On the path to building a dynasty, many circumstances can derail a team’s potential to be an all-time powerhouse. Take a look at the Miami Heat earlier in the decade, when health along with salary cap issues and father time waylaid what LeBron James once boasted would win, “Not one, not two, not three.”
So when Kevin Durant went on The Ringer Podcast with Bill Simmons and said that no one wanted to play in Under Armor shoes, some took it as a shot across the bow at Stephen Curry, a teammate of Durant’s, who also is the face of the Under Armor brand. Others thought that the statement might end up being a potential roadblock in forming the most dominant NBA dynasty that many have ever seen in their lifetime.
However, two-time MVP Stephen Curry told the Charlotte Observer that recently both he and Durant sat down and talked it out.
Curry had to listen to the comments on the podcast first in order to grasp the context of the conversation with Simmons, but once Curry and Durant had their sit-down, the only unanimous MVP in NBA history gave his side of the story, via the Charlotte Observer.
“I told him that he has a certain opinion based on his experience growing up in the Nike business,” Curry said of Durant. “What that means when it comes to the competition among shoe brands and universities and the whole grassroots system and whatnot – he’s entitled to that opinion obviously. … But when it comes to what I’m trying to do with Under Armour, and what the Curry brand means and what Under Armour basketball means, that statement does not ring true at all.”
Curry relayed that the conversations between him and Durant were respectful, and that they came to an mutual respect for one another’s brand at the end of it. Curry also understood that whatever what one teammate said about another was bound to make headlines because of the profile that the Golden State Warriors have in the media landscape.
Another point Curry highlighted in his conversation with the Charlotte Observer: how much longer he intends to play.
Curry, having just signed a five-year extension in the offseason with the Warriors in in his ninth year in the league, said that he intends on matching his father Dell Curry’s tenure in the league.
“When I came in the league, that’s the only thing I did say – I want to play 16 years just because my Dad did,” Curry said. “I’ve always had an appreciation of what that meant. But now – having done eight years and understanding the work that it takes and whatnot – playing eight more years somewhere near the level I’m playing now would be solid.”
The appreciation that Curry has his for his father’s tenure in the NBA is admirable, but with Curry’s lingering ankle injury history, it’s going to be fascinating how his game ages as he does. Now with his future in the Bay set and the roster being locked in for the next two to three seasons, it’s up to Curry and company to see how far the Warriors can go.
