NBA Finals Pit Under Armour's Curry Against Nike's LeBron

Steph Curry led his Golden State Warriors to a 104-89 victory of LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday to take Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Meanwhile, investors and traders are likely looking at the finals from a business perspective as many basketball fans will likely purchase gear and apparel that represents the winner of the series.

In other words, the final pits Under Armour Inc UA poster boy Curry against Nike Inc NKE James.

Related Link: Chart: Look At How Much The Jordan Brand Dominates The Basketball Business

Fortune, citing data from Slice Intelligence, has an interesting breakdown of the Under Armour versus Nike match-up taking place in stores.

• James' sneaker sales exceeded those of Curry's in the first three months of the year, but as playoff season approached, Curry's shoes outsold LeBron's in April and May.
• Nike's Air Jordan brand is still king of basketball shoes and commanded a 75 percent share of all purchases.
• Kobe Bryant's shoes ranked second with a 14 percent share, followed by James at 6 percent and Curry at 5 percent.
• California is the top market for sales of both Curry and James' shoes, following Florida.
• Under Armour's CEO Kevin Plank said earlier this year that Curry's MVP season brought "unprecedented attention to our overall footwear business."

Fortune's Take

Fortune concluded that while Nike's basketball related business is booming, and will continue doing so, Under Armour is in a unique position with Curry.

"The ties with Curry, especially if he becomes the next Jordan, could also put a halo over the entire Under Armour brand, benefiting the broader apparel and running footwear businesses," the publication concluded.