Steph Curry 'humiliated' by Nike before 'bizarre' gamble made him a billionaire

Steph Curry rejected Nike's offer after they 'humiliated' him during their pitch to sign the NBA legend.

Every high-profile and recognisable sportswear brand pulled out all the stops to acquire Curry when he emerged as a budding superstar.

He had not yet won any of his four NBA championships, two regular season MVP awards or even made a single All-Star appearance, but everyone wanted a piece of Curry, who had worn Nike throughout the first four years of his professional career.

But Curry was looking for a major sponsorship deal, with his family fielding offers from all brands, including Nike and Under Armour.

Nike offered a $2.5 million-per-year deal, while Under Armour tabled an endorsement worth $4 million-per-year plus a signature shoe and the chance to become the face of the brand.

Steph Curry during an NCAA basketball game in 2008. Image: Getty

Naturally, Nike and Under Armour went head-to-head and made pitches to acquire Curry.

But Nike's pitch went horribly wrong when one of their representatives made an inexplicable error.

An official mispronounced his first name, calling him 'Steph-on' instead of 'Steph-en' in an unforgivable mistake.

They also displayed Kevin Durant's name during a repurposed PowerPoint side.

Needless to say, Curry opted for Under Armour and signed a deal with them in 2013 before penning a nine-year contract extension in 2015.

In 2020, Under Armour announced the launch of the 'Curry Brand'.

It has been described as a '$1 billion lifetime contract' due to it extending way beyond his playing career.

Steph Curry in action for the Golden State Warriors. Image: Getty

Nico Harrison, who was Nike's Vice President of North American basketball operations, took the brunt of the backlash and was associated with the company's infamous blunder.

He addressed the rumours that he was responsible for mispronouncing Curry's name.

"There is an article out. And the article says I mispronounced his name. It wasn't me. It absolutely wasn't me," said Harrison on the Point Forward podcast. "But they didn't know the other person, they knew me. So, they say I mispronounced his name because it's sexy.

"But I'm like, first of all, I've known this guy forever, like since he was in high school. I used to represent his dad. How am I going to mispronounce his name? I might have called him Seth, but I wasn't going to mispronounce his name.

"So yeah, Nike made a mistake. In all honesty, if he would have stayed with Nike, his business would be a monster right now. A monster."