When you think of NBA players, it’s hard not to associate them with men’s fashion and athleisure wear. Go into any men’s shoe store that sells sneakers and you’re bound to run into a shoe and/or clothing collaboration designed by an NBA all-star.
It all started in 1984, when Michael Jordan signed with Nike to release the original Air Jordan. Reluctant to sign on at first, this deal ended up selling $70 million in its first 2 months in 1985 – cementing Jordan as NBA royalty. Over 30 years later, Jordan’s brand rakes in $2.5 billion annually for Nike, so it’s no wonder NBA collaborations are sought after.
Here is a list of current NBA x Nike collaborations available online and in-stores:
As fashion trends leans into “athleisure” wear, Nike continues to sign on new players to collaborate to keep sales up. Currently, the two most popular collaborations are LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. In 2015, Nike locked LeBron in for a lifetime deal worth up to $1 billion. Meanwhile, Irving’s “Kyrie 3” debuted as the top-selling performance shoe on the market in early 2017.
Do you have a pair of Jordans or Kyrie’s reserved for your streetstyle? I do. I have a few too many actually. I keep them separate from my actual ball playing pairs.