Stephen Curry Signing 10-Year Partnership With Li-Ning Leaves Fans Furious – “Way to Not Support an American Company”

Warriors' superstar Stephen Curry had been a sneaker free agent for nearly six months since his split from Under Armour.

Stephen Curry Signing 10-Year Partnership With Li-Ning Leaves Fans Furious – “Way to Not Support an American Company”

Stephen Curry partners with Li-Ning (Image via FirstSportz)

During this 2025-26 season, other than the lackluster performances of the Golden State Warriors, Stephen Curry was in the news for being a sneaker free agent.

The 38-year-old was in a partnership with Under Armour for a long while. Together, they built the Curry Brand, which ended up signing quite a few rising stars to their portfolio.

However, the four-time champion wanted greater support and investment from the sports wear giant. Unfortunately, they felt their basketball gear business was not worth it.

One of the reasons Curry decided to split was when Under Armour declined to offer WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark a longer contract. They preferred a short-term deal, but the women’s basketball star was angling towards something longer.

Eventually, Curry started to wear sneakers from other brands, which led many to believe he was auditioning for all the major players. Now, it seems he has made a decision.

This is a partnership of a lifetime.

Stephen Curry said

This was the two-time league MVP revealing his decision to partner with Li-Ning. The Chinese sportswear giant is established in most other forms of sports, but partnering with Stephen Curry will be its biggest move yet.

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Fans tear into Stephen Curry for avoiding American companies

Stephen Curry is not the first basketball superstar to sign with Li-Ning. Three-time champion and Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade has been the face of the company’s basketball division since 2012.

Nowadays, the biggest name on their roster is Jimmy Butler. Whether or not the Golden State Warriors star had a part in it, fans are not happy about Curry joining the Chinese brand.

They pointed out how he could have signed with any of the American brands. Since fans are aware of his investments in foreign companies, they believe he went where the money is. Check out examples of those reactions below.

Stephen Curry has signed a 10-year deal with Li-Ning, through which he will help the company expand its operations in the United States. They will work towards developing signature shoes and signing more athletes. The problem is that fans felt he could have done it at home.

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Stephen Curry’s Li-Ning deal will dive into his other passion

Even though fans would have preferred if Stephen Curry dipped into his patriotic side and signed with a company at home, it seems the superstar point guard wanted a partnership that transformed boundaries.

Stephen Curry's passion for golf is well known
Stephen Curry’s passion for golf is well known (Image via Golf Central/X)

Powered by Li-Ning innovation, we’ll be proudly building Curry Brand into a future leading company that will leave its mark in Basketball, in Golf, and across the lifestyle space.

Stephen Curry wrote on his website

As confirmed on his website, Thirty Ink, moving into golf gear will help the father of four to make an entry into the sport he loves playing during his off days. This means he will have a greater portfolio than the one he had with Under Armour.

For someone who could be retiring in the near future, this deal sets up in a way that his Curry Brand will grow into a major division. With Li-Ning, he might be able to fulfill his vision of developing it into what Jordan Brand has become.

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