Curry chooses Chinese co as new sneaker partner

 Curry chooses Chinese co as new sneaker partner

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The greatest shooter in NBA history is getting it done from long distance again. Steph Curry announced a 10-year brand partnership deal with Li-Ning, a China-based sportswear company, to produce basketball gear, athleisure, and a full golf line. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Curry parted ways with a faltering Under Armour seven months ago, ending a 12-year relationship that included a shoe that was roasted like no other in 2016. With Li-Ning, the 38-year-old is looking beyond the end of his career (he sees golf as part of that future) to join a company that’s closing the gap on Nike in China: Li-Ning generated $4.3 billion in revenue in 2025, with 98% coming from inside China. Nike, meanwhile, earned $6.5 billion in China in its fiscal 2025. That’s a much smaller gap than in 2020, when Nike ($6.7b) tripled the revenue of Li-Ning ($2.2b). Curry’s new shoemaker is now on track to outsell Nike in China by 2030. Nike’s foothold in China is slipping. In the last four full years, the Swoosh has seen sales fall in its Greater China market, which includes Taiwan, by 20% as the company grapples with stiffer domestic competition. Mutually beneficial: While this team-up will bolster Curry’s already immense popularity in the world’s second-largest basketball market, it’s also an opportunity for Li-Ning to make financial inroads in the US.