words & photography // Nick DePaula
Stephen Curry had just signed with Under Armour a few months before his first cover of SLAM dropped in December of 2013. When the shoot took place that late September, his new shoe deal hadn’t even become official yet. As Curry told writer Marcus Thompson for his very first cover feature, he was thinking big, both on and off the court, as he was set to begin his fifth NBA season.
“There is no question I am looking to make my mark in this great league,” the then-25-year-old said.
It just might be one of the biggest understatements in SLAM history. What a run Curry has had in the decade since.
He’s now the President of Curry Brand, his own damn brand within the Under Armour umbrella, as part of a new lifetime deal he landed with the company a year ago. Four rings and nearly 4,000 threes later on the court — you know the rest of the accolades — and Curry has cemented himself as one of the most impactful players not only of his generation, but in league history.
On the original SLAM cover, he’s wearing the Anatomix Spawn, a sneaker that marked a new era of design for UA. It was the first model he wore with the brand to start the 2013-2014 season.
Curry always reflects back fondly on the Spawn, as during his sneaker free agency that summer, his daughter Riley picked it out of a pile of sneakers from a handful of brands as her favorite.
The real story behind the cover shoot is the shoe that Stephen had on his feet as he sat in the St. Joe’s bleachers in Alameda was actually a mix of blue, purple and teal. In a full circle moment I couldn’t have imagined, I actually photoshopped the original picture, shifting the purple midsole to royal blue, and the teal collar to a Warriors-matching yellow.
This was long before the league let go of their color rules, of course. Now, we’re re-creating that very first Warriors’ hued shoe that didn’t actually exist, in a clean and classic Dub Nation colorway. His newest signature shoe, the Curry 12, is also flooded out in loud yellow, tying back to the original yellow SLAM cover header.
While SLAM #173 was just the starting point of Curry as cover man, SLAM and Curry Brand have teamed up to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the magazine through collaboration editions of both the first and the most recent sneakers headlined by Curry.
Dubbed “The Can’t Miss Kid” on the December 2013 cover text, both the Spawn Flotro and Curry 12 feature graphics from the magazine throughout. Inspired by readers tearing out the pages of SLAM to tack up on their bedroom walls, each shoe also features an all-over collage print of Curry’s ten different SLAM covers, with torn detailing.
Recently re-launched through its Flotro filter, the updated Spawn sneaker incorporates the custom cover print along the upper, while the Curry 12 highlights the print along its hero molded midsole piece.
The cover collage concept is also a nod to the generational impact that Curry has had on the game, inspiring young readers and players around the world to reimagine how they approach the game, extend their shooting range, and experience the joy of hoops.
Both sneakers include a SLAM woven label tag along the heel, with each pair individually numbered out of just thirty total pairs. A series of three pearls can be found along the bottom lace lock, highlighting the meaningful 30th anniversary gift.
To celebrate SLAM’s impact on basketball culture and the magazine’s 30th anniversary, Thirty debuted both sneakers on Sunday, fittingly dropping 30 points in a home win.
Curry in each SLAM sneaker. (Photos by Noah Graham & Jed Jacobsohn / NBAE via Getty Images)
