It's no secret that LeBron James and Kevin Durant have the basketball sneaker market on lock, but according to one of the biggest retailers, the tide is already beginning to turn.
During an impressive third quarter earnings report, Foot Locker said that customers are more excited about signature sneakers from the likes of Steph Curry and Kyrie Irving than they are LeBrons and KDs, reports Wall Street Journal.
According to Foot Locker CEO Dick Johnson, customers have been vocal about their desire for more innovation and fairer prices from the LeBron and KD signature lines, which has in turn led them to buy more Under Armour Curry and Nike Kyrie sneakers. It's not just the lower price points that are attracting buyers, either, as analysts point to Curry and Irving's youthful, flashier on-court styles as a big cause for the shift.
"These shoes are less about collectors and the sneakerheads and more about the real fans and players," Neil Schwartz of SportsOneSource said.
Meanwhile, NPD Group's Matt Powell argues that the recent surge is due in large part to the fact that Curry and Irving are fresh names, adding that it's "certainly possible for Curry and Irving to sell at high levels, but it will take time."
Either way, it should be very interesting to see how this plays out over the next few years.
