.@UABasketball welcomes Harlem native, first round draft pick & @OrlandoMagic center, @therealMoBamba
Source: Mo Bamba Joins UA Basketball Roster
I know it seems that UA adding another big man to the roster after Joel Embiid feels redundant. I also know that these additions prior to the upcoming conference call for Q3 feel like they are meant to give the brand something positive to discuss in what could be a difficult report with the layoffs and discussions on transitions at the executive level. Under Armour feels like its in a transitional period. A period that leaves very little room for error and should be a moment where the brand is pushing the message that they are healthy.
This signing feels good. What do I mean by that? Signature shoes aren’t selling in basketball as well as they once did. That doesn’t mean that signature shoes and basketball aren’t important… especially to a brand like Under Armour. adidas and Nike were there at the beginning of sneaker culture. This gives those brands a history that allows the creation of lifestyle oriented footwear based on moments that are attached to the history of culture and of sport in the U.S. In other words the retro trend and the shift of performance footwear into casual footwear is a natural thing for Nike, adidas and older brands. That simply isn’t the case for Under Armour.
Bamba, Embiid, and Dennis Smith provide a combination of talent on the roster of UA that has the potential to lift the boat of basketball and connect to an entirely new generation. If I’m on the UA Basketball board I go out and sign Liz Cambage to a multi-year sneaker deal for an equal amount of money to the men. Why? Because I would build an entire campaign around those four players. Embiid, Bamba and Cambage are not your typical bigs. Bamba has shades of Shaq and elements of Embiid in his game. Cambage after seven years still plays with the energy of a rookie, but with the skill of a legend in the making. Bamba is from the home of basketball in the U.S., Harlem and with Dennis Smith as the PG, the addition of Curry as the captain of UA Basketball gives the brand a campaign with the ability to show an international flavor and a connection across a diverse spectrum.
Signing Mo Bamba is a good thing. He may not give UA another signature player, but I’ve been waiting for a campaign like adidas’ Brotherhood for a while and no one is doing this in a modern way and there is a serious opportunity there.
Note: Whatever it takes to sign Cambage should be done. She is a strong voice for the discrepancy in pay between WNBA and other sports leagues. An Under Armour contract would keep her in the W and allow UA to take the lead as a voice in women’s sports. If Cambage decides that she doesn’t stay in the W, UA still has her taking a basketball deal in China where she can become a spokesperson there.
[ebayfeedsforwordpress feed=”http://rest.ebay.com/epn/v1/find/item.rss?keyword=Under+Armour+HOVR&categoryId1=11450&sortOrder=BestMatch&programid=1&campaignid=5337944803&toolid=10039&customid=uahover&listingType1=All&feedType=rss&lgeo=1″ items=”8″]