Post Analytics

In 2018, Nike basketball was on fire. If you walked into Footlocker, they had LeBron, KDs, Kobe’s, PGs, and Kyrie’s on the shelves. An elite lineup of signature models, and also had the hyperdunk line. In 2020, Nike unveiled the GT Cut 1, a modern shoe with great traction, court feel, and cushion. The future of Nike basketball was bright. Around post-COVID, Nike made the genius decision of taking shoes off their shelves (including footlocker) to sell directly to consumers, cutting out the middle man. The problem was this shelve space was taken up by competitors, and consumers began taking their business elsewhere, especially in the running industry. Nike then fumbled their relationship with Kyrie Irving by limiting his creative output and freedom over his line. They replaced the controversial, brand “unsafe” Kyrie Irving, and the fading Playoff P with the Guns ‘n Buns duo. They gave the 🌽 addict the worst signature line ever unveiled (did anyone ever buy a single pair?). The Ja line has been a massive success however, pairing good performance & less expensive models with fun colorways, continuing that 2010s Nike signature vibe under a very marketable athlete. Signing Tatum was a great move, but his shoe line has been rather generic and has never really caught much hype. And Luka? I forgot they even signed Luka. He has a signature model, but’s rarely marketed. It’s probably more popular with the pickleball crowd than basketball crowd. The Kobe protro line was a great move, but was iffy on execution. The performance “upgrades” have been hit and miss. And Chinese competitors are creating better Kobe-like shoes at a cheaper price. And they’re marketing their shoes through IG and TikTok. Nike threw basketball fans a bone with the LeBron 20, but went away from that successful formula. The GT Cut 2 was a flop. The tariffs have led to rising prices while the quality has regressed. Fans have voiced what they want, but Nike hasn’t listened. Their competitors have, and they’ve taken market share. Nike has had Caitlin Clark in their pipeline since 2022. They signed her to a signature shoe deal in spring 2024, but they had no plan or vision for her. When Caitlin Clark was the hottest athlete on the planet in 2024, Nike sat on their hands, and merely tossed her a few Kobe protro colorways. Generational fumble. Nike has an elite marketing team. They have money. They have designers. But they lack any sense of leadership and creative direction for the brand. They’re milking the past while competitors are taking over the present. Adidas went all in on Ant and Jeremiah Smith. New Balance snagged Flagg. Nike got Wemby, but has him playing in some sharkskin ass bricks. Not even his own shoe, and he’s in year 3 leading his team to the finals. Nike got lucky as Steph became a free agent again… but to no one’s surprise, Nike fumbled again. It might be time to pivot to pickleball, because Nike is getting shoved into a locker by everyone.