Nike's Monopoly On Basketball Sneakers

That check mark aka Nike is a sneaker giant that seems to get bigger and bigger with each passing year. With a roster full of the NBA's biggest names its hard not to be the biggest brand in basketball today. Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, James Harden and Stephen Curry all are apart of Nike's basketball brand which means a lot because those guys I just mentioned are a bunch of peoples favorite players. Nike has a monopoly in the Basketball sneaker market with a 58% share of the Jordan brand and 91% of sales in the basketball sneaker market.

I want you to think about everywhere you go in your own personal daily lives now sit back and think about how many times a day you see someone on the street with Nike or Jordan basketball shoes on. Its a lot right? Well a lot goes into that and it starts with the roster of players they have. Nike along with the Jordan brand has sneaker contracts to pretty much everybody in basketball Carmelo, Lebron, Kobe, Chris Paul you name it they got it. Now the roster they own looks like an all-star game program and the fact that Nike owns half of Jordan makes it incredibly hard for anybody to compete with them in the market. They make great sneakers (for the most part), great players endorse their product so whats not to love. Jordan brand can drop the same sneaker 4 times and jack up the price 40$ and people will still buy them. Like I said I love a lot of their sneakers but I’m a person who loves variety and people need to realize that the power is in the consumers hands.

This past season the Jordan 28's came out and many Jordan sneaker heads began to say things like “Jordan's are falling off” or “Jordan hasn't made a good basketball sneaker since he left the league” but those same people will go out and buy 300$ and camp out for them. Personally the sneaker game like the competitiveness I see players in the NBA lack these days has fallen off. Everybody wants to join someone rather than be apart of something they themselves can build while blazing their own trail. Once people realize that the product of Jordan brand will not improve until they stop buying the same retro sneakers that have been re released on multiple occasions then nothing will change.

From a marketing standpoint Nike has always been ahead of its time from the “Bo Knows” campaign to the “We Are All Witness” campaign for Lebron. This year is no different they have so many things they can do from a marketing stand point such as Lebron's continued greatness, Kobe's return,Kyrie Irving's “Uncle Drew” commercials among many other things. I once heard someone say “ Company's like Nike as far as advertising goes don't offer much when it comes to marketing basketball-the game, its all just fluff and a way for them to get you to worship the next great player”. I heard that and it hit home with me Nike is a great brand but they don't sell the game of basketball as much as they are a false reality and for you to bow down to the Basketball's biggest names.

So we have established the Nike has its hands firmly on the sneaker community and the market at large so what can other company’s such as Reebok, Adidas and Under Armour do? I think its a combination of what they are currently doing and haven't done yet. For example Under Armour is up and coming they have a solid roster of nice young players such as Kemba Walker, Brandon Jennings and Deandre Jordan, they need to build upon that solid roster of players and for what they don't have in terms of star players make up for in quality basketball performance shoes. The thing I like about Under Armour from a Marketing standpoint is that they aren't selling you a dream but rather selling you commitment. The “Are You From Here” campaign featuring some of the brands athletes I thought was awesome because it felt authentic as the players spoke about their humble beginnings in the commercial. 

More so then what they do in any kind of commercial is what they do on basketball courts nationwide building relationships with fans through things like the Elite 24 basketball game which features the best high school basketball players in country. They take the guys who endorse the product and send them on tours playing basketball games in the same communities they grew up in while giving back. “We just trying to show our face in communities man, we hood guys”. As the brand continues to build upon its young roster so will 0.4% stronghold in the sneaker market.

Adidas is a lot like Nike as far as resources and marketing goes but they haven't had the on court player success which is why the brand has fell back in terms of percentage in the market they are at only about 5% sales in the market. The recent release of the “Quick Ain't Fair” shoe was a success because the commercial featuring John wall, Jrue Holiday and Damain Lillard and Rapper A$ap Rocky garnered them lots of attention and really left an impression on people. I have a pair of the shoes I use for basketball and its defiantly one of the best basketball sneakers from a performance stand point I have had ever. For Adidas its all about improving the roster to compete with Nike.

