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All sales numbers from SportsOneSource (@mattSOS)
Basketball sneakers are big business. Everyone knows that. But exactly how big? How about $300 million in retail sales for one player? Yup, that's pretty big. We break down the numbers for you in By The Numbers: What Basketball Sneakers Were Worth For Signature Athletes in 2012. Sorry, no Starbury sales figures were available.
9. John Wall
Brand: Reebok
2012 Sales: $5 million
It'll be interesting how John Wall's midseason jump to adidas affects his 2013 numbers. It would help if the Wizards actually made the playoffs.
8. Dwight Howard
Brand: adidas
2012 Sales: $5 million
To be fair, Dwight Howard selling $5 million worth of shoes seems like a lot.
7. Derrick Rose
Brand: adidas
2012 Sales: $25 million
Given that adidas only has a five percent market share in basketball, period (compared to 56 percent for Jordan and 37 percent for Nike), and that Derrick Rose spent half of 2012 in a suit, $25 million is pretty serious.
6. Kevin Durant
Brand: Nike
2012 Sales: $35 million
Hey wait, we thought Kevin Durant always finished second?
5. Carmelo Anthony
Brand: Jordan
2012 Sales: $40 million
Two reasons Carmelo Anthony is ranked this high: Jordan and New York. He wasn't moving units this heavy when he was in Denver.
4. Kobe Bryant
Brand: Nike
2012 Sales: $50 million
There are two ways you can look at Kobe's spot here. One, you could say that he's getting smoked by LeBron. Which is true. But you can also say that, even at 34, he's still ahead of Kevin Durant. We're pretty sure Kobe would take the negative.
3. LeBron James
Brand: Nike
2012 Sales: $300 million
Seeing that he's not even 30 years old yet, LeBron coming in third isn't bad. His contract may be large, but it appears that he's well worth it.
2. Chuck Taylor
Brand: Converse
2012 Sales: $450 million
Considering how cheap Chucks are, that's a lot of pairs. It's been 30-odd years since anyone wore them in the NBA (word to Tree Rollins), but they're still basketball shoes.
1. Michael Jordan
Brand: Jordan
2012 Sales: $2 billion
Sure, this is kind of cheating since it includes the signature shoes of other players. But Jordan made enough last year to buy all the other shoes listed here and STILL have a billion dollars left over. Powerful.
