{"id":178758,"date":"2026-02-24T12:25:39","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T17:25:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=178758"},"modified":"2026-02-24T12:25:39","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T17:25:39","slug":"anta-stephen-curry-next-sneaker-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/02\/24\/anta-stephen-curry-next-sneaker-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Is ANTA? Could It Be Curry\u2019s Next Sneaker Home?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/curryst01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stephen Curry\u2019s<\/a> sneaker free agency is heating up. Who is the Chinese brand ANTA, and why could they be the Splash King\u2019s next sneaker home?<\/p>\n<p>After ending his long-term partnership with Under Armour, Curry has now entered sneaker free agency. One brand, in particular, is turning heads and could become the new home of the four-time NBA champion. <a  href=\"https:\/\/anta.com\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">China&#8217;s ANTA<\/a> appears to be the front-runner, sending shockwaves through the NBA and sneaker world, leaving rivals like Nike and Under Armour watching closely. But where will Curry&#8217;s sneaker future take him beyond the Golden State Warriors?<\/p>\n<h2>Who Is ANTA? Could It Be Curry\u2019s Next Sneaker Home?<\/h2>\n<h3><span>Who Is ANTA?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>ANTA is a Chinese sportswear company known for its<span> footwear, apparel and athletic gear. Founded in 1991, it has quickly grown into one of the largest sports manufacturers in the world. While it may not receive the same recognition as Adidas or Nike in Western sneaker culture, ANTA has built a dominant presence in Asia. The brand continues to grow <\/span><span>through strategic investment and athlete partnerships.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>In 2007, ANTA made its first move into the NBA by partnering with former Houston Rockets forward <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/scolalu01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Luis Scola<\/a>. The brand then later strengthened its basketball presence in 2010 by signing Hall of Famer <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/garneke01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kevin Garnett<\/a>, marking a major step in its push toward global basketball relevance. ANTA has continued adding star power to its roster, securing a lifetime deal with <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/thompkl01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Klay Thompson<\/a> and even elevating <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/i\/irvinky01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kyrie Irving<\/a> to <span>Chief Creative Officer in 2023.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span>Curry Turns Heads with ANTA Sneakers<\/span><\/h3>\n<div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_178822\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-178822\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/02\/USATSI_28124098_168402037_lowres-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Jan 30, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; A closeup view of the shoes worn by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) against the Detroit Pistons in the first quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" class=\"wp-image-178822 size-large\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/02\/USATSI_28124098_168402037_lowres-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/02\/USATSI_28124098_168402037_lowres-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/02\/USATSI_28124098_168402037_lowres-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/02\/USATSI_28124098_168402037_lowres-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/02\/USATSI_28124098_168402037_lowres-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/02\/USATSI_28124098_168402037_lowres.jpg 1365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-178822\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jan 30, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; A closeup view of the shoes worn by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) against the Detroit Pistons in the first quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span><a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SoleRetriever\/status\/2025717012287430671\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">According to Sole Retriever<\/a>, Curry has narrowed his sneaker free agency to just three brands, with ANTA emerging as the early favorite for the 12-time All-Star.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><span>The Warriors guard <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsportsbayarea.com\/nba\/golden-state-warriors\/steph-curry-klay-thompson-shoes\/1917072\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">recently wore ANTA sneakers on the All-Star court<\/a>, while honoring his former teammate Thompson. But fans and insiders were stunned by the appearance of the Curry brand logo on the heel of an ANTA shoe. During All-Star Weekend, he trained with Irving <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KicksFinder\/status\/2025632599608086942?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">wearing a pair of ANTA Enclosion Type 2s<\/a>. This marked the first time the Curry logo has appeared on a shoe outside of Under Armour.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Curry hasn&#8217;t signed yet, but the signs strongly suggest ANTA is a heavy <\/span>favorite.<\/p>\n<h3><span>The Splash King\u2019s Next Move<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Curry <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/11\/14\/stephen-curry-splits-under-armour-what-it-means\/\" target=\"_self\">ended his partnership with Under Armour<\/a> in November 2025, closing his 12-year chapter as face of the brand. While the decision surprised some, it signaled a desire for a fresh challenge and a new vision for the next phase of his career beyond the court.<\/p>\n<p><span>After <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/02\/14\/stephen-currys-final-signature-shoe-marks-the-end-of-an-era\/\" target=\"_self\">releasing his final sneaker with Under Armour<\/a> last week \u2014 the Curry 13 \u2014 all eyes are on the Splash King&#8217;s next move. Having reportedly earned $50 million annually with the brand, Curry looks to redefine the future of his signature line.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>He&#8217;s already grown Under Armour to new heights, putting the brand firmly on the NBA map and could undoubtedly do the same for ANTA. The timing is perfect as ANTA continues to expand its basketball portfolio globally. Curry could be the ideal ambassador to drive this worldwide success.<\/p>\n<p><span>\u00a9 Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stephen Curry\u2019s sneaker free agency is heating up. Who is the Chinese brand ANTA, and why could they be the Splash King\u2019s next sneaker home? After ending his long-term partnership with Under Armour, Curry has now entered sneaker free agency. One brand, in particular, is turning heads and could become the new home of the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5650,"featured_media":178820,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,25,62],"tags":[338,70,406,2275,48],"class_list":["post-178758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-warriors","category-nba","tag-kevin-garnett","tag-klay-thompson","tag-kyrie-irving","tag-luis-scola","tag-stephen-curry"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178758","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5650"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=178758"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178758\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":178824,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178758\/revisions\/178824"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/178820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=178758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=178758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=178758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}