Stephen Curry’s latest venture as a sneaker free agent saw him honor his friend and former teammate Klay Thompson by wearing Thompson’s shoes for the Golden State Warriors’ game against the Dallas Mavericks on Christmas Day.
Thompson spoke after the Mavs’ 126-116 loss about seeing Curry wear his signature shoes during the game.
“It was great. It was really cool,” Thompson told reporters. “Wish he didn’t get a win in ’em, but it was awesome. A lot of respect.”
Curry jokingly said afterward that there wasn’t any intent behind his choice of footwear for the game, chalking it up to a coincidence that Thompson’s sneaker shoes were available in his size.
Since parting ways with Under Armour in November, Curry has used his sneaker free agency to honor some current and former players during games. The future Hall of Famer previously donned the signature shoes for Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Devin Booker and Jimmy Butler.
Wearing Thompson’s shoes added an emotional component to the gesture given how important he was to the Warriors’ success during his 11 years with the franchise.
The trio of Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green led Golden State to four titles and six NBA Finals appearances.
Thompson has played five games against the Warriors since signing with the Mavs as a free agent in the summer of 2024, with four of them being played at Chase Center.