Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors may have managed to break the Chicago Bulls' 1995-96 regular season record, but there's one area where the reigning NBA MVP still has some catching up to do: footwear.
It's no secret that business is booming for Curry's Under Armour signature line—last quarter alone, his sneakers helped the brand make over $1 billion. However, as successful as Curry's sneakers have been, they still can't hold a candle to the sales of Air Jordans.
An article from The Washington Post cites a recent study by Slice Intelligence that analyzed online shoe sales for basketball's top names, which included Curry and Jordan along with LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. The study tracked data from January 2015 to March 2016 and found that Curry's shoes represented just 4.2 percent of total sales. LeBron controlled 9.7 of digital sales, while Kobe accounted for 13.6 percent. As for MJ, his sneakers raked in 72.4 percent of online sales during that period, meaning he sold nearly 20 times as many sneakers as Curry.
The numbers alone are staggering, but we should also give them some context. As Slice spokeswoman Jaimee Minney notes in the article, there's strength in numbers: the Air Jordan line boasts seemingly countless styles and models, while Curry's line features only a handful of looks to choose from in comparison. This, coupled with Jordan Brand's longevity in the game, can make it hard for anyone to become a serious competitor—especially an underdog like Under Armour.
On the bright side, Slice's report also found that online sales of Curry's sneakers have surged 170 percent in the past six months compared to the half-year period before that. To read the full breakdown, head over to The Washington Post.
