Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is teaming with Sotheby’s to auction more than 70 pairs of sneakers worn during what became known as his “sneaker free agency,” the singular stretch of the season that followed his announcement on 13 November 2025 that, for the first time in his career, he was no longer tied to a single athletic-wear brand. Each pair was personally worn by Curry and will be sold individually in a dedicated online auction, with bidding open from 13 to 28 April. Proceeds benefit the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation.
Freed from a single contract, Curry wore a different pair in nearly every remaining game appearance, and each choice drew its own cycle of coverage across the sports and sneaker world. He rotated through Nike, Jordan Brand, Adidas, Reebok, Li-Ning, ANTA, New Balance, Puma, AND1, Da Da Supreme, On and HOKA, spanning brands across North America, Europe and Asia, from global giants to boutique labels.
Much of the interest came from the intentionality behind each selection. Curry arrived in Utah wearing the Air Jordan 12 ‘ Flu Game’, the model tied to Michael Jordan’s celebrated Finals performance against the Jazz; wore the Reebok Shaqnosis in Orlando as a nod to Shaquille O’ Neal; and laced up the Nike Sabrina 3 with Sabrina Ionescu in attendance, a public show of support for one of the leading stars of the women’s game.
The collection opens with pairs from the earliest nights of his free agency. The evening after his announcement, Curry walked to the court in the Nike Kobe 6 Protro ‘ Mambacita Sweet 16’, a colorway honoring Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, produced in partnership with Vanessa Bryant. On 24 November 2025 he arrived at the tunnel in the Nike Air Jordan 12 Retro ‘ Flu Game’, designed by Tinker Hatfield, before further tributes across the months that followed.
Among the lots carrying published estimates are the game-worn, dual-signed Nike Kobe 4 Protro ‘CHBL’, a China-exclusive colorway Curry wore while scoring 48 points against the Portland Trail Blazers, estimated at $30,000 to $50,000, and the pre-game warm-up and game-worn, dual-signed Nike Sabrina 3, also estimated at $30,000 to $50,000. Other highlighted pairs include the ‘ On THE ROGER Pro Fire’, the first On footwear model worn on an NBA court, and the Adidas AE 1 Low ‘ Gold Medal’ Player Exclusive, tied to the 2024 Paris Games where Curry captained Team USA to gold.
Founded in 2019 by Stephen and Ayesha Curry, the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation supports children’s well-being through access to nutritious meals, reading resources and opportunities to play, and has provided food, literacy tutoring and organised sports programs to children across Oakland.
(Press Release)
