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Does it seem like the Nike Kobe Protro line dominates the performance basketball market? Want some numbers and stats to back it up? Thanks to kixstats.com, they’ve aggregated the numbers and have broken down the most popular performance basketball sneakers in the league by multiple categories.
Nike Basketball dominates the league, with 9 of the 10 most popular sneakers being a Nike or Jordan Brand sneaker, with the sole Adidas sneaker being the Dame 7. 3 different Kobe Protro models are in the top 10 as well as Giannis’ signature Zoom Freak making the list twice with the Zoom Freak 1 and 2.
As far as non-Nike sneakers, the Puma Clyde All-Pro cracks the Top 10 in minutes played, points, rebounds, and steals, and J.Cole’s Puma RS-Dreamer making an appearance in the Top 10 in blocks. Under Armour cracks the Top 10 in the most popular sneakers worn by guards with the Curry 8.
Like any advanced statistic, cumulative numbers don’t always tell the story though. Steph Curry won the scoring title this year, averaging 32 points per game, but the Curry 8 doesn’t make an appearance in the points scored category.
According to NPD Group, in 2018, Nike has a 73.5% market share of the performance basketball market, and Jordan Brand added in another 7.8%. That’s not good news for competing brands, but competition breeds innovation, so with brands like Puma and New Balance getting back into making performance basketball shoes, we’ll see a more varied list in the years to come. In addition, with the news of the Kobe Bryant estate deciding to part ways with Nike, the footwear choice by the league will look drastically different next year.
Check out the infographics below and for more information go to kixstats.com
