| |
 |
|
The AND1 Sensation
JordanZone.com
- Jordan Shoes, Air Jordan Shoes, Michael Jordan Shoes
Atlanta,GA (Jordan Zone) There has long been an
understanding that one day Nike would no longer
rule the NBA hardwoods, but it was always assumed
that it would be a name like Reebok or Adidas
that succeeded Air Jordan as the next king of
basketball shoes. Who would have expected that
AND1, the official shoe of streetball, would be
next? We talked with Bob Sura, who has been wearing
AND! for seven years, to find out why AND1 is
capturing the league.
When you talk about basketball shoes, usually
the first thing that comes to mind is Michael
Jordan and his patented Nike brand. The swoosh
symbol and the familiar silhouette of Jordan flying
through the air poised for a dunk are almost as
symbolic of the NBA as the Jerry West logo that
represents the league. But there is a change in
the wind, and the day may be fast approaching
when Nike is no longer the shoe that immediately
comes to mind when you talk about basketball gear.
Houston Rockets guard Bob Sura is one of the many
NBA players who have made the switch to AND1,
and have no plans of going back.
"I've been wearing AND1 for seven years and
I have a really good relationship with them,"
explains Sura. "For me it's all about comfort.
Their shoes give me a lot of support and I've
never had any foot problems while I've been wearing
them. They're definitely the most comfortable
shoe I've worn since I've been in the NBA."
That's high praise from a guy who plays big minutes
at the guard position, where quick lateral moves
and lightning speed play threaten to test the
quality of any basketball shoe.
Now the surprise. Over 20% of the NBA can now
be seen sporting AND1, which makes them the fastest
growing shoe in the league. Guys like Sura, Jason
Williams, and Marquis Daniels are establishing
an impressive presence for the AND1 brand among
the up-and-coming NBA stars. Sura offers an explanation
for why this shoe is suddenly in demand at the
highest level of basketball. "I think the
streetball players have a lot to do with it. The
success that those guys have had, the shows on
ESPN, it's helped the company and it's made AND1
the 'in' shoe."
Of course, when something becomes the "in"
thing, it's always because someone put it on the
map and got it into the spotlight. In this case
you can put the spotlight on Toronto Raptors guard
Rafer Alston, as Sura explains. "Rafer Alston,
known as 'Skip to My Lou,' really helped kids
to relate to AND1 and brought the streetball players
even more into the limelight. Hopefully it won't
hurt the fundamentals of basketball too much in
the long run that kids are practicing all of those
illegal moves. It does seem to help the international
players when they come in. They're very skilled,
fundamentally sound, while the American players
are more into the dunks and fancy dribbling. I
think we do need to get back to the fundamentals
a little bit, but the AND1 shoe is a great shoe
for whoever is playing, streetball or NBA and
everything in between."
Whether it's Bob Sura, Rafer Alston, or the 2006
Rookie of the Year, AND1 is certainly making a
splash amongst the best basketball players in
the world. "It's become very popular,"
says Sura. "Not just as a sport, but also
as a form of entertainment. They're putting out
DVD's and clothing and the kids, not so much my
generation of player, but the young kids growing
up now really see them as something special."
By Bill Ingram
Hoopsworld.com
January 12, 2005
|
|
 |
Archives
| 1
| 2
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
