People looking for the next Michael Jordan, who won six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls and is regarded as the best NBA player of all time, have generally gone with the just-retiredKobe Bryant and the still dominant LeBron James.
But off the court, the search for the next Jordan in the business world of basketball shoes is Stephen Curry, at least according toUnder Armour, which lured Curry away from Nike in 2013 to sign a shoe deal, then last year extend the alliance through 2024.
Under Armour has so much faith in Curry that it launchedits first signature line around him in 2015 with major multimedia marketing. The investment has proven to be worthy.
According to the Baltimore-based company, footwear sales rose64.2% during the first quarter of 2016 to $264 million (versus $161 million in the prior year"s period), "primarily reflecting the ongoing success of the Curry signature basketball line" and expandedrunning offerings.
That follows Q4 2015 figures which showed Under Armour"s footwear sales had risen 95% to $167 million and that full-year footwear sales increased 57% to $678million.
By comparison, sales for Nike footwear in the quarter that ended in February topped $2.4 billion in North America (up 16% versus the prior year) and more than $5 billionworldwide, according to the company.
According to a recent financial report from Morgan Stanley, if Curry remains healthy in the public eye on the court, he has the potential to"increase Under Armour"s market cap by $14 billion," in effect doubling the company"s value.
"Stephen Curry is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for our brand for sales andawareness," Kevin Plank, CEO and founder for Under Armour, said during a financial conference call last week. That is not just in North America, but overseas. "We took Stephen to China last year andthe response was amazing. The impact of Stephen for us in China has been phenomenal."
A major shoe brand putting its focus on one basketball player for growth is best exemplified bythe relationship between Nike and Michael Jordan, which began in 1984 during Jordan"s rookie year and in 1997 saw the launch of Jordan Brand. Jordan Brand accounted for some $3 billion in sales in2015.
The billion-dollar figure is significant.
"We posted 30% increase in (net revenue) in the first quarter (to more than $1 billion), and that figure was noaccident," said Plank. "Stephen wears No. 30 and he averaged 30 points a game this year."
Under Armour has been all in with Curry during the current NBA playoffs. Owing to the factthat Curry set an NBA record with 402 three-point shots this past season (breaking his own mark of 286 set last season), marketing during the current playoffs includes airing a three-second commercialeach time Curry hits a three-point shot. That happened five times in the first game of the post-season, when Curry"s Golden State Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets.
According toa report from Slice Intelligence, which tracks online sales and revenue, between January 2015-March 2016, Under Armour"s Curry line was the fourth best-selling NBA-player endorsed shoe in the U.S.,following Nike"s Air Jordan (with more than 70% of online sales in the category), and Nike"s Kobe Bryant and LeBron James lines.
"Under Armour"s first major NBA endorsed player shoeline is still below Nike"s lineup, but, like Steph himself, is getting increasingly popular," Slice Intelligence reported. "The shoe has been170% more popular during thepast six monthscompared to the previous half-year period." The top five markets for Curry are San Francisco-Oakland (where the Warriors are based), New York, Los Angeles, Baltimore and Chicago.
Multi-media marketing has supported the launch of each version of Curry"s signature shoe and, according to Under Armour, will continue this year when the Curry 2.5 hits Foot Locker in lateMay and worldwide in July, followed by the Curry 3 this fall. The brand is building its Curry lifestyle apparel line to attract consumers beyond hoops and is also planning a return trip to China withCurry.
Still, Under Armour is not taking its success with Curry for granted.
According to Morgan Stanley, "Kids who are buying his shoes probably want topurchase a little piece of Curry"s greatness, no matter what brand he is associated with. They may not necessarily be buying his shoe because it is a UA shoe."
"Becoming a footwearbrand is not something that happens overnight," said Plank. "We"ve been making shoes since 2003 and selling shoes since 2006, and we are proud to stand up and call ourselves a premium footwear brand.We are fortunate that we can combine powerful sales with a game-changing athlete. What Curry is doing now is amazing and what he could continue to do is amazing."
Muhammad Ali"s widow spoke eloquently of her husband"s strength of character and the inspiration his life might be to others.
