As part of the Under Armour (UA) Roadshow tour, the sports clothing brand brought with them the reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry to go around five stops in Asia. Manila was the second place of the five-day tour, as the Golden State Warriors starting point guard made his visit yesterday in Tokyo, while he makes three stops in China starting tomorrow.
The rising brand made strides with the increase of Curry’s fame as the three-point specialist cemented an incredible run to the championship in the 2014-2015 NBA season. Before Curry joined the fans for the event at the Mall of Asia Arena, he shared time with the media to tell them about his game, the NBA at the present, and his relationship with the brand.
For two and a half years now, Curry has been part of Under Armour and reveals that he had all sorts of comfort wearing the brand. He released his first signature shoes on 2014 and is now releasing the “Curry Twos”, together with this roadshow he is having.
“We wanna share that with the world. We had a chance to come here to the Philippines. I put a lot of my personality into the shoe and the technology is second to none and that’s why we’re here and hopefully you guys be a part of it,” says by the 7th pick of the 2009 NBA draft.
The brand released his signature shoe which has several colorways, all of which had stories behind it in Curry’s path to basketball stardom.
“There are so many colorways, each tell a different story. A lot of those tell about where I grew up, things that are important to me and my family, and just basketball and how it made me better. [The shoes are to] Inspire the next generation, lace up and play some basketball,” Curry mentioned.
Before he was part of this growing Under Armour brand, Curry was once signed with Nike but the latter passed in re-signing the two-time all-star point guard. As the Golden State Warriors improved on a yearly basis, Curry was the head of the pack that topped the 2015 regular season, and finally destroyed the 40-year drought that the Bay Area in Oakland has been desperately waiting for. With dazzling ball-handling skills and impeccable sniping from downtown with his fast trigger, Curry helped Under Armour’s name rise in terms of sporting goods, particularly in his sneakers.
He addressed “My relationship with Under Armour has kept me in the court. I had an ankle injury in the past and since I wore Under Armour shoes for the past 2 ½ years, I haven’t had any issues. There’s no secret to what it is. They had a good product and the shoe is comfortable, lightweight and has the responsiveness to do what I do on the floor.”
In addition to the colorways of his first signature shoe Under Armour, he had a ‘scratch white’ design which had a gray shade and is represented by his love for the sport of golf. In the press conference, he shared a little story about his unforgettable experience playing it with no less than the President of the USA, Barack Obama.
“I love the game of golf. I played it since I was 12 and it’s something I wanna do during the offseason. It’s an unbelieveable experience playing with the president Barack Obama. We spent a good five hours on the course and he had about 30 secret service agents protecting him. So I was nervous that maybe I might hit them with the ball and they attack me, but that was the nerve-wracking part but it was a fun experience. For me it’s harder. Anyone that asked me if what’s harder to do a 15-foot birdie putt or knocking down a game-winning three pointer, I’ll take the three pointer.”
Aside from sharing about his relationship with the brand, the all-time playoff leader in made three pointers shared how touched he was with the Filipinos support for him and his team. He also meantioned how pleased he was with the way pinoys approach the game of basketball.
“Checking my twitter for the last two months, there are so much support and love from the Filipino fans. I knew this was going to be one of my favorite stops of the UA Roadshow. I am very honored and thank you very much. It’s my first time and it won’t be my last time in the Philippines,” Curry stated
Furthermore, he advised the Filipino ballers to strive hard and gave the importance of the cliche of never giving up and outgrowing oneself.
“Outwork your competition or whatever level you are whether you are spending. Get better, embrace your strengths but as much as possible try to be as an all-around player as you can be.”
He also gave a word to the Gilas squad, who are currently playing in the Jones Cup, and mentioned the privilege of playing for one’s country as he adds “When your whole country is behind you, there’s no better feeling than that. Just go at it. Don’t hold anything back. There’s an amazing opportunity in front of you so. Whatever style you wanna play with: the small ball or shooting a lot of threes, or playing up tempo, embrace it to the best of your ability. Hopefully you achieve the goal that you’ve set.”
