If you are a lover and player of the basketball game, when you have the right basketball shoes on your feet, your overall game performance gets to improve. That’s why choosing the right shoe is important.
You must pick the one gives you ease of movement and comfort and is also light and supportive of your game plan and drip.
However, basketball shoes are perceived as luxury items because of how pricey they are, but that comes with the territory.
The basketball shoe market itself currently has high growth prospects and there have been forecasts that major market competitors and sellers like Nike, Adidas, AG, Peak Sports Products, will all observe strong market growth by 2025.
These leading market brands are increasingly focusing on innovation lacing technology, material innovation, among other things.
The demand has also shot up as the sports culture among millennials has fueled online sales of sports goods.
There are also other varied factors that currently support the spate of popularity and basketball sneakers to buy.
Recently, the basketball world, and really the whole world, lost Kobe Bryant. Shortly after, Nike announced that his Nike shoe sold out.
Nike has also made an announcement that a new iteration of the Kobe 5 is expected to hit sneaker stores in March and that will most likely be sold out, too.
It is hard to review cost where such invested emotion in idols and icons of the game push commercial sales. We will be discussing soon reasons why these sneakers are not inexpensive.
Another instance is the newly released Nike’s new self-lacing basketball shoes which went on few days ago at $400 price tag. This was more than the cost of the shoe which went for as high as $350 last year.
This is not even comparable to the first HyperAdapt that goes for $720. That came up about eight months after market introduction of the HyperAdapt 1.0.
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It was pitched as the consumer version of Nike’s 2016 Mag. It was a popular model that was inspired by the movie Back to the Future Part II.
This isn’t just about Nike, even the priciest basketball shoe can sometimes sell for $240 at some retailers.
That may be over the top and not capture the average cost whose estimates will be shared soon. Thanks to eBay guide.
But why do basketball shoes cost so much? There are some easy suspectable factors.
Why Do Basketball Shoes Cost So Much?
1. Endorsements By Athletes
The high cost of Nike and Adidas shoes, for example, is attributive to the endorsement deals that these companies sign with top athletes or players of the game.
Endorsements sometimes go as high as $13 million – $18million a year or more. The brands are already set up to milk that to the fullest.
2. Commercials & Promotions
Commercials on TV, game time, product placement, and many more as an attraction.
Shoe companies promote their products with high-quality commercials on every traditional and social media platform, and those don’t come cheap.
Think of the cost of paying ad agencies, air-time for ads, viewer-targeted campaigns on social media platforms.
All the minutes bought comes at a great cost. These are part of the realities factored into fixing the price of these shoes.
Ultimately, the average viewer who pay premium services get to part with their money through other means.
3. Program Sponsorship & Donations
Program sponsorship and donations that many shoe making brands provide for programs of collegiate basketball, professional basketball teams, and other plans, accentuate the overhead cost for these organizations.
While the sponsorship cost of an individual may not be so significant, it is not so for sponsorship of dozens of teams.
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4. Tight Supplies
Sometimes, suppliers create an artificial scarcity of these shoes by hoarding new arrivals while demand for them continues to stack up. This, in turn, makes consumers willing to pay even more to acquire those limited edition kicks.
It’s simply exploiting the law of demand and supply to their advantage. By limiting the volume of a basketball shoe, they are able to shoot up big sales for that product.
5. To Make Huge Profit
Profitability which is a basic motivation and driving force for every business is not out of the margin of focus, too.
That said, the least expensive basketball shoe can go for $25 to $75 per pair.
The challenge, though, is that these shoes don’t provide the maximum support you need for your foot and ankle.
In contrast, for the highly cushioned and supportive basketball shoes, you might have to pay about $75 to $300 or more per pair.
Below is a helpful guide from eBay.com guide, but price range changes with time. Although the basketball shoes can range from as low as $20 to more than $300.
| Basketball Shoe | Price Range |
| Adidas Crazyquick | $35 to $75 |
| Adizero | $80 to $120 |
| APL Basketball Shoe | $115 to $180 |
| Dwight Howard Sneakers | $35 to $110 |
| Air Jordan Basketball Shoe | $80 to $200+ |
| Hyperfuse | $45 to $100 |
| KB8 Shoes | $50 to $150 |
| Lebron Soldier 8 | $80 to $140 |
| Nike KD5 | $50 to $100 |
| New Balance 851 | $60 |
| Reebok Zigtech | $40 to $90 |
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Conclusion
Summarily, make sure that your consideration or motivation to get a basketball shoe is not about the price tag as much as the features of the shoes features and what it offers you as a player or wearer.
If it is, you might end up with shoes that won’t serve you or that cause you great comfort. And for what? Because you wanted to save a couple bucks? Not worth it in our opinion.
For example, synthetic materials in a basketball shoe provides it with the highest level of stability and support.
It allows you to have the freedom you need to play your game at a high level. This is important for court use.
Contrast this with manufacturers who also use canvas and leather when making their shoes. These materials end up being less pricey than the brands with better features, but they offer very little stability and are better worn off the basketball court.
Other considerations should be the outsole. Is it wide and flat? Does its rubber — or synthetic rubber — textured pattern give you a nice level of balance, especially when you are jumping or making sudden movements which the game requires?
You also have to decide your fit; whether low-top, mid-top or high-top. The overall concern should be that your basketball shoe gives you maximum amount of ankle support without much restriction to movement and flexibility you might need.
If they are worth it, it is okay to splurge a little bit. It is better to spend big on that Air Jordan, Nike Air, Nike Zoom, LeBron Soldier, and be sure you are getting your money’s worth, than getting cheap, low-quality shoes that won’t last.