Another factor is if Derrick Rose can successfully come back from his injury and re establish himself as the best player in the NBA if that happens and he can lead the Bulls to a championship then the opportunities for increases revenue in a market like Chicago are endless for Adidas. Last season despite playing any games for the Bulls Rose made 25 Million$ for Adidas with no on court presence so imagine how much that will increase if he comes back and has a season like he did in 2011.

Reebok is surviving and thriving right now based strictly on retro releases such as the signature Allen Iverson “Questions” and Shaquille O'Neal's “Shaq Attacks” among others. They have no players on their roster to market because earlier in the year they would no longer be focusing their efforts on basketball performance sneakers and focus on retros. The last person who had a Reebok performance basketball shoe was John Wall and his sales only collected 5 Million$ which is equivalent to Dwight Howard. The brand has such a tremendous history that it can survive strictly off of retro releases but don't expect them to compete with Nike.

Another thing you have to factor in is Lebron James and the Success of his Lebron 10. Along with his on court success he past it at retailers selling 300 Million $ worth of shoes this past season which led the league. If you are into ratio's that’s 6-1 for the next closet shoe. The sales of this years signature shoe was 50% increase from 2011 and its the most overpriced basketball shoe in the world usually averaging about 270$ per pair. As long as he is winning championships expect Nikes stronghold on the market to strengthen.

So the opposing company’s have a long way to go in terms of competing with Nike/ Jordan Brand but one thing that could seriously help those company’s like Under Armour or Adidas would be landing the next big thing as far as sneakers go in basketball which would be Andrew Wiggins. He is Canadian,there is a serious buzz to his name and people love watching him play . So not only do people love watching him play but and he has crossover appeal to him. Sonny Vaccaro who is in the sneaker industry says that Wiggins may have 3 company's bidding on him to endorse product as well as commanding Lebron James money. Landing a guy like him could elevate under Armour and Adidas.

Lots of things in Nikes favor but all giants must fall at some point and it may be awhile before Nike ever does but lets remember that Nike didn't always have a stronghold on the basketball sneaker market. Lets also remind ourselves of great and innovative sneakers were when there was no monopoly.

A Reflection On The Career Of Allen Iverson

The last few days have been rough for me as a basketball fan. Its always a hard day when the guy you grew up wanting to be just like on a basketball court retires but that day has finally came for me. Sources are reporting that the 11 time all-star and 4 time scoring champion Allen Iverson will finally retire from the game of basketball after all of these years. Some people love him and some people hate him but AI is one of the greatest point guards to ever step on the hardwood and the proof is in the pudding on and off the court.

A New Era

Allen Iverson was different but he brought in a whole new culture to basketball as the NBA was preparing for the Post-Jordan era. The Doo-rags, Tattoos and fitted caps where all authentic to who Allen was as a person he was himself and never changed that throughout the course of his entire career. This sometimes benefited him and hurt him but he was always entreating  in the process. The Hip-Hop era in the NBA was really brought to the forefront when Allen Iverson was a marquee player in the league. His influence was and is still huge to this day.

As the NBA was preparing for the post-MJ era it was looking for a new face of the league and although it had Kobe Bryant the real hero or the guy who many people that come from a background of low income and poverty could relate to was Allen Iverson. He brought the hood to the hardwood and was proud of who he was that's why in that era of  hip-hop culture Allen Iverson Sixers jerseys were popular because of who he was as a person and the kind of player he was on the court. Iverson's jersey along with his Reebok "The Questions" Sneaker were wildly successful and still are to this day. Recently Reebok has re released the popular shoe and it has seen a great response from the sneaker world and shoe lovers worldwide. Iverson is To Reebok what Jordan is to the Air Jordan brand.

Little Big Man

Allen Iverson is listed generously at 6 feet tall and 165 pounds and is the greatest undersized guard of all-time along with Isiah Thomas. I once heard someone say the following about AI "Take Michael Jordan's greatest moves and speed them up and you have Allen Iverson". Allen Iverson played the game fearlessly and it demands respect. Taking on guys who are a foot taller and 100 pounds heavier then him Iverson played the game his way and that was with no fear and if need be at the rim. This attitude allowed him to score 24,369 points with a 26.7 scoring average on his career. Iverson made big baskets and made a living putting the Sixers on his back.

