Stephen Curry has never been known to be as vocally political as, say, LeBron James. Circumstances changed somewhat Wednesday, when the two-time NBA MVP was asked about Under Amour CEO Kevin Plank's view that President Donald Trump was an "asset" to the United States.
"I agree with that description," Curry told Bay Area News Group's Marcus Thompson. "If you remove the 'et'."
Curry, the superstar face of Under Armour, added that he sought out clarification with the company after Plank's remarks, made on CNBC Tuesday.
"I definitely spent all day yesterday on the phone with countless people at Under Armour, countless people in Kevin Plank's camp, my team, trying to understand what was going on and where everybody stood on the issue," Curry said. "Based off of the release that (Plank) sent out this morning, and what he told me last night, that's the Under Armour that I know. That's the brand that I know he's built and one that, as of Wednesday afternoon, is something that I'm standing on."
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Curry said Plank told him his comments came solely from a business perspective, and that he disagrees with Trump's polarizing rhetoric on immigration and religion. Plank started Under Armour out of his grandmother's house in the late 1990s and has been known to donate to Republican political candidates.
"It's a fine line but it's about how we're operating," Curry said. "How inclusive we are, what we stand for. (Trump's) the President. There are going to be people that are tied to them. But are we promoting change? Are we doing things that are going to look out for everybody? And not being so self-serving that it's only about making money, selling shoes, doing this and that. That's not the priority. It's about changing lives. I think we can continue to do that."
Curry was criticized by some for being too tame in response to questions about his home state of North Carolina's controversial HB2 legislation that cost Charlotte this year's All-Star weekend. But he said Wednesday he would never betray his core values.
"If there is a situation where I can look at myself in the mirror and say they don't have my best intentions, they don't have the right attitude about taking care of people ... if I can say the leadership is not in line with my core values, then there is no amount of money, there is no platform I wouldn't jump off if it wasn't in line with who I am," Curry said. "So that's a decision I will make every single day when I wake up."