"Muhammad may have challenged his government, but he never ran from it, or from America. He loved this country and he understood the hard choices that are borne of freedom. I think he saw a nation"s soul measured by the soul of its people."
2. Rasheda Ali-Walsh
Ali-Walsh smiled, and made her family smile, with an endearing tribute to her father. Just as he shook up the world in life, she said, he"s still shaking it up in death.
"Daddy"s looking at us now, right? And saying, "I told you I was the greatest!" No one compares to you, Daddy."
3. Billy Crystal
Comedian and longtime friend Billy Crystal said the first time he met the Champ was in 1974, when he was just getting started as a stand-up comedian and was asked to perform at an event honoring Ali. After finishing his routine, Ali gave him a nickname he"d keep for the rest of his life: "Little brother."
4. President Bill Clinton
The final speaker at the memorial service, Clinton remembered Ali"s humor, intelligence, natural gifts and determination "to write his own life story." He also drew big applause recalling Ali"s lighting of the Olympic torch in Atlanta in 1996, "seeing his hands shake and his legs shake and knowing, by G*d, he was going to make those last few steps, no matter what it took -- the flame would be lit, the fight would be won, his spirit would be affirmed."
5. Rabbi Michael Lerner
Among the religious leaders who spoke was Lerner, a political activist and editor of a progressive Jewish magazine. His remarks were the most political of the afternoon.
"The way to honor Muhammad Ali is to be Muhammad Ali today. That means us, everyone here and everyone listening. It"s up to us to continue that ability to speak truth to power. We must speak out, refuse to follow the path of conformity to the rules of the game in life."
6. Attallah Shabazz
The eldest daughter of Malcolm X, Attallah Shabazz came close to tears recalling the man who was the last close connection she had to her father. The two men were trusted friends, she said. And though Malcolm X was 16 years older, he still called Ali his "little brother."
7. Rev. Kevin Cosby
The Rev. Kevin Cosby, pastor at St. Stephen Church in Louisville and president of Simmons College of Kentucky, spoke about Ali"s importance in the growth of black pride in the years after Jackie Robinson, Joe Louis, Jesse Lewis and Rosa Parks. Ali took the idea of "somebody-ness to unheard-of heights," he said. "Before James Brown said, "I"m black and I"m proud," Muhammad Ali said, "I"m black and I"m pretty.""
Riley Curry gets a lift from Warriors star (and father) Steph after the May 30 win over the Thunder. A fans tweet let the family know they arent welcome in Cleveland and got the man who did the tweeting fired. less Riley Curry gets a lift from Warriors star (and father) Steph after the May 30 win over the Thunder. A fans tweet let the family know they arent welcome in Cleveland and got the man who did the ... more Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle
Dumb career moves: Insulting Riley Curry, making ethnic jokes
Among all the trolls on Twitter, its not easy to stand out but you can still manage if you make a vulgar comment about the countrys most famous 3-year-old. USA Today reported that a Cleveland Cavaliers fan lost his job over his nasty tweet about Steph Currys family, including daughter Riley. It started when Sydel Curry, Stephs sister, tweeted that the family was heading to Cleveland for the NBA Finals, then the fan got nasty. Another Twitter user alerted his employer, Holton-Wise Property Group, which tweeted that he had been fired. USA Today said the companys owner, James Wise, formally apologized to the Curry family.
Doh!
(Traditional media division)
Also in trouble although not necessarily fired (for the moment) is Emily Austen, a Fox Sports Florida reporter who covers the Tampa Bay Rays and Orlando Magic. Deadspin reported that she went on Barstool Sports Rundown and managed to make several ethnic jokes. Her employer quickly distanced itself from the broadcast, telling Deadspin that Austen is not scheduled to appear on any of the networks upcoming shows.
The Daily Briefing is compiled from San Francisco Chronicle staff and news services. See more items and links at www.sfgate.com. Twitter: techbriefing
Mohamed Ali is known for his daring investigative reports. He tells SHIRLEY GENGA about his work-life balancing act
Who is Mohammed Ali?
