adidas’ legacy in basketball has never quite reached its potential. The brand leaned towards big men in the 70s and 80s with Kareem and Patrick Ewing. T-Mac’s Hall of Fame career doesn’t resonate. The Three Stripes only has a championship resume in Candace Parker and their squadron of signature athletes Harden, Trae Young, and Dame have slow sales. Anthony Edwards feels different. He’s one of the athletes who can change the game with athleticism. He’s explosive like Derrick Rose and his edge makes him perfectly suited for being a signature athlete from the 90s.
Video Breakdown:
- 0:00 Intro
- 0:33 adidas’ legacy in Basketball
- 4:30 Hoops shoes no longer casual
- 8:16 The AE 1 is a Better Design
- 9:37 Beyond Design
- 10:33 adidas Signature Sales
- 12:00 Anthony Edwards is special
Source: Anthony Edwards Unveils First Signature Shoe with adidas Basketball
adidas’ legacy in basketball has never quite reached its potential. The brand leaned towards big men in the 70s and 80s with Kareem and Patrick Ewing, but Kareem was a cerebral, thoughtful athlete making him a difficult brand partner even with his massive success. Ewing left the brand to create his own sneaker company.
This led to a revolving door of athletes and grassroots movements with the most high-profile moment being Kobe Bryant who left for the Swoosh. Through decades of NCAA Championships with Kansas and Indiana, adidas Basketball should be synonymous with winning. Unfortunately, the one step short legacy haunts the brand.
T-Mac’s Hall of Fame career doesn’t resonate. Basketball is a Brotherhood was an incredible moment but didn’t land although Tim Duncan left Nike for adidas and won championships. Then there was the Icarus rise and fall of D-Rose. In Rose adidas had everything all in one. He was dynamic and on the cusp of creating a Michael Jordan-esque career with the Bulls… but injuries.
Since then, the Three Stripes only has a championship resume in Candace Parker and their squadron of signature athletes Harden, Trae Young, and Dame are all caught in the shift of sneaker culture away from hoops shoes as casual. Anthony Edwards feels different. He’s one of the athletes who can change the game with athleticism. He’s explosive like Derrick Rose and his edge makes him perfectly suited for being a signature athlete from the 90s.
And adidas has done everything right in rolling out his kicks.
- On-trend rapper – check (Lil Baby and Edwards hail from the same hometown)
- Dope vehicle – check (The Urus painted in the same color was fly at the announcement)
- Excellent Design – check (The AE1 would have transitioned to the court like Iverson’s Question if this were the 90s)
This isn’t the 90s. In a recent report on Nike Basketball after analyzing data I found that hoops shoes, signature basketball models are no longer a part of sneaker culture and don’t really resonate with sneakerheads who buy multiple pairs of kicks a year. Basketball sneakers are seasonal. Spikes in sales happen at three critical moments of the year:
- Fall prior to the high school and college basketball season
- Winter prior to playoffs and around the holidays
- Spring as players begin to gear up for travel basketball season
- Summer during the viewing period for basketball
I also found that parents of young kids and teens, capable of attending NBA games (a demographic which needs to be discussed), will purchase their favorite player’s shoes and jersey. The time when a basketball sneaker was the only option is over and placing them on a shelf at a mainstream retailer is a difficult prospect for sales.
Beyond Design
The AE1 is dope. It’s more than capable of crossing over into casual wear which is something none of adidas’ recent signature shoes have done. The AE1 sneaker arrives at a time when sneaker sales are sluggish for Jordan Retro models.
When Retros are readily available along with an abundance of promotional items on shelves, it makes it difficult to sell anything that isn’t limited release. This is reflected in adidas’ signatures (using 3rd party data over the year from September 2022-23) struggling to sell through at SRP.
Harden:
- $72.66 Avg sold price
- 7,552 Total sold
- $548,728.32 Total item sales
Trae:
- $85.36 Avg sold price
- 1,477 Total sold
- $126,076.72 Total item sales
Dame:
- $67.33 Avg sold price
- 5,280 Total sold
- $355,502.40 Total item sales
Rose:
- $63.68 Avg sold price
- 2,878 Total sold
- $183,271.04 Total item sales
It’s not all doom and gloom. There has been a shift in interest around basketball. YouTubers are building careers on playing pick-up games. Basketball, which had taken a backseat to video games, is now becoming a digital media sports viewership model. People of all ages watch highlights online at an amazing clip.
Will this benefit Anthony Edwards and adidas? Possibly. AE is a highlight reel. The apparel/Chapter Collections from adidas are damn near streetwear on a Fear of God level, and the shoe looks fantastic. adidas has an opportunity to catch lightning in a bottle but they have to go beyond design and create a regional strategy for North America catering to team sales and grassroots promotion of athletes from pick-up to high school. It will be a difficult task, but maybe, just maybe the AE1 is up to the task.