Stephen Curry is entering a field to which very few sportsmen can truly relate: retail.  Next week, Curry will go to Asia to promote the release of his Curry 12 sneaker in collaboration with Under Armour. While in the region, the Warriors star will open a Curry Brand store in Chengdu, China. 

During a sneaker launch event on Wednesday at the National Basketball Players Association, Curry made a hint about the opening. 

Curry responded, “Basketball is everywhere and we want to be everywhere,” when asked how he planned to expand his brand. “And we’re excited about the whole experience of what does it meаn not just here in the U.S. but internationally and what we can do to make sure people know what that splash logo means and what it stands for, what Curry Brand means, and where Under Armour is going,” the person said, referring to the opening of our first Curry Brand store there.

Other than its location and the fact that it will be operated in collaboration with Under Armour—which the sharpshooter has been a part of since 2013—very little is known about Curry’s store. Curry brand apparel and shoes will probably be available for purchаse, but will the store also include some of his golf merchandise or those of other sponsored sportsmen, like De’Aaron Fox? The Kings guard will go to Asia with Curry and will debut his own line of signature shoes in December. 

Curry’s store opens in the midst of Under Armour’s challenging year. The business dismissed Stephanie Linnartz, a former Marriott executive, and put creator Kevin Plank as CEO. Layoffs followed. Curry has long enjoyed popularity in China; in 2017, his jersey surpassed both LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, who was towards the end of his career, as the best-selling item in the nation. Are his shoes able to operate on their own?

Few professional sportsmen can proudly point to a retail location devoted to their own line, even in the face of the success of their particular brands. Additionally, there has been mixed success, which will add attention to Curry and UA’s endeavour.

In 2023, Tom Brady’s TB12 fitness centre on Boylston Street in Boston shuttered after just three and a half years of operation. The area had a smoothie bar, a retail area and personal training. The Patriots stadium and operations are centred in Foxborough, Massachusetts; the second location closed in October after ten years, allegedly as a result of Brady’s commercial arrangement with long-time trainer Alex Guerrero terminating. Additionally, the TB12 stores in Florida and Las Vegas shuttered.  

LeBron James’s House Three Thirty in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, is orientated on giving impoverished residents hospitality opportunities and does not just sell Nike merchandise. 

Similar to this, Giannis Antetokounmpo and his three siblings operate three retail locations for their “Antetokounbros” brand—two in Athens and one in Milwaukee—but his “Freak” line with Nike isn’t available elsewhere. 

Even larger businesses than Curry’s have struggled to succeed in the retail industry, and the store’s success—or lack thereof—won’t even be remembered as a minor detail in his legacy. However, doing so would be a welcome victory for a struggling business and another instance of Curry defying the norm.