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Steph Curry's Shoes Honor 3 Basketball Icons in Portland

Stephen Curry paid tribute to two NBA legends and one active WNBA player with his shoes in Portland.
Pat Benson|
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry wears the Nike A'One.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry wears the Nike A'One. | Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images

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Golden State WarriorsPortland Trail Blazers

Sunday night was another perfect example of Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry's season. Curry poured in 48 points in a 136-131 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, while dazzling fans with his footwear.

Since Curry's unexpected split with Under Armour in November, the NBA's hottest sneaker free agent has used his shoes to honor hoops legends while winking to potential business partners.

Curry wore three different pairs of shoes last night to honor three different hoops icons. Below is a breakdown of his kicks in Portland.

Brandon Roy

Curry arrived at Moda Center wearing the Nike Air Max Rise in a player-exclusive colorway designed for Trail Blazers legend Brandon Roy. The three-time NBA All-Star electrified the league before injuries eventually derailed his career.

It was a one-of-one shoe designed specifically for Roy, which he wore against Curry during Curry's 2009-10 rookie season. It stands to reason that Curry directly contacted Roy to get these extremely rare sneakers.

A'ja Wilson

Curry's tributes have extended beyond NBA players to include WNBA players like Sabrina Ionescu and A'ja Wilson. Curry warmed up in Wilson's first signature shoe last night - the Nike A'One 'Sunshine' colorway.

The Nike A'One 'Sunshine' launched at a retail price of $115 but is now marked down to $80.97 (plus an extra 25% off with the code "STRONG") at Nike.com. The shoes are also discounted in kids' sizes as well.

Kobe Bryant

When it came time for tip-off, Curry switched into his third and final pair of shoes of the night. Once again, Curry wore a pair of Kobe Bryant's retro Nike basketball shoes.

Curry wore the Nike Kobe 4 Protro 'CHBL'. Inspired by Bryant's strong relationship with Chinese basketball players, the shoes were released in July for $190 and now have an average resale price of $363 on StockX.

Curry's Next Moves

Curry is in the midst of the most exciting sneaker free agency since Kobe Bryant's 2002-03 season. Last month, Curry warned sneaker brands that "Everybody should be on alert," and he was not exaggerating.

He has worn adidas, Li-Ning, Jordan, New Balance, Nike, PUMA, and Reebok since his split with Under Armour. More importantly, the low-key sneakerhead and hoops historian has enjoyed playing with themes around each team he faces on the court.

This story is far from over. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Kicks On SI for all your footwear news from the NBA and beyond.

More Stephen Curry News

Stephen Curry's Under Armour saga just took a strange new turn.

Dwyane Wade unsurprised by Stephen Curry and Under Armour's breakup.

Kevin Durant weighs in on Stephen Curry's footwear free agency.

Shaquille O'Neal discusses a Reebok deal for Stephen Curry.

Under Armour dropped Stephen Curry's last Christmas shoe.

Published
Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the sneaker industry for Kicks On Sports Illustrated. As a leading voice in footwear journalism, he breaks news, spotlights important stories, and interviews the biggest names in sports. Previously, Pat has reported on the NBA and authored "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)." You can email him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.

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