Stephen Curry has found his next shoe deal — and it’s not Nike, Jordan, or adidas. It’s Li-Ning.
Ever since he announced the end of his partnership with Under Armour in November 2025, after a 13-year relationship that started all the way back in 2013, sneakerheads have been paying attention to what’s on his feet and trying to guess his next move. Now, after months, Stephen Curry has announced his new 10-year brand partnership with Chinese sportswear company Li-Ning. Sorry, Nike fans. The Nike Air Curry sneakers were just a dream.
Over the last few months, Curry has been seen in various shoes before, during and after games. Some nights, he wore sneakers as special tributes to players he admired. On other nights, he would switch it up and wear some of the most popular trending shoes from some of the biggest sneaker companies, including Nike/Jordan, adidas, PUMA, Converse and Anta. The sneakers he wore often made the news, but fans were always curious about which company he would sign with next. Now the mystery is finally over.
The 38-year-old Golden State Warriors basketball player has signed a 10-year partnership with Chinese sportswear company Li-Ning in a deal that he calls “the partnership of a lifetime.” The agreement apparently covers a few different sports, including basketball, golf, and lifestyle products, while also focusing on brand creation. In other words, they’re going to be making plenty of sneakers and sports gear over the coming years.
Curry’s own Curry Brand and Li-Ning also plan to open plenty of Curry Brand stores in both China and the United States during the partnership. Together, they’re planning to take over the world and rival some of the bigger brands.
The decision to move to Li-Ning clearly wasn’t easy. This is probably a deal that’s been a long time coming. They’ve probably been dotting the I’s and T’s since Curry left Under Armour in 2025.
Earlier this year, he wore signature Li-Ning sneakers from NBA Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade and Warriors teammate Jimmy Butler. Wade’s success with Li-Ning after leaving Converse and Jordan Brand showed Curry that there was an option outside the usual sneaker giants.
In a letter titled “The Future of Curry Brand,” Curry explained that his decision really wasn’t based solely on shoe performance, even though he did go on to praise Li-Ning’s quality, comfort, and innovation. Instead, he signed with them because he believes that the company genuinely understands athletes and has the resources needed to help his own Curry Brand grow. “The future of Curry Brand is with Li-Ning,” he wrote. So, it’s very much a business decision.
Of course it’s certainly an interesting time for the NBA and sneaker brands at the moment. There are plenty of big-name players moving from US brand endorsements to Chinese brands, like Anta and Li-Ning. Clearly, these companies are offering better deals – more money, more freedom and more involvement in creating the actual sneakers. So, yes, the sneaker landscape is very much changing. But not everyone will be happy about that.
This also shows just how much the competition has grown over the years. Li-Ning, for example, has more than 7,000 stores across Asia now. And although they have several NBA players already signed, getting Curry obviously takes everything to the next level. There are very few basketball players, or athletes, in general, that carry the influence that Curry currently has. I mean, this is the guy with four NBA championships, two MVP awards, and a reputation as one of the greatest shooters in basketball history.
After months of guessing by fans, Curry finally made his choice official. His crate of mystery shoes can now be given away to charity. From here on out, Stephen Curry will be wearing Li-Ning.
RELATED: The NBA’s 10 Hottest Basketball Shoes of 2026 (So Far)