I am G*d fearing man. I believe in myself, if you do not believe in you who will believe in you? I do my work without expecting favours or praises, I simply do what I do because I love it. There are those who say that I have maringo or that I am arrogant; I think people misinterpret my frank nature as arrogance; with me what you see is what you get with me. If I can help I will help but if I am unable I will tell you to your face. I am not two-faced. That helps me live a very peaceful life.
As an investigative journalist you get to cover a lot of dark and gut wrenching and even hopeless stories, how do you ensure you do not carry them home?
It all started in 2008 and at first the stories I did would haunt me long after I left work. It got so bad that I would have nightmares but I had to teach myself to separate work from my personal life or it would destroy me. These days I know where to draw the line, I know what to carry home with me and what to leave at work.
Who is at home?
My wife and children. I have been married for five years. Marriage is everything, it changes your life completely, in fact its half the religion. I am very protective of my family, I believe in respecting my familys privacy, because I am the one who has chosen this life not my wife or my children I go out of my way to protect them so they can live a normal life.
How do you deal with the threats?At first we were very scared but over time you get used to it and become hardened.
And your wife, how does she take it?
Shes very supportive of what I do. She knows that its not my story that Im telling...that its the peoples story and if it can help somebody then I should go for it. But she does get discouraged. She sometimes asks me, if you are telling them the truth and they dont want to listen, why are you doing this? She gets worried as my wife and as the mother of my children. Sometimes she wants me to do something else.
What was it like to be a dad for the first time?
Holding a baby was a new thing in my life. I was scared to hold her for more than a minute. But when you have a second baby, it gets easier. You understand more about babies and their needs.
What do you think about Valentines Day?
It is a western thing and it is childish. It is not African. Love is 24/7. Every day. Love has no specific date.
DETROIT Gordie Howe, the rough-and-tumble Canadian farm boy whose boundless blend of talent and toughness made him the NHLs quintessential star during a career that lasted into his 50s, died Friday. The man forever known as Mr. Hockey was 88.
Mr Hockey left peacefully, beautifully, and w no regrets, Murray Howe said in a text to The Associated Press. He said his father died simply of old age, not another stroke.
We are celebrating the life of a devoted husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and a friend to all, the family in a statement sent by the Detroit Red Wings, Howes longtime team which also confirmed that Howe died in Sylvania, Ohio, at the home of Murray Howe.
Howe shattered records, threw elbows and helped the Red Wings win four Stanley Cups, becoming an idol to Wayne Gretzky and countless others while also helping the sport attract American fans in a development key the NHLs growth. With finesse and a heavy dose of grit, the Hockey Hall of Famer set NHL records with 801 goals and 1,850 points mostly with the Red Wings that held up until Gretzky came along.
The Great One himself left no doubt what he thought of Howe.
Unfortunately we lost the greatest hockey player ever today, but more importantly the nicest man I have ever met, Gretzky tweeted.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman lauded the incomparable Howe as a remarkable athlete with incredible longevity.
In this Nov. 14, 2013, file photo, hockey great Gordie Howe acknowledges a standing ovation from the crowd as he watches the Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks play during an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia. Gordie Howe, the hockey great who set scoring records that stood for decades, has died. He was 88.
Gordies commitment to winning was matched only by his commitment to his teammates, to his friends, to the Red Wings, to the city of Detroit and above all to his family, Bettman said. Sending our thoughts and prayers to the Howe family and to the millions of hockey fans who like me loved Gordie Howe. RIP Mr. Hockey.
Howe suffered a stroke in late October 2014 while at his daughters home in Lubbock, Texas, losing some function on the right side of his body. He suffered another stroke a short time later and family members said chronic back pain, advanced stages of dementia and high blood pressure were taking a toll. The body Howe relied on as an athlete stayed relatively strong, but memory loss became a problem that family members noticed before the death of their mother, Colleen, in 2009.
A year before his death, Murray Howe said, his father was comfortable and happy after having another round of stem cell therapy in Mexico. Howe participated in a clinical trial, which the family credited with helping him walk and do some of things he enjoyed, including making people laugh. The previous year before starting stem cell therapy, Howe told his family he wanted to die.
Mr. Hockey was a giant of the game and no list of the NHLs greatest players has him anywhere but near the top alongside players like Bobby Orr, Maurice Richard, Mario Lemieux, Guy Lafleur, Bobby Hull and Gretzky. Like few others, Howes impact on the game stretched over decades.
