Source: Dejounte Murray Joins New Balance and Inspires Us In New Commercial Spot
New Balance’s entrance back into basketball has been a slow calculated development that I’ve discussed as positive and negative. The recent addition of San Antonio Spurs PG Dejounte Murray gave me two responses again. I tend to be hot and cold on New Balance hoops. There is a reason for this and I’ve discussed it continuously with every new contract signed for basketball endorsements overall, not just with New Balance.
Performance basketball sales are down. I can’t just say this, I need to prove it. While my sales are a microcosm of the larger market, they are very closely aligned as I’ve stated that resale indicates brand heat around the sneaker industry. I’ve begun adjusting this sentiment as resale websites like StockX and GOAT are advertising so much there is a broader spectrum of customers utilizing the sites. You can still get a feel for what people are interested in when you look at the data, it’s just that there are a lot bargain deals arriving in what is typically a resale arena. Here is a list of the last 40 shoes sold from my last three days. I’d like to show you 100, but the list would be far too long:
- Air Fear of God Raid Light Bone
- New Balance M2002RHO Phantom 31cm
- N7 Pendleton (2019)
- Air Fear of God Raid Light Bone
- KD 12 Blue Glaze
- Air Fear of God Raid Light Bone
- New Balance M2002RHO Phantom 31cm Carhartt WIP Ale Brown
- New Balance M2002RHO Phantom 31cm Carhartt WIP Ale Brown
- Nike Daybreak Metallic Silver
- Air Fear of God Raid Light Bone
- Air Max 270 Liquid Metal Black
- Jordan Legacy 312 Rookie of the Year
- Air Foamposite Pro All-Star (2018)
- Air Foamposite Pro All-Star (2018)
- Air Foamposite Pro All-Star (2018)
- Jordan 11 Retro Concord (2018)
- Nike SF Air Force 1 Mid Obsidian Metallic Gold
- Jordan 1 Mid Black Olive Canvas
- Jordan 1 Mid University Gold Black
- Air Max 97 Mahogany Mink
- Nike React Element 55 Silver
- Nike React Element 55 Silver
- Jordan 1 Mid Infrared 23
- The New Balance 550 Au Lait Is Perfectly Caffeinated
- Air Foamposite One Navy Gum (GS)
- New Balance Herren Sneaker 574 US 11 blau weißes Logo gebraucht
- Air Foamposite One Navy Gum (GS)
- zapatillas de running New Balance talla 45 naranjas baratas menos de 60
- New Balance AM210 White Met Sea Salt
- New Balance M2002RHO Phantom 31cm Wheat Black
- Jordan Legacy 312 Low Bred Cement (GS)
- KD 12 Blue Glaze
- New Balance 9060 Nightwatch Green
- Nike SF Air Force One Mid White (GS)
- Nike SF Air Force One Mid White (GS)
- Jordan 9 Retro OG (2016)
- Jordan Legacy 312 Rookie of the Year
- Jordan 14 Retro Rip Hamilton (GS)
- Jordan 1 Retro Low Metallic Blue
- LeBron 16 Equality 2019 (GS)
There are 3 basketball (40,32 and 5) performance shoes in this group and barely any adidas shoes. Every shoe is a Nike Sportswear drop.
This post is to explain the good and bad in New Balance adding another player to their roster.
The Good
Murray is a rising star in the league. New Balance is increasing their roster which means that there will be more eyes on their gear. It also means that the load management schedule Kawhi is using, that takes the OMN1S off of the court, is offset a bit. It’s an issue that I mysterious in detail about Under Armour and the Curry 7. Steph’s injury left the brand without any prominent players wearing the gear.
The Bad
While my sales are extensive, over 100 pair of shoes this week alone, basketball sales for the most popular brand in Nike are slow. NB is carefully rolling out their sneakers. A limited supply equates to a sell through on most models, but it isn’t significant for the brand at all. In actuality the COVID-19 is very limited and the shoes aren’t landing where they can actually serve the overall business, on the feet of players.
No disrespect to Murray, if you aren’t a hoops head, you don’t know him. He plays in a small market in San Antonio and for a coach who has a team that plays the right way, which doesn’t inspire the digital chunks needed to resonate with kids looking to connect to an athlete.
Overall, the signing of Murray is a bonus for the brand, but it accomplishes very little. I do like that more NBs will be on the court, but viewership of the NBA is down this year. I’ve written about why and I’ve also discussed how brands can reverse this with a long-term strategy. This colorway is clean, but I have yet to hold a pair of these kicks in my hand. Which means that if I asked my business partner and prominent basketball scout who runs 901 Prep Scoop, Chuck Lawson if any teams are rocking NB, the answer would probably be “no”. For both New Balance, Puma, Q4 and Under Armour this is a major problem. Check out 901 Prep Scoop’s site below.