Stephen Curry's New Sneakers Pay Tribute to Bruce Lee
There are many similarities between Stephen Curry and Bruce Lee: they were both born during the Year of the Dragon, they have strong ties to Oakland, California, and they have both had a strong influence on the evolution of their respective crafts.
Not only will 2024 be the Year of the Dragon, but it will also mark the 50th anniversary of both Lee’s untimely death and the release of his critically acclaimed film Enter the Dragon. Today is Lee's birthday, and Curry Brand released the first installment in a collaboration honoring the Hollywood and martial arts legend.
The first drop includes the Curry 11 'Fire,' the Curry 1 FloTro Luxe 'Earth,' and the Curry SlipSpeed. The second drop on January 5 (ahead of the Lunar New Year) will include the Curry 11 'Wind,' the Curry 11 'Future Dragon,' and a second Curry SlipSpeed.
Athletes and fans can check out the entire collection on the Curry Brand website. As part of the exciting announcement, FanNation Kicks spoke with Steven Segears of Under Armour and Shannon Lee of The Bruce Lee Family Companies.
Bruce Lee is an iconic figure in popular culture. What made both parties feel like this was a good fit?
Shannon: "This is a real natural fit. In Steph, I see someone who has really changed the game, in terms of basketball, which is something I think about my father as an innovator. Also, I think they both have beautiful legacies. They both try to do good in the world too, uplift people, uplift the game. Also, with Steph, he's not just passionate about the game, he's not just good at the game. There's like a joy that comes through in his athleticism, his play, and his attitude, which I really associate with my father."
Steven: "All of us in Curry Brand are big fans of Bruce and his work and everything that he's done. So when the opportunity presented itself, there was no way that we were going to pass on this. This is one of the best opportunities, one of the best collaborations that we've done."
How important was it to get this right?
Steven: "It was extremely important on our end. When we first started talking to Shannon and Dennis, we agreed let's not use what other brands have used. So we know a lot of brands have actually used Enter the Dragon as their inspiration. For this one, we knew that that Bruce Lee was a big fan of the elements of Earth, wind, fire, water, and we wanted to bring that into our storytelling. So Bruce Lee actually sketched a lot of his artwork in order to show how the movements are supposed to be executed. Shannon and Dennis actually give us access to that artwork. That was a big moment for us."
Shannon: "I just want to add that it's been a really wonderful collaboration. We really appreciate the depth, the philosophy, and the attention to detail. The desire to really dig deep and do something memorable and different and it feels very alive. It feels very current, relevant, alive, and important. We've really enjoyed it."
Each sneaker features incredible attention to detail and easter eggs. How difficult was it to implement, and how pleased are you with the final products?
Steven: "It wasn't as hard as you think. The work was beautiful, so that made it easier. We added a little bit just from a Curry standpoint. But the shoes that we added to were actually the canvas SlipSpeed shoes. So that's the one thing that came out of this collaboration, which doesn't really come out of a lot of other collaborations."
Last question: What is your favorite component of the collaboration?
Shannon: "So I've said this already, but they feel so joyful and alive. And I love the depth that that we went to. Plus, the fact that they invented an entirely new shoe, I like the innovation. I think that all boils down to that joy that I'm talking about, so I love it."
Steven: "So on the Curry 11, we were able to add a scale print to kind of keep that Year of the Dragon theme. And we all have this favorite scene from the movie which is the "Destroy the image" scene. We actually created a shoe called the ‘Future Dragon’ shoe, which will be launched in January and is an homage to that scene. You have the cracked glass going throughout the shoe, and that was, to me, the most beautiful shoe in the collection. I love the storytelling, it is what I do for a living. But I would say that that one is the one I have to rank up there, that's my absolute favorite, and I think it's a a very powerful collection."
