Warriors G Stephen Curry yesterday was formally named NBA MVP, and Under Armour "responded by announcing a special edition of the Curry One basketball shoe," according to Jeff Barker of the Baltimore SUN. The black, white and gold shoe is called the "MVP Limited Edition" and will launch "on Under Armour's website and select retail locations in June." The initial version of the Curry One shoe "was launched during the NBA all-star game weekend." Meanwhile, UA yesterday also released a "new Curry-themed T-shirt" that is currently available online and a "short Curry video" narrated by Basketball HOFer Bill Russell. The video, which was posted on YouTube, shows Curry "practicing his shot while Russell reads a poem called 'Stonecutter' about the merits of persistence and hard work" (BALTIMORESUN.com, 5/4). ESPN.com's Darren Rovell reported the "initial colorways" of the Curry One shoe are "essentially sold out, save for sizes 14, 15 and 16, and it's easily the best-selling item on the company's website." UA Exec VP/Global Marketing Adam Peake: "It's one of the hottest shoes in basketball. And they're selling from kids sizes all the way up to adults" (ESPN.com, 5/4).
A MAN IN DEMAND: Curry in addition to UA has endorsement deals with State Farm, Degree, JBL, Kaiser Permanente, Cytosport and Express, which yesterday posted a video on its Twitter account congratulating Curry on winning the MVP (THE DAILY). The S.F. Chronicle’s Ann Killion called Curry a “marketers dream.” Killion: “He's never changed. He's the same guy he was at Davidson." Winning MVP will "raise his profile nationally, and now everyone is going to know about what a cool guy Steph Curry is.” The S.F. Chronicle’s Scott Ostler said Curry may now be the “face of the NBA ... and he may have jumped over LeBron, and that's saying a lot” (“Yahoo Sports Talk Live,” CSN Bay Area, 5/4).
