SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors have a lot of common threads. They sit just a 90-minute drive from one another. Kings coach Mike Brown used to be on Warriors coach Steve Kerr's staff. There has been a resurgence in their rivalry on the court, as the Kings ended their 16-year playoff drought last season with a series against the Warriors. And now there's another.
Kings point guard De'Aaron Fox on Thursday became the first professional athlete to sign a deal with Warriors point guard Stephen Curry's brand.
Curry Brand, which is a line with Under Armour, launched in 2020, although Curry has been with the company since 2013. Like Michael Jordan's Jordan Brand with Nike, Curry Brand is Under Armour's only standalone.
The signing of Fox is unique. While it's common for players to wear other active players' signature shoes, it's uncommon for there to be a deal in place.
"This is definitely a special occasion. ... To be able to partner with somebody like D-Fox while we're still competing, while we're still battling," Curry said on ESPN's "NBA Today." "For me to be sitting next to him, to understand what this opportunity really means and allow him to take it and run with it is a dream come true for me because there's no better guy than him."
Fox began his NBA career as a Nike athlete on a five-year deal but became a shoe free agent last season.
Fox is coming off a career season, having averaged 25 points, 6.1 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game on his way to his first All-Star selection and winning the NBA's inaugural Clutch Player of the Year award.
He also helped lead the Kings to their first playoff appearance in 16 years, in which they fell in seven games to Curry's Warriors.