While the Warriors and Kings are embroiled in a heated rivalry, their floor generals are teaming up.
Warriors superstar Steph Curry welcomed Kings star point guard De’Aaron Fox to the Curry Brand on Thursday morning.
Fox is the first NBA player to sign with Curry’s Under Armour brand, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
News of Fox joining the Curry Brand broke during the Kings’ 130-114 season-opening win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night at Delta Center.
After Sacramento’s impressive victory, veteran forward Harrison Barnes was asked about what it’s like to witness Fox’s growth into a signature-shoe player.
“It’s about time,” Barnes told reporters in Utah. “I never got the Swipa 1s when they came out in the off-court shoe but still feel some type of way about that. I think the player that he is off the court but also who he is as a person, I think it’s warranted, it’s deserved, it’s a great accomplishment for him. Only so many guys get a signature shoe in this league.
“I think it shows how much work he’s put in on his game. Those types of things don’t happen unless you continue to get better every year, continue to get better every single offseason. I’m just proud of him.”
Fox finished with 18 points on 6-of-18 shooting, along with six assists and five rebounds, in the Kings’ win over the Jazz.
Fox and Curry will meet on the court for the first time this season on Friday when the Warriors travel to Sacramento for the Kings’ 2023-24 home opener. Then the two Northern California rivals will play again in San Francisco next Wednesday.
Known as the leaders of their respective teams, Curry and Fox now are linked together for the foreseeable future.