George joins the elite ranks of Nike Basketball signature athletes with the release of his debut shoe, the PG1.
Source: PG1 Reflects Paul George’s Versatility on Both Sides of the Court
Most sites are focused on the fact that Paul George has a signature shoe. On ARCH we have to look at this for exactly what it is: Nike is leveraging its athlete sponsorships to directly offset the growth of Adidas and Under Armour. Instead of only looking at what the PG1 looks like, let’s look at a few other things.
The Kyrie Signature line was meant to offset the Under Armour Curry line. Consider the Pricepoint and the fact that while Under Armour has increased the price of the Curry line from it’s original 120-130 dollar release up to 140, Nike has taken the Kyrie, increased the tech with Flywire and Zoom Air yet they left the price point at 120.00.
Advantage Nike Basketball
The Adidas Harden Volume 1 was a shift from signature branded team shoes for Adidas. Harden is currently in the running for MVP, but his shoes are not increasing numbers for the three stripes. Paul George is not the first thought for MVP right now, but his numbers and the way he is playing makes him a candidate. George has been wearing signature branded versions of Nike’s team shoes just like Harden. With Adidas beating Nike with their retro and running silhouettes, Nike’s answer couldn’t be a retired Kobe or Durant. They had to look to their athletes and PG has the looks that have garnered him a number of television commercials and endorsements. He also fits the bill as a star on the rise with a great story. His traumatic injury and his comeback, his being taken after a lot of guys in the draft who he has surpassed is the classic Nike narrative and is parallel to James Harden. Nike creates his signature shoe and they make his shoe more affordable than Kyrie’s. The PG1 comes in at 110.00. Thirty dollars less than the Harden and it has classic elements of the off court style that made the KD 4 one of the best Nike Basketball releases in the last ten years.
When you look at the bells and whistles on the PG shoe (lacelock, midfoot strap, Flywire, Zoom Air in the forefoot) all at 110 make Boost in the Harden almost insignificant. Especially when you recall what happened with the KD 4. You can find the Weatherman KD going for 800 dollars today. This strap isn’t similar, but it allows for the forefoot of the shoe to be broken up and will make for some interesting colorways as the shoe line moves forward. The inner sock liner also hints at the the running shoe shape that is on trend right now. Did I say 110.00 dollars?
Advantage Nike Basketball
Although that 2K17 picture is creepy as shit, a first release at 110, with all of these bells and whistles, right before Black History Month and All Star Next month where Nike typically goes all in on Nike Basketball releases isn’t a surprise at all.
I get that this could be a basic shoe release post, but for Nike this release symbolizes their emphasis on improving basketball and I seriously think that dropping a signature that looks this good at a price that comes in under the price of an NMD, Lillard, Harden, and Rose is a shot across the bow of Adidas. I mean KD and Curry have literally wiped out Under Armour’s Curry growth and although basketball is down as a category, two signatures from Nike at 110 and 120 will do a lot towards changing the market… again. Use the source link to read about how few Nike athletes have earned their own signature shoes.