In this discussion, Mike Sykes, a sports journalist with a focus on the intersection of sports and fashion, and Lei Takanashi, a correspondent covering sneaker trends, delve into the revival of basketball sneakers. They explore the shift from functional designs to fashion statements, driven by new player personalities like Anthony Edwards. The conversation highlights how recent innovations and a growing spotlight on female athletes, alongside nostalgic interest in retro styles, are reshaping the sneaker culture and market dynamics.
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insights INSIGHT
Function Over Fashion Hurts Appeal
Basketball sneakers lost momentum when their design became overly functional and uniform in aesthetics.
This sameness led sneakerheads to prefer nostalgic retro models over contemporary performance shoes.
insights INSIGHT
New Stars Revive Sneaker Culture
New basketball stars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander bring fresh style and cultural influence to sneaker culture.
Their on-screen charisma and fashion sense elevate basketball sneakers beyond just performance gear.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Anthony Edwards' Signature Swagger
Anthony Edwards embodies the bravado and provocativeness that heightens excitement for signature sneakers.
His outspoken personality challenges peers, adding cultural weight to his shoe line's appeal.
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Performance basketball shoes have long been embedded in fashion culture, from the iconic Air Jordans of the 1990s to the stylised sneakers worn in NBA tunnel walks. But over the last decade, interest in basketball shoes waned as sneakerheads turned to minimalist silhouettes, running shoes and fashion collabs.
Now, a new wave of signature athletes, innovative design from emerging and legacy brands and growing energy around the WNBA are bringing basketball sneakers back into the fashion spotlight.
In this episode of The Debrief, BoF correspondents Lei Takanashi and Mike Sykes join hosts Sheena Butler-Young and Brian Baskin to unpack what's changed, what's still missing and what the future might hold.
Key Insights:
Basketball sneakers lost momentum with consumers when design became too functional and aesthetics too uniform. "All the styles just seemed kind of homogenous... There wasn't much difference there," said Sykes. "If you're not going to give us anything that looks different or anything that's unique, then people are going to go back and look into the past." This lack of innovation pushed sneakerheads toward nostalgic retro styles rather than new performance models.
New stars like Anthony Edwards and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are reigniting interest in signature sneakers, not just through performance but personal style and personality. "He's got the bravado. He's like everything that you want from a signature athlete," said Mike of Edwards. "A lot of these new players... they have this grip on the culture," added Lei, referring to how their on-screen charisma and tunnel fits are helping bring basketball sneakers back to relevance.
The women’s game has long been rich in style and creativity — a fact the market is only now starting to catch up to. "Just seeing the creativity and the colour that has always been around the women's game when it comes to the sneakers that they've worn," said Mike. "It just makes it all the more disappointing... if we saw what we see today maybe five or 10 years ago, then the market right now would be completely different."
In the past decade, attention shifted away from professional athletes and toward celebrity collaborators like Kanye West and Travis Scott. That dynamic is beginning to change. "From a brand perspective, the athletes just weren't the interesting players in the field," said Mike. "And so now I think the brands are circling back around and recentering athletes in a way that I think we haven't quite seen in a long time."
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