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👋 The Trojan Horse Routine? How Under Armour signed basketball's biggest star by first strategically recruiting the exact benchwarmer who sat right next to him.

Read time: 4 minutes | 805 words

STORY 

🏀 How Under Armour Signed Steph Curry

When Kevin Plank landed Steph Curry, it wasn't through flashy presentations or massive contracts. Instead, Under Armour pulled off one of the most ingenious recruitment strategies in sports business history—and the final decision came down to a 2-year-old girl with zero brand loyalty.

While Nike and Adidas fought head-to-head for the rising Warriors guard, Under Armour was playing an entirely different game. They understood a fundamental truth: influence flows through relationships, not boardrooms.

The Trojan Horse Strategy

Plank's masterstroke wasn't targeting Curry directly—it was signing his locker mate first. Ken Beasmore, a journeyman NBA player, became Under Armour's secret weapon:

• Strategic positioning: Placed their brand literally next to Curry every day

• Psychological warfare: Created daily visual reminders of Under Armour's commitment

• Social proof manufacturing: Used Beasmore as a living testimonial

• Relationship leverage: Turned a bench player into their inside sales rep

The Daily Seduction Campaign

Under Armour didn't just sign Beasmore—they weaponized generosity. Daily packages flooded the locker room, creating an impossible-to-ignore spectacle:

Plank engineered FOMO through proximity. Every practice, every game, Curry witnessed Under Armour's over-the-top treatment of a role player. The unspoken message was clear: If this is how they treat Ken Beasmore, imagine what they'd do for Steph Curry.

The $14 Billion Plot Twist

After months of sophisticated relationship building, the final decision came down to the most unscientific method possible. Three shoe boxes. Three brands. One toddler.

Riley Curry, all of 2 years old, randomly selected Under Armour after literally throwing Nike and Adidas over her shoulder.

The Staggering Impact

• Curry's Under Armour deal: Now worth over $1 billion lifetime

• Under Armour's basketball revenue: Jumped from virtually nothing to hundreds of millions

• Brand transformation: Elevated Under Armour from workout gear to lifestyle brand

• Market disruption: Broke Nike's stranglehold on basketball endorsements

Under Armour proved that in a world of manufactured relationships and orchestrated pitches, sometimes the most authentic moment—a child's random choice—creates the biggest business breakthrough.

They didn't just sign an athlete. They engineered serendipity through strategic patience, then let fate close the deal. The ultimate lesson: influence the influencers, then trust the process.

It's relationship marketing at its finest: winning the room before you enter it.

Related: Read our past post on the Champion Mindset.

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INSIGHT + ACTION

👟 5 Lessons > Under Armour's Curry Coup

Under Armour proved that authentic relationship building beats flashy presentations.

1. Target the Influencers, Not Just the Target. Under Armour didn't chase Curry directly—they signed his locker mate first. Ken Beasmore became their inside sales rep, creating daily influence at zero cost to their core objective.

• Action: Map your prospect's inner circle. Who do they see daily? Who do they trust? Sometimes signing the "wrong" person gets you access to the right one. Influence flows sideways, not just top-down.

2. Manufacture FOMO Through Proximity. Daily packages for Beasmore created psychological pressure on Curry without a single sales pitch. Generosity to one person became advertising to another.

• Action: Make your customer success visible to prospects. If you're courting a CEO, treat their existing partners exceptionally well. Let your target witness what partnership with you actually looks like.

3. Play the Relationship Game, Not the Product Game. While Nike and Adidas competed on contracts and features, Under Armour competed on connection. They understood people buy from people, not companies.

• Action: When facing established competitors with deeper pockets, shift the battlefield. Compete on relationships, service, and emotional connection where brand size matters less than personal attention.

4. Engineer Serendipity Through Systematic Patience. Under Armour created dozens of touchpoints that increased the odds of a breakthrough moment. Riley's shoe selection wasn't pure luck—it was the payoff from months of strategic positioning.

• Action: Build systems that increase your "lucky" moments. More touchpoints, more relationship depth, more authentic interactions. Serendipity favors the strategically prepared.

5. Turn Everyday Moments Into Decision Points. The coffee table shoe selection became legendary because Under Armour had earned their place in that final moment. They didn't win in the boardroom—they won in the living room.

• Action: Focus on being present when decisions actually get made. That's often at home, in casual moments, or during family discussions. B2B deals close during personal conversations, not presentations.

While competitors focused on impressing Curry, Under Armour focused on understanding him. The most sophisticated strategy was also the most human one: be genuinely helpful to the people around your target, then trust the process.

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