Stephen Curry may not be a runner, but the man runs.
The three-time NBA champion and two-time league MVP logs more than 2.5 miles per game—nearly eight marathons per season—and that’s just during the regular season. Add up all of the miles from in-season training, practice, the postseason, and offseason workouts, and the total distance becomes impossible to calculate.
So it was only natural for Curry and Under Armour to collaborate on a premium running shoe: the Curry Flow Go, a lightweight, high-performance shoe for the grind of training that complements the Curry Flow 9 basketball shoe in the Curry Brand lineup.
“When Stephen isn’t on the court, he trains in running products,” says Ryan Drew, vice president of Curry Brand. “So he thought it would be great to have a running shoe that was Curry Brand, that took on the same characteristics and design DNA of his other products.”
The Curry Flow Go is visually striking, with a sleek silhouette that exudes speed and power. Curry himself fell in love with the shoe at first sight—and especially after taking his first steps in it.
“As soon as he got a sample, he used it,” says Steve Segears, senior merchant for global merchandising at Under Armour. “I kind of wanted to call him and say, ‘Hey, the shoe doesn’t come out for another eight to nine months.’ But at the same time, you can’t really stop that visceral reaction and love for it.”
For footwear designer Ed Wallace, triggering that put-them-on-now reaction was part of the aesthetic goal. The other part was making the shoe look fast. “My goal was to create speed through aerodynamic shapes and texture,” Wallace says. “That was a big thing—even when you look at the silhouette, just making it look fast.”
The ultimate mission: Make a shoe that felt natural for Curry, who relies on Under Armour’s Flow traction technology in his namesake basketball shoe to make sharp, multidirectional cuts and shed defenders on the court. “I love the traction of Flow,” says Curry, who is closing in on the NBA’s all-time 3-point record and noted that Under Armour’s breakthrough technology has “definitely made an impact on my ability to get through an NBA season.”
To that end, the Curry Flow Go running shoe uses a modified UA Flow midsole that has been slightly tweaked for optimal running performance while providing the same comfort and traction as the technology in the Curry Flow 9 basketball shoe.
Given how much Curry already trusted UA’s Flow technology, Under Armour’s design team primarily focused on the look and feel of the upper part of the running shoe.
“We knew that Flow was going to make the shoe be comfortable and responsive,” Wallace says. “It was a smooth transition from a technology standpoint. From there, it was mostly about making the shoe feel authentic to Stephen in the run space.”
“WHEN STEPHEN ISN’T ON THE COURT, HE TRAINS IN RUNNING PRODUCTS. SO HE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HAVE A RUNNING SHOE THAT WAS CURRY BRAND, THAT TOOK ON THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS AND DESIGN DNA OF HIS OTHER PRODUCTS.”
Ryan Drew, vice president of Curry Brand
The one-piece knit upper is lightweight, breathable, and provides a great distraction-free fit for any runner. The high-quality lace loop cords are built for comfort and feature splashes of signature color. Suede detailing in the heel and eyestay gives the shoe a premium finish. Four dots adorn the lateral side of each shoe—a nod to Curry’s wife, Ayesha, and three children, Riley, Ryan, and Canon.
The Curry Flow Go running shoe reflects the shared ambition between Curry and Under Armour to raise the level of performance for anyone who wants an edge.
“Stephen is very involved. He’s incredibly engaged, and he’s open about what he’s looking for,” Drew says. “Since we launched Curry Brand, he’s really taken ownership in making sure the product we’re launching is exactly what he’s looking for in terms of how it performs. He wants the consumer to have the same exact experience he’s having.”
The Curry Flow Go is available on currybrand.com, at UA Brand Houses, and at select retail partners starting Nov. 19.