Howe was also so famously fierce that a Gordie Howe Hat Trick became synonymous with the combination of having a goal, an assist and a fight in one game.
Besides the four Cups, the talented right winger won six Hart Trophies as NHL MVP and six Art Ross Trophies as the leagues top scorer. Howe began playing for the Red Wings in 1946, leading them to seven straight first-place finishes in the regular season. He was a part of what was known as The Production Line with fellow future Hall of Famers Ted Lindsay and Sid Abel during his 25-year run with the franchise.
When Gordie came into the NHL, hockey was a Canadian game. He converted it into a North American game, former NHL President Clarence Campbell said when Howe retired the first time in 1971 because he was playing with arthritis in his left wrist and for a last-place team.
Howes wife orchestrated a plan to get Mr. Hockey back on the ice two years later. She helped him live his dream of playing professional hockey with sons Mark and Marty in the World Hockey Association. And at age 45, Howe still had it. He scored 31 goals and had 69 assists, was named MVP of the NHLs rival league and led the Aeros to the 1973 WHA title a run that was the focus of a movie: Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story.
Howe had 41 points for the Hartford Whalers during the 1979-80 season in what was his 26th and final year in the NHL.
FILe In this Nov. 1, 2000, file photo, hockey legend Gordie Howe speaks to the media before the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fames 27th Annual Enshrinement Dinner at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. Gordie Howe, the hockey great who set scoring records that stood for decades, has died. He was 88. Son Murray Howe confirmed the death Friday, June 10, 2016, texting to The Associated Press: Mr Hockey left peacefully, beautifully, and w no regrets. (AP Photo/Dawn Villella, File)
When Howe finally retired for good from the NHL, he was 52 and Gretzky was a rookie. With a single shift with the Detroit Vipers in the International Hockey League in 1997, Howe played professionally in a sixth decade at the age of 69.
He referred to his play as poetry in slow motion late in his career, a far cry from his score-and-smash style in his 20s, 30s and early 40s.
Howe handled his business with his elbows and fists almost as often as he did with wrist and slap shots. He ranked among the NHL leaders in penalty minutes three times, spending 100-plus minutes in the penalty box during those seasons. When he resumed playing as a parent with sons on the same sheet of ice, opponents often found out not to mess with his boys.
If I can skate, Ill get even, Howe once said.
Howe needed more than 400 stitches to close cuts, lost several teeth, broke ribs and his nose. He had a serious head injury in 1950 that led to emergency surgery to relieve pressure on his brain. Despite the blood and broken bones, he didnt miss many games during his NHL-record, 1,767-game career and played in all 80 during his final season.
Youve got to love what youre doing, Howe once said. If you love it, you can overcome any handicap or the soreness or all the aches and pains, and continue to play for a long, long time.
Mark Howe said his father was the toughest, meanest guy Ive ever seen on a pair of skates, and thats why he was able to play for decades.
No one in their right mind ever wanted to tangle with him, Lindsay has said. Gordie had a lethal pair of elbows, was strong as a moose and knew every angle.
Gordon Howe was born March 31, 1928, in tiny Floral, Saskatchewan, and raised nearby on the Canadian prairie in Saskatoon. His father was a laborer and Howe pitched in early, growing strong with the work. Mark Howe said his dad was born in a barn and the family scuffled along through the Depression.
Someone was going door to door, selling bags of stuff for $1 and in one of those bags, dad got his first pair of skates, he said.
Howe left as a teenager to pursue a hockey career. Howe made his NHL debut for the Red Wings when he was 18. In Howes second season, he was an All-Star for the first of a record 23 times.
Finally, I saved enough to buy my mom and dad a brand new home with running water, he once recalled. I think thats the biggest thing I ever achieved. Thats what I wanted, and I saved my money to buy it.
Howe was 6-foot and 205 pounds during his career, bigger than most players. His ability to skate, shoot and pass made him a threat every time he had the puck. No one, according to Hall of Fame coach Scotty Bowman, could match Howes style of play.
