The Curry 10 is the third shoe to feature Under Armour’s Flow technology and continues what has worked so far.
Colorway: Iron Sharpens Iron
Weight: 12.5oz
Release Date: October 21, 2022
Price: $160
I’ll get right to it: The Curry 10 is my personal favorite shoe this year.
This is Steph’s third signature shoe with his namesake brand (if you’re confused: he’s Under Armour’s Michael Jordan). The Curry 10 looks a lot like the Curry 9, but they’ve been fine-tuned to be the best offering from Curry Brand so far and a near-perfect shoe for guards.
The Flow tooling is my favorite aspect of the Curry 10. In case you’re unaware, Flow is the foam used as both the midsole and outsole on the Curry 10, just as it was on the Curry 8 and 9. Under Armour has tweaked the pattern (and maybe the compound itself?) for the 10, and this stuff is awesome.
Traction
The traction is incredibly grippy – enough to trip over your own feet if your footwork isn’t on point.
On clean courts, traction is GOAT level. On dusty courts, normally, a foam outsole would have you sliding around like you’re on an ice rink, but the Curry 10 handled dust with relative ease as well. One of the courts I play on is old, poorly finished, and dusty, and it really puts traction to the test – and somewhat surprisingly, the Flow held up great. I never found myself slipping, and while I had to occasionally wipe the dust off the soles, I was confident in my movements and cuts the whole time. The lack of rubber also means you’re shedding a decent amount of weight from the shoe, and you can tell because the Curry 10 feels extremely light on-court.
The biggest downside for the shoe as a whole is the outsole’s durability. The Flow is already starting to fray after a few weeks of indoor play because, you know, it’s foam. It hasn’t affected performance at all, but I’m interested to see how long it takes for that to happen. What I know for sure is this: keep these indoors. You’ll rip the sole apart very quickly if you play in these on an outdoor surface.
Cushion
Flow is also the source of cushion on the Curry 10, and it’s a smooth, well-balanced setup that works extremely well for guards. There’s a good amount of court feel, and the fact that there isn’t an extra layer of rubber on the bottom of the shoe certainly helps. Flow isn’t plush, but it’s a nice middle-ground foam that’s comfortable underfoot while still being stable and responsive. Impact protection is also solid – after wearing these for 2 or 3 hours at a time, I feel better than I would in other shoes with low-profile foam setups. If you’re looking for more impact protection, you may want to look at something like the LeBron 20 or KD 15, but for a shoe this stable and low to the ground, I loved the cushion setup overall.
Materials
The upper is mostly comprised of a material called WARP. This stuff was used on the Curry 9, and it seems like they’ve fine-tuned it a bit to strengthen the areas that need it most. There’s some reinforcement up by the toe area, and the weave is a bit tighter in the areas where you need a little more containment. Under Armour describes WARP as “like tiny seat belts.” So basically, it’s a cross-sectioned textile that’s stronger than it looks while remaining flexible and requiring zero break-in time.
The materials feel really comfortable on foot – there is a half-bootie connected to the tongue that helps with the comfort and adds an additional layer inside the shoe. The materials do allow for some airflow as well, especially above the toe box, so that’s a plus. The tongue relieves lace pressure and keeps things comfortable – nothing to complain about there.
Fit
I got my true size, and that’s what I would recommend if you have a normal to narrow-width foot. If you’re a wide footer, you’ll probably want to go up a half size. These are a little snug, but it’s a good snug, providing a really solid 1:1 fit. Straight out of the box, the Curry 10 provides excellent containment throughout the entire shoe. You sit within the midsole a little bit in the midfoot area but nowhere else. In the toe box, there’s just enough room to keep things from feeling cramped. As a whole, the shoe feels like an extension of your foot, and the fit is a big reason for that.
Support
Support begins with the fit, but it’s also where you see an upgrade from the 9. You have an external heel counter that keeps you locked in, and there’s an internal heel counter on the medial side as well, so your heel isn’t shifting side to side or up and down. The lacing system is simple but effective. There’s an internal TPU shank plate that extends up to the forefoot, so you have a lot of stability while remaining flexible enough in the forefoot for the shoe to feel as nimble as Steph himself. The shoe’s base is wide enough to give you a stable foundation, but don’t expect any Kobe-esque outriggers.
As I mentioned before, the Curry 10 truly feels like an extension of your foot, which is probably the highest praise I can give to a basketball shoe. It doesn’t have over-the-top support, but it’s giving you exactly what you need, where you need it, to ensure you’re covered, no matter what movements you’re making.
Curry 10 Overall
As a lighter guard myself, the Curry 10 is exactly what I want in a basketball shoe – light and stable, with great traction and fit, and smooth cushion that isn’t too firm and provides adequate impact protection.
*Chef’s kiss*
These aren’t built for outdoor courts, so take note if that’s primarily where you play. If you’re a bigger player who wants something a little beefier, there are likely better options out there for you as well. But most players will love these, and the $160 retail price actually feels like a great value compared to the 200-plus you have to shell out for shoes like the LeBron 20 and Way of Wade 10.
I’ll say it again: the Curry 10 feels like an extension of the foot, and it’s my favorite shoe of 2022. This is the shoe that Curry Brand has been working towards, and it’ll be interesting to see where they go from here after three years of incremental changes.