Patrick Johnson 
The Cleveland Cavaliers are rolling. They’ve gone 30-4 in the Eastern Conference Playoffs over the past 3 seasons and just blew out the Toronto Raptors for the second consecutive game to take a commanding 2-0 series lead. To some, a third straight rematch between the Cavs and Warriors seems inevitable in this coming NBA Finals. The Cavs have the partnership of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving to thank for that. There’s now even more reason for the dynamic duo to be happy, as Forbes.com revealed that the All-Star teammates have the best-selling signature models in the NBA currently.
Nike has sold more of LeBron and Kyrie’s collective signature models in the United States than any other silhouette belonging to an NBA player in the past year according to NPD Group’s Matt Powell and a report by Forbes staff writer Kurt Badenhausen. Steph Curry’s ongoing Under Armour models ranked 3rd and his new teammate Kevin Durant’s Nike series ranked 4th. Trevor Edwards, Nike Brand President, stated that the Kyrie 3 has been the best-selling performance basketball model out since it debuted in December for $120 USD.
“He is the new face. It’s a product that has not been in the market, and it is getting some attention from the fashion consumer as well,” Powell said in the Forbes.com piece, but he did caution that Kyrie could be following a similar trajectory as Steph Curry did. “My gut is that we’ll see a similar situation to Curry where he’ll be hot for a while and then it will fizzle out.”
For now, Kyrie can continue to claim dominance in the sneaker department, where his highlight reel ballhandling and insane finishes at the rim have been the perfect selling point for kids to grab the Kyrie 3. Pair that with the affordability and a cosign by the almighty Swoosh, and it doesn’t look like that will change this season. There’s also the design aspect, where the Curry 3 faltered for its bulky shape that simply didn’t match just how dominant Steph has been on-court. Despite the higher ankle support meant to support Curry’s past injuries, it deterred most from purchasing a pair as Under Armour stock plummeted. Kyrie could see a difference in keeping his hot streak alive based solely on the strength of the brand that makes his signature models. Nike Basketball has been dominant in the category for quite some time, and with a Hall of Famer leading the way, Kyrie could change route and follow in LeBron’s footwear path as his game continues to grow.
Source: Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes
1. LeBron James
2. Kyrie Irving
3. Steph Curry
4. Kevin Durant
5. James Harden
