Vanessa Bryant Pays Tribute to Steph Curry Sporting Kobe “Mambacita x Mamba” Sneakers First Time after Dropping Under Armour

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry entered sneaker free agency on Thursday, ending his decade-long partnership with Under Armour. Following the announcement, Curry wore a pair of Kobe's for his pre-game warm-up against the San Antonio Spurs, a choice that drew a reaction from Vanessa Bryant.

The philanthropist shared a couple of stories on Instagram, featuring Curry in the Kobe 6. The first was a repost from Nice Kicks, showing him wearing the black-and-white Kobe 6 Protro “Mambacita” edition.

"😱😱 Steph Curry is wearing Nike Kobes," the clip was captioned.

In the following story, Vanessa shared an image of Curry warming up in Kobe's and paid tribute to the Warriors guard with a two-word response.

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"Mambacita/Mamba," she wrote. "🙏🏼," Vanessa added.

Vanessa Bryant reacts to Steph Curry donning the Kobe 6 "Mambacita" on Friday (Source: Vanessa Bryant/IG)

Curry ended his partnership with Under Armour on Thursday and is free to wear other brands over the next year and pursue new partnership deals. Meanwhile, Under Armour will continue releasing Curry Brand products as planned until the agreement expires in October 2026.

Despite wearing the Kobe 6 Protros during warm-up, Curry played the game against the Spurs in his Under Armour Curry Flow sneakers. Still, it marked the first time since 2013 that the Warriors star publicly wore a brand other than Under Armour.

The four-time NBA champion famously left Nike and signed with Under Armour in 2013, but with the guard officially a free agent, a return to the swoosh is at least a possibility. While there’s no confirmation on his next move, Curry will intend to continue growing his Curry Brand regardless of who he signs with.

Steph Curry opens up on choosing the Nike Kobe 6 for his pregame in San Antonio

Steph Curry made headlines on Friday after he rocked the Nike Kobe 6 during his pre-game warm-up against the San Antonio Spurs. It was the first time in more than a decade that the Warriors star wore anything other than Under Armour.

During the post-game conference, Curry opened up on his decision to wear the Nike Kobe 6 Protro Mambacita.

"I know it is weird seeing me in anything other than my own shoes, but just the idea of what he meant, I talk about Kobe a lot and that specific pair (mambacita) speaks for itself for what it means ... and I wanted to take advantage of the moment and pay tribute," Curry expressed.

With the Warriors star now a sneaker-free agent, fans may see him lacing up other Kobe models in the games ahead.

Edited by Arian Kashyap