Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown is no longer a sneaker-free agent. However, instead of signing with one of the top brands in the shoe business, the 3rd overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft decided to create his own performance brand called 741 and launch his own signature shoe dubbed Rover .
JB's move turned heads in the NBA circles as it reminded everyone about LaVar Ball's unsuccessful Big Baller Brand experiment. But according to Celtics Hall of Famer and 2008 NBA champion Kevin Garnett , Jaylen's move was a stroke of brilliance.
"I think it's genius," said Garnett. "No one has attempted to even try what he's doing. The Baller boys was not on this level, that's what I'm saying. Salute to the Ball brothers, they did their thing. Salute, real sh**. But to have an All-Star, a champion, at the Apex of his career, we've never seen someone do this."
Not the same as the Big Baller Brand
Unlike BBB which debuted with an unproven rookie in Lonzo Ball, 741 is built around a three-time NBA All-Star who just won Finals MVP while winning his first NBA championship. Brown endorsed Adidas from his rookie year to 2021 but has been a sneaker-free agent since then.
For the past two years, JB has worn Nike shoes despite not being affiliated with the Beaverton brand. Late last year, however, he covered the Swoosh logo from the models he wore after Nike cut former teammate Kyrie Irving from its roster following a controversy. When Brown wasn't named to the U.S. Olympic team to Paris, he called out Nike . Now, he is officially one of the competitors of the Swoosh Brand.
"And at a time where I think everybody in this room would look at Skechers and kind of giggle, they're the number one brand now," added KG. "So what we all know for shoes to be and you know what we love them, it's all starting to move now. Nike is not the brand it used to be. You see Adidas making the apex, you see Puma in the conversation, China got three or four brands that's over there. I'm saying he's throwing it there."
Nike is still king
There is no doubt that Nike is still king in the basketball shoe market. Last season, 65.0% of NBA players wore shoes with the Swoosh logo. Adidas is a distant second, at a mere 10.6%, while Nike's subsidiary Jordan Brand is third, with 8.5%.
But unlike a decade ago when the players were just wearing shoes made by Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour , new players have turned to other brands such as New Balance, Puma, Anta, Li-Ning, Converse, 361 Degrees, Rigorer, and Skechers who have acquired a very small piece of the pie. But even if the percentages are less than 1%, it's still worth hundreds of millions of dollars, considering the market is worth $2.65 billion in 2023. If you add up their percentages, it's still a big hit for Nike.
According to a March 2024 report from Reuters via SBJ , analysts and investors are wondering if Nike made a tactical mistake by 'increasingly leaning on its iconic basketball shoes to boost sales' because it 'bleeds market shares to new brands'. Jaylen Brown's 741 is the latest of those new brands. And with Brown recently winning ECF and NBA Finals MVP, it could eat up a small piece of Nike's pie too.
Related: "You don't think Bron is swelling?" - Kevin Garnett questions "does Kawhi Leonard want to play" after recent load management reports
Local News