We all know Iverson is one of the greatest performers ever but very few people know that he is 2nd all-time in playoff scoring average in the history of the NBA only behind Michael Jordan averaging 29.7 points per game. He put Philly on his back in the most important games.Iverson played with heart and would make bigger guys look like they shouldn't be on the same floor. Like take for example in a playoff series against the Toronto Raptors and the much bigger more athletic Vince Carter in 2001. Iverson had 2 games of 50+ points with his 54 points in game 2 and 52 points in game 5. Allen was little no doubt about that but he was also something else- The MVP of the league.

The Problems

A.I's career comes with a lot of glory but a lot of problems as well, many of them self-inflicted. Allen was never a "pure point guard" but many basketball purists knocked him for that over the years calling him selfish and not a team player. There was the infamous "Practice" press conference in which he looked like a complete buffoon and totally selfish. Allen had his fans but equally had his detractors.

Then there was his relationship with head coach Larry Brown. For many years they couldn't see eye to eye because Allen hated practice. When they finally found some common ground they helped turn the Sixers into a playoff team and eventually reached the finals in 2001 with an eventual loss to the Shaq & Kobe Lakers. Some say had Allen not been so hard headed that his career would have looked better but Allen was Allen and he wasn't changing for nobody.

The Decline

Allen Iverson's scoring average was 26.7 points per game in the regular season. The end of his career kept that number from being higher with his stops in Denver, Detroit and Memphis. Seeing Allen anywhere but Philly was weird and all the seasons he had averaging less then 20 points hurt his average but he just didn't fit in on any of those teams.

It was sad to see how no NBA franchise in the latter part of Iverson's career wanted to give him a shot. Some of that is due in part to AI's ego not wanting to come off the bench and declined numerous offers in China and D-League where he could have proven himself to NBA GM's. No matter how you spin it the end of his career is just sad, you never want to see a guy of his stature go out that way.

The Legacy

Allen Iverson's career left much to be desired in terms of his championship success. He never captured an NBA title and its a down right travesty but nobody will ever say that he didn't deserve it. Iverson is a 1st ballot hall of famer whether you like him or not its not even a question. The only Point guard that is better then him at his size is maybe Isiah Thomas but besides that A.I is the best undersized point guard to ever play the game of basketball.

Tru School Of Kicks: Reebok Scrimmages (New Orleans Saints)

Earlier in the year Reebok re released the retro “Scrimmage” sneaker from 1992 in several color ways of NFL teams such as the Falcons,Cowboys and Dolphins. They had a good response from those so they decided to release these one in the New Orleans Saints colorway. Being a huge Carolina Panther fan its hard to say that I like these but I do black and gold are solid colors to pair up regular shirts with and not to hard to match.

Reebok did another excellent job with these NOLA edition of the scrim’s.

I like how the brown gum bottom towards the bottom of the shoe really completes that classic look. I wonder if any Saints players will rock these on field this season. They are now available now online

Converse Needs To Bring Back Retro Larry Johnson Sneakers

In the very long line of great 1990's sneaker commercials the Converse“Grandmama” ads for then Charlotte Hornets star forward rank near the very top right next to the “Lil Penny” ads for Nike and all those great Air Jordan commercials. With the retro movement being very alive in the sneaker world I think this is the perfect time for Converse to re release the Larry Johnson sneakers to the public.

With Brands like Jordan, Nike and Reebok all flooding the market with retro releases I think there is still a void to be filled as far as variety goes. It's been a very long time since Converse made a huge impact in the shoe game. With no athletes to produce new sneakers for and market to the public Converse has had to rely on its history to sell its product. The Brand can get away with that because the sneaker has such a foothold among fashion in American culture that it will continue to sell at a high level because Chuck Taylor's are simply timeless. It's been a long time though since Converse had any sneaker that people see ads for or rush to store go buy since probably the Wades back in the mid 2000's when Wade 1^st broke in the league. Re Releasing classics by LJ such as the “React” or “Aero Jams” would bring more variety to local sneaker stores and it would provide a chance for people like myself who love the Aero Jams but never had the chance to buy them a chance to get themselves a pair. The move can't do nothing but help the Converse brand.

