Steph Curry Steps Out in Devin Booker's Nike Shoes as Suns Star Courts Him

Stephen Curry showed up at Phoenix's Footprint Centre on Thursday night, laced in Devin Booker's signature Nike shoes, and it wasn't just about paying respect.

The Warriors guard wore the Nike Book 1 'Chevy' colourway during warmups, then switched to the 'What The' edition before tip-off. Since splitting from Under Armour last month, Curry has been wearing different basketball shoes at nearly every game, but this choice carried extra weight.

Booker isn't hiding his intentions

The Phoenix star, who started alongside Curry in Team USA's gold medal backcourt at the Paris Olympics, was straightforward when reporters asked about the footwear. According to Sports Illustrated, Booker said he's '100%' trying to bring Curry to Nike.

'The day after he was done with Under Armour, he asked for a few pairs, and obviously I sent him all the hot ones,' Booker said after the Suns beat Golden State 99-98.

The relationship runs deeper than business. Spending time together in Paris transformed professional respect into genuine friendship.

'Building a relationship that will last a lifetime with somebody I idolised my whole life,' Booker explained. 'For it to come full circle and him to be competing against me in my shoe, if anything, I thought it'd be the other way around.'

Curry's post-Under Armour tour

Since November, Curry has been rotating through different basketball shoes, honouring various players and eras. Per Arizona Sports, he's been 'paying tribute, homage, and just showing love to all the different eras of the sneaker game' whilst testing the waters for his next big deal.

The Book 1s brought mixed results. Curry managed 15 points on 3-for-13 shooting and 2-for-9 from three, adding nine rebounds and seven assists in the one-point loss.

'I was trying to beat him in his own shoes,' Curry said with a smile afterwards.

Book 2 might drop early for Curry

Booker's already planning ahead for Saturday's rematch in San Francisco. He wants to give Curry a pair of his upcoming Nike Book 2 before they hit shops on 2 January.

'I was planning on bringing some in a couple of days,' Booker revealed. 'He might be one of the first ones in 'em.'

There's history between Curry and Nike. He started his career with them before a notorious pitch meeting in 2013 went sideways. Under Armour offered more money, so Curry switched. According to Yahoo Sports, now with his profile bigger than ever, Curry holds all the cards in choosing his next partner.

Everyone wants a piece

When asked point-blank if he's recruiting Curry, Booker didn't dance around it.

'But whoever gets him, we know that he is a global icon with fanbases all over, and I seen that this summer,' Booker said. 'We know how popular Steph is and always has been.'

After Thursday's match, Curry signed the 'Chevy' Book 1s from warmups and gave them back to Booker with a message about their Olympic run: 'Book! Called shotgun with the gold medal backcourt!!'

Curry's sneaker journey has come full circle. After leaving Nike in 2013 following that infamous pitch meeting, he built an empire with Under Armour. Now, as a free agent with unprecedented leverage, he's methodically exploring his options whilst honouring the game's greatest players and moments.

Whether Booker's recruitment succeeds remains to be seen, but the friendship forged in Paris has already created one of the season's most compelling storylines beyond the court.