Howe surpassed Richards NHL record of 544 goals in 1963. After the turn of the century, Howe, his sense of humor in full gear, would walk around Joe Louis Arena in Detroit carrying a teacup poodle named Rocket. Howe ranked among the top five in scoring for 20 straight seasons.
Gretzky would later break his records for goals, points, MVP trophies and scoring titles while wearing No. 99 in a tribute to Howe, who wore No. 9 during a lower-scoring era of the game. He finished his career in 1999 with 894 goals.
I thought I had something they would never touch, Howe said. But I knew when they started scoring 80 goals in a season I was in trouble.
Mark Messier reached 1,887 points in 2004 during his 25th NHL season and pushed Howe from second to third in the record books.
I havent celebrated coming in second too many times in my life, Messier said then. But Ill tell you, because of what Gordie has done, for us mere mortals who have played this game, being No. 2 is not so bad.
Red Wings general manager Ken Holland called Howe one of the greatest players, if not the greatest, in NHL history.
As a human being, he was incredible, Holland added. He loved to be around people and to make them laugh. He was an incredible ambassador for the sport.
Howe, without a doubt, was most proud of his family. He raved about Colleen, whom he married in 1953. They became personal and professional partners as the woman known as Mrs. Hockey championed the game for children and later became her husbands agent.
She died in March 2009 at age 76 after battling Picks disease, a rare form of dementia similar to Alzheimers. Their children, Murray, Mark, Marty and Cathy, each took turns having him sleep at their houses for weeks or months at a time after their mother died. Playing with his sons, though, was what Howe said he was most proud of from his career.
The fact that I had an opportunity to skate five years with them, Howe told the AP in 2011, I think thats every fathers dream.
Obsèques de Mohamed Ali : Erdogan, vexé, plie bagage
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People love their horror, as recently evidenced by Netflix revealing that the most devoured content on their streaming service is mostly horror properties. People just can"t get enough of getting the heebie-jeebies and that pattern continues this weekend. The Conjuring 2 is finally out in theaters this weekend, and with all the nightmares it gives to its audience also comes a lot of money. It"s still early in the weekend, but early tracking shows that the horror sequel is currently the number one movie of the weekend with $33-$37 million domestically.
These numbers come from the Hollywood Reporter, who write that though estimates vary, The Conjuring 2 has brought in around $37 million so far. It"s estimated that it made $3.4 million on Thursday night, surpassing the $3.3 million made by The Conjuring in 2013. The Conjuring 2 had a budget of $40 million, so it seems pretty likely that it will surpass that number with some extra by the end of the weekend. Similarly, the first Conjuring debuted with $41.8 million domestically on its first weekend. Directed by James Wan and starring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, The Conjuring 2 is shaping up to be a hit for the summer.
It"s harder to say the same for its competition. Warcraft also debuted this weekend, with its total varying anywhere from $25-$35 million. Those numbers are probably unsatisfying to Legendary and Universal, who made the film with a budget of $160 million. The film took home $3.1 million on Thursday night previews. Don"t call the film a flop yet, though. While it so far hasn"t found a strong audience domestically, the film is doing pretty well overseas. It made a record-breaking $92 million in China on Wednesday and Thursday before breaking the $100 million gap on Friday. It"s also estimated to make $75 million in other foreign markets. While the film hasn"t been doing well critically, looks the Duncan Jones-directed fantasy will live on to fight another day.
Finally, the other big film to come out this weekend was another sequel, Now You See Me 2. The magic caper has so far made a total of $24-$26 million for the weekend, having made $8-$9 million on Friday. That puts it closer in league to Warcraft, but the weekend is still young. The first Now You See Me made $351.7 globally, so a similar number might be expected for the sequel. A third film is supposedly already in development, so everyone seems pretty confident for this one. Now You See Me 2 is directed by Jon M. Chu and stars Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Lizzy Caplan, Dave Franco, Mark Ruffalo, and Daniel Radcliffe
No big winners yet, but I would have to put my money on The Conjuring 2. It"s the most favorably reviewed movie of the weekend and a lot of people loved the first one. Who do you think will take home the gold for the weekend and which movie are you planning to see? Sound off in the comments below and check back with CinemaBlend to find out who wins the weekend.
