Nike And Jordan Brand Own The Game At NBA All-Star Weekend

It’s hard not to see Nike’s fingerprints all over the rock. As the NBA has grown massively over the years, the Swoosh has earned its part of the spotlight thanks to several endeavors in partnership with the league and the widely popular signature footwear for the NBA’s most valuable star assets. There’s no question that Nike’s participation has had a profound effect on the growing success of the NBA, while the hard facts say that 96% of ballers and fans wear Nike/Jordan, proving that the Swoosh and the Jumpman are very much an integral source of life in the basketball ecosystem.
 
 
During the past weekend in Charlotte where the NBA All-Star Game was hosted, Nike and Jordan provided an up close look at their latest innovations and cultural connections to hoops. The city’s locals and the game’s most devoted fans were treated with an impressive schedule of events completely free to the public, all while offering their latest developments in footwear such as the self-lacing Adapt BB and some collaborations with the most respected shops of the region.

If you didn’t visit the Owners HQ in Charlotte, then you don’t like NBA basketball. Nike and Jordan teamed up for The Owners HQ in Charlotte, NC, setting up shop at the massive The Mint Museum for a full throttle takeover of the space. From Thursday through All-Star Sunday, consumers were welcomed with an epic display of All-Star jerseys, a half-court with fully digitized screens, the Nike Adapt BB trialing center, a customization center, and much more. This location was a one-stop immersion into basketball, done in Nike/Jordan style.

Twenty-four of the NBA’s best players arrived in Charlotte to engage with the locals. The Owners HQ was the epicenter for many of the appearances, which included LeBron James being interviewed by Skye Katz and Giannis Antetokounmpo battling it out on NBA2K. There were other locations where fans got to meet their hoops idols, such as the House of Hoops Courtside pop-up right outside the stadium and at Social Status.

Off the main drag, Nike and Jordan collaborated with local retailer Social Status to open some more events to the community. James Whitner, founder of the shop and the first recipient of the Air Jordan 4 “Wings”, opened the rear communal area of his shop for design workshops with The Shoe Surgeon, free haircuts for youths, and more. The House of DNA served as a storytelling hub for Nike’s key basketball innovations, a shrine to the Air Jordan VI, and even the SNKRS Pass pick-up location for the Air Jordan 6 collaboration. Fun fact: the house itself served as a temporary retail location while Social Status was going through renovations some time ago.

The crossover connection with hoops and skate was a strong plot-line throughout Nike’s efforts in Charlotte. Local skate-shop Black Sheep collaborated with the brand on an SB Dunk High release that nodded to the great Michael Jordan while adding some signature touches relevant to the city. The release drew massive lines to the point where local police forced the shop to employ a wristband release system to avoid any chaos. When it was all said and done, Black Sheep’s collaborative Dunk, their third overall, was one of the best sneaker drops of the entire weekend.

As a celebration for the local sneaker drops at Social Status and Black Sheep as well as the launch of the ROKIT x Kyrie 5, Nike opened up the Block Party at the corner of Central and Thomas. A massive jumbotron projected the gaming hub where event-goers hit the sticks on some NBA Live, while a full skate ramp with Black Sheep’s crew added to the energetic noise.