeting in August of 2013 that made the Warriors' star player realize he wasn't an asset to Nike at all. After a Nike exec mispronounced Curry's first name and called him "Steph-on," his father, Dell (who attended the meeting as well), quickly realized his son should take his talents elsewhere. "I heard some people pronounce his name wrong before. I wasn't surprised. I was surprised that I didn't get a correction," said Dell.

On top of that, a PowerPoint presented to Steph Curry included a photo of Kevin Durant, one presumably looked over as they may have re-purposed Durant's deal for Curry. It was then Dell Curry told his son "don't be afraid to try something new." "I stopped paying attention after that," he said before explaining "they have certain tiers of athletes. They have Kobe, LeBron and Durant, who were their three main guys. If he signed back with them, we're on that second tier."

Source: ESPN