The shoe game is ridiculous. I love me some kicks, but the price some people pay for their kicks is bananas…especially sneakerheads! Forbes recently released sales numbers for U.S. retail sales in 2012 and the numbers are crazy. Can you guess who took the number one spot? No one even came close to touching him! Check it out…
Via Forbes.com:
Nike generated $300 million in U.S. retail sales in 2012 for James’ signature shoe, LeBron X, according to research firm SportsOneSource. Nike’s haul represents a 50% increase from sales of James’ kicks in 2011. “The first thing is the aesthetics. The shoes look great and his star stature continues to rise,” says SportsOneSource analyst Matt Powell. “The media attention on him helps him sell more footwear.”
The second best-selling active NBA pitchman is Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. His Kobe 8 signature shoes sold $50 million at U.S. stores last year. Bryant has been part of the Nike family since 2003. The 15-time All-Star was an Adidas athlete for the first six years of his career. Bryant’s shoe sales in the U.S. were down in 2012, but he is the NBA’s biggest star in China and his Nike sneakers sell briskly in Asia.
Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks ranks third with U.S. retail sales of $40 million for his Jordan Melo M9. Anthony is part of the Jordan Brand roster, which also includes Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook.
(Read HERE for more of the breakdown)
U.S. Retail Basketball Shoe Sales
LeBron James (Nike): $300 million
Kobe Bryant (Nike): $50 million
Carmelo Anthony (Jordan): $40 million
Kevin Durant (Nike): $35 million
Derrick Rose (Adidas): $25 million
John Wall (Reebok): $5 million
Dwight Howard (Adidas): $5 million
Source: SportsOneSource
