Stephen Curry and Under Armour are ending one of the most recognisable athlete-brand partnerships in modern sportswear, closing a 13-year chapter that helped define both the point guard’s off-court identity and the company’s push into performance basketball. The split comes at a moment of financial strain for Under Armour, which is restructuring in an effort to revive sliding sales and a shrinking share price.

The company confirmed that the Curry 13, scheduled to launch in February, will be the final sneaker produced under their collaboration. Curry’s brand, which grew into its own sub-label under the Under Armour umbrella, will now be free to seek new partners and investment opportunities. For a business that once saw Curry as the centrepiece of its basketball ambitions, the departure signals a strategic reset.

Under Armour’s CEO Kevin Plank framed the decision as a necessary back-to-basics moment, saying the company needs to refocus on its core brand as it attempts a turnaround. Analysts at Jefferies echoed the sentiment, arguing that while Curry is a generational athlete, his signature line never achieved the broad cultural penetration needed to lift Under Armour’s long-term trajectory.

The company has posted eight consecutive quarters of declining sales, grappled with leadership turnover, and is executing a restructuring plan that now totals roughly $255 million in projected costs, including the separation from the Curry brand. Despite that, Under Armour expects the impact on profitability to be limited, even as the collaboration is on track to deliver at least $100 million in revenue this fiscal year.

For Curry, this marks the end of a pivotal era. His alliance with Under Armour began in 2013, when he chose the then-smaller challenger brand over Nike. The relationship deepened over the years, culminating in a long-term 2023 extension that made him president of the Curry Brand, alongside a reported 8.8 million share award valued at around $75 million at the time.

With the partnership now concluded, both sides move into uncertain territory. Under Armour faces the challenge of rebuilding its market position without the athlete who helped define its modern identity. Curry, meanwhile, enters a rare window of opportunity in the sneaker market, one that could reshape the next phase of his commercial legacy.