The Biggest reason that this move is perfect to make at this time is that the Charlotte Hornets name is coming back to Charlotte next NBA season and we all know how many popular sneakers used teal&purple over the last few years. Just check out some of the best Hornet colored sneakers we have had over the last few years.

Lebron 10 Hornets

Retro Air Jordan Grape 5's

Adidas Crazy Quick Teal/Purple

Those are 3 examples right there of sneakers in the shoe game that made a huge impact and with the name coming back to the NBA dropping arguably the greatest sneaker of that team's era just makes perfect sense. So Converse call LJ or his people and make it happen for the sneaker heads worldwide. 

Tru School Of Kicks: Reebok Kamikaze "Remember The Alamo"

The Reebok retro movement has brought back a great line up of classic footwear back into the hands of sneaker heads everywhere and has connected generations. With the retro sneakers being back people in the shoe game experiment using different silhouettes in colorways that were never thought of. The Reebok Kamikaze 2 inspired by Seattle Supersonics star Shawn Kemp was used as the basis for Packer Shoes to use a colorway so crazy that sneaker heads worldwide wouldn't know what to do with themselves. Enter the “Remember The Alamo” and the gaudy colorway that comes with it and you have a pretty classic sneaker on your hands.

The sneaker features a grey/silver/white base with orange/pink/blue accents inspired by the old colors of the San Antonio Spurs in the 1990's. The shoe will be released August 2^nd exclusively threw Packer shoes, you can follow them on Twitter @packershoes. All in all I'm looking forward to the response from the world of sneaker lovers. I'm pretty sure ina few months I'll see these in my neck of the woods on someones foot here in South Florida@PackerShoes

Tru School Of Kicks: Reebok Big Hurt

The Reebok Brand has recently began a retro movement releasing sterling pieces of retro footwear such as the Reebok Pumps, Scrimmages,Allen Iverson questions, Shaq Attacks, Shaqnosis. Now they add the “BigHurts” which are slated for a 2014 release. The Big Hurts were cross training shoes worn by Chicago White Sox great Frank Thomas who’s nickname if your good at guessing was.....”The Big Hurt”. The shoe comes in two colorways the white ones you see at the top and the Black ones also pictured at the top on Frank Thomas's feet. The Reebok brand is doing a fantastic job at paying homage to the greatness of the brands pass. Next year these are most certainly on my wish list. It's going to be interesting for me to see which players currently in Major League Baseball wear these in the games. Check out the old school Reebok Big Hurt commercial down low.

Video Blog: Reebok Pump Omni Lite Sneaker Review (Dee Brown)

On a recent run to the mall I went shoe shopping and made one of my sneakerhead dreams come true. I picked up the Reebok Pumps Omni lites made famous by Dee Brown of the Boston Celtics who won the slam dunk contest in 1991. In this video I just basically review and give you my take on the sneaker........They are the definition of the word "Classic"

Video Blog:My Sneaker Collection (Jordan, Reebok, Nike Addidas, Converse)

Decided to take a break from talking about sports and show you guys my sneaker collection,enjoy the vid!

Tru School Of Kicks: Reebok Scrimmage's

It’s been a bit of the delay when it comes to this post but It’s time for the Monthly segment of  “Tru School Of Kicks”.  This month features another pair in the long line of Retro Reebok's being re released. For the Month of April the sneaker I am featuring today are the Retro Reebok Scrimmages.

Made Famous by Dallas Cowboy Star running back Emmit Smith in 1992  The Reebok Scrimmage’s  were a training shoe which he used to dominate on the field in his prime playing for the Cowboys. The Classic Kicks were just released several days ago April 12^th. They were distributed in 3 team color ways  (Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins. The shoes are on sale for 100$.

All in all I think it’s a pretty dope shoe and a must buy if you are a sneaker head and are into Retro shoes. Reebok Retro’s aren’t like Nike’s or Jordan’s its actually special when they release them, you aren’t going to see them 4 or 5 times like you do with the J’s. So if you the type of person that just likes to be different and have a change of pace as far as what you’re wearing then theses are a must buy, not to mention they are really  nice looking sneakers.