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Twitter Conversations: Are There Too Many Basketball Signature Shoes?

Twitter Conversations: Are There Too Many Basketball Signature Shoes?

Too Many Signature Sneakers

The landscape of signature basketball shoes is well populated, with stars like KD, LeBron, Kobe, Melo, CP3, Rose, Wall, Howard, and Wade making up most of the exclusive club. Throw in the names that aren’t technically signature guys but well-recognized brand ambassadors (Westbrook, Griffin, Curry, Lillard, Parsons, Garnett, Harden), the soon-t0-become signature guys (Kyrie, Paul George), and the mass influx of Retros (Shaq, Kemp, Penny, Barkley, Hill, Ewing), and you might feel its a bit…crowded. What makes it appear even tighter is the fact that brands have put on the brakes on non-signature models as well.

There’s no denying that star power is a huge influencer in sneaker purchasing. Jordan Brand only exists because of Nike’s vision for Michael Jordan, and the same goes for why a guy like Penny Hardaway is even relevant today. Even the bidding war for KD proves that signature athletes are all the more necessary. For today’s Sneaker News Twitter Conversation, we asked our readers if there are just too many signature shoes out there, how it affects their purchasing behavior, and more. Check out some of the key responses that we gathered below, and be sure to participate in our next Twitter Conversation next week.

To participate in our next installment of Twitter Conversations, make sure to follow @SneakerNews.

 

No, the diversity is great and the players deserve it.

The resounding response to our question was “no”. The athletes listed above is only a small percentage of the NBA, and they happen to represent a wide range of brands. The basketball industry consists of several labels doing what they can to chip away at the market dominated by Nike and Jordan, and that only means a larger selection for the consumer.

No, because despite the wide range, Nike’s big three is by far the most relevant.

Nike, specifically, dominates performance basketball, so while brands like adidas, Under Armour, Li-Ning and others come through with their offerings, the Big Three of Kobe, LeBron, and KD will always dominate.

No, because non-signature performance models still get the attention they deserve.

Even if there are a lot of signature performance shoes, other flagship models get plenty of love. The Hyperdunk has always been considered a top performer for true basketball fanatics, as is the Crazy Light series, which just released the Boost version.

Not necessarily a yes or a no, but some believe that the push in sig shoes is an attempt to make a big profit.

Some readers understand why brands are going extra hard with signature athletes, because the added name will mean added value and brand presence. However, there are extra costs in reeling in these superstars – just look at how much Nike had to pony up to KD in their stable.

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