ADVERTISEMENT

NBA Star Floats Leaving Under Armour Deal After CEO Praises Trump

Stephen Curry calls Trump an a**

Golden State Warrior's Stephen Curry / AP
February 9, 2017

NBA star Stephen Curry said on Wednesday that he disagreed with Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank's praise of President Donald Trump, adding that he stands by the company but will consider breaking his contract with Under Armour if it adopts Trump's values.

Plank said Tuesday on CNBC that Trump's pro-business attitude is an "asset" to the United States.

"To have such a pro-business president is something that is a real asset for the country," the Under Armour chief executive said. "People can really grab that opportunity."

Curry, who is sponsored by Under Armour through 2024 with a shoe deal, told the Mercury News on Wednesday that he would agreed with Plank's description of Trump "if you removed the 'et' from 'asset.'"

The Golden State Warriors star said that he spoke with Plank and "countless people at Under Armour" who assured him the company's brand has not changed. Plank reportedly explained to Curry that his comment on Trump was only from a business perspective and distanced himself from the president's more controversial policies and statements.

"That's the brand I know he's built and one that, as of Wednesday afternoon, is something that I'm standing on," Curry said.

However, Curry suggested that he would reconsider his contract with Under Armour if its values begin to align with those of Trump.

"It's a fine line but it's about how we're operating," Curry said. "How inclusive we are, what we stand for. He'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," he added.

Curry then explained a situation in which he would actually leave the shoe company and forego his contract.

"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," Curry said.

"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," he continued. "So that's a decision I will make every single day when I wake up. If something is not in line with what I'm about, then, yeah, I definitely need to take a stance in that respect."

Curry has previously said that he does not like to weigh in on political issues but indicated he was surprised to see Plank praise Trump.

Under Armour released a statement on Wednesday explaining that Plank is part of a private sector collaboration effort to bring about change.

Published under: Donald Trump , Sports