Curry downplays UA-Nike drama with Durant: 'Enough space for all of us'
It turns out the Golden State Warriors' locker room is big enough for two competing shoe giants.
In fact, there's room for much more than that, according to Stephen Curry.
"You just respect what everybody is doing, and we all have the space to impact people," the All-NBA point guard told USA TODAY Sports' Sam Amick.
Curry, 29, is the poster boy for Under Armour, while Kevin Durant and Draymond Green are with Nike, and Klay Thompson represents Chinese footwear brand ANTA.
That variance led to controversy over the summer when Durant said "nobody wants to play in Under Armour," which Curry vehemently refuted. The two talked it out, though, and are apparently just fine, as evidenced by this photo Curry posted last week:
"This world is huge, and there's enough space for all of us," Curry said while the Warriors were in China last week for the 2017 NBA Global Games. "We're all different. We're all unique. We all have different stories, and we try to bring that to life with the things we represent from a product standpoint, and a brand standpoint."
The two-time league MVP reiterated the "Sneaker War" hasn't caused conflict between him and his teammates.
"(The idea of) whether it's a competition, or this kind of inner locker room rivalry, or a battle of whose shoes are the most popular and all that kind of stuff, it's not," Curry said.
"It doesn't affect how we see each other personally, or how we (are) as teammates. It's kind of funny, because in practice we'll make comments about each other's shoes. And you have that kind of back and forth. Like I said, he'll walk in and pick up something that's up and coming from my line and go, 'Oh, these are nice,' or, 'These are trash,' and I'll do the same thing, like normal friends and teammates would do."
Curry added that he and his teammates try to maintain perspective on their lucrative sponsorship deals and won't let them get in the way of the unrivaled team culture they've developed in the Bay Area - one that's helped them win two titles in three years.
Related: Klay says Warriors 'aspire' to be dynasty like Jordan's Bulls
That's bad news for those hoping the Sneaker War would cause a rift, perhaps serving as the first domino to fall in the eventual demise of the league's best team. In fact, the massive sneaker deals are actually a factor that's helping to keep this superteam together.
Durant, whose Nike contract is worth up to $300 million over a decade, took a pay cut this summer to stay with the Warriors. Thompson, whose endorsement deal with ANTA will see him earn $80 million over eight years, hinted he could do the same in two years when he's a free agent.
Related: 'China Klay' grooves in bathtub full of gold shoes in ANTA ad