In the minds of many hoops pundits, Stephen Curry has supplanted LeBron James as the best player in the NBA, at least for the season.
There is hardly any debate on who should be the NBA's Most Valuable Player for this year. The question is whether Curry would be the first unanimous winner-a distinction that has eluded LeBron James in the past.
As Curry is taking the NBA courts by storm, he has also become one of the top endorsers, as his rise to the top is a a very significant factor in propelling Under Armour to the no.2 spot just behind industry giant Nike.
Nike recently signed LeBron James to what is virtually a "lifetime deal." It was projected as the biggest deal signed to an individual athlete in Nike history. But is it actually bigger than Michael Jordan's deal?
Forbes contributor Matt Powell noted that the deal is similar to Michael Jordan's deal which pays a percentage to the player for sales. Thus, the monetary value of the deal cannot be quantified at this time.
However, Powell is quick to point out that "there will be never be another Michael Jordan." Jordan's shoe brand actually increased after his retirement partly because of the rise of the "Sneaker Culture." Powell doubts that LeBron would be able to duplicate Jordan's feat.
"Given the current softness of the LeBron line at retail, it is hard for me to imagine that King James will see sales maintain, let alone grow, after retirement," Powell concluded.
That "softness at the retail market" was confirmed by Sneaker News when they proclaimed that Steph Curry had already exceeded LeBron's stature when it comes to shoe sales.
Curry is already selling more sneakers than LeBron James. "Morgan Stanley projects $160 million in footwear sales in the U.S. for Steph, which is $10 million more than what's being project for LeBron James, and more than what's being expected from Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Kobe Bryant combined," SN writer John Kim wrote. "The only man Curry is trailing in the shoe-selling business is Michael Jordan."
It's not just the dollar amount, but if one considers the prices, the disparity of purchases would even be wider.
"Curry's signature shoes retail for $130, whereas LeBron's retail at $200. That means that there are potentially up to double the amount of Currys on feet than there are LeBrons."
Curry is the hottest name in basketball, maybe even all of sports at this time. Under Armour indeed struck a gold mine when they signed him.
Powell called Nike's failure to sign Curry as an "embarrassment" and it's haunting them now. This is part of the reason why they decided to lock in LeBron James permanently. Thus, Curry's success has somehow given some benefit for James and perhaps every other athlete in the future as the shoe endorsement wars have reached an entirely new level.