Steph Curry has issued a statement regarding his teammate Kevin Durant's Under Armour diss, saying KD's comment "does not ring true at all."
During an appearance on Bill Simmons' podcast a few weeks ago, Durant talked about a range of topics, including why he feels the University of Maryland has such a hard time landing top basketball prospects. Durant, who grew up in Maryland, thinks the Terrapins have a tougher time recruiting star players because of their Under Armour affiliation.
He told Simmons, "nobody wants to play in Under Armours."
“I think a lot of kids, to be honest, they don’t choose [the University of] Maryland unless they play in an Under Armour system coming up,” the NBA champion said on the podcast. “Shoe companies have a real, real big influence on where these kids go. Nobody wants to play in Under Armours, I’m sorry. The top kids don’t, because they all play Nike … The kids that play that grew up in the Under Armour system, they go to Maryland.”
Curry recently shut down the "nobody wants to play in Under Armours" remark, telling The Charlotte Observer, "you can't tell me nobody wants to wear our shoes. I know for a fact that they do."
Via Chris Fowler of the Charlotte Observer,
"I told him that he has a certain opinion based on his experience growing up in the Nike business," Curry said, per Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer. "What that means when it comes to the competition among shoe brands and universities and the whole grassroots system and whatnot—he's entitled to that opinion obviously... But when it comes to what I'm trying to do with Under Armour, and what the Curry brand means and what Under Armour basketball means, that statement does not ring true at all."
He added, "Where we were four years ago, and where we are now—you can't tell me nobody wants to wear our shoes. I know for a fact that they do."
But if you're hoping this little sneaker war is going to be the Warriors' downfall, you're sorely mistaken. Per the Charlotte Observer,
"I understand how what we do and the team that we are and the success we've had, no matter what anybody says it's going to be blowing up..." he noted. "Especially when it's the opportunity to make it look (controversial)... Like I said, it's nothing that's going to break up the locker room."