When it comes to basketball, the words of Mars Blackman continue to resonate decades later: “It’s gotta be the shoes.”
Yes, basketball sneakers have become a massive industry, with some of the top players in the NBA having their own shoe lines and even (in some cases) their own entire brands such as Air Jordan or Curry Brand. Because basketball shoes are such big business, competition is incredibly steep. So how does a new entrant into the space differentiate themselves from what’s come before?