Sneaker releases and NBA All-Star Weekend have long gone hand-in-hand. But when it comes to footwear, the allure of the event has waned in recent years — whether it’s changes in trends, host cities that weren’t advantageous for activations or COVID disruptions.
However, that appears to be changing.
NBA All-Star Weekend 2025 has descended upon San Francisco, the home of the Golden State Warriors, and brands and retailers alike have pulled out all stops.
For instance, Foot Locker is hosting a multibrand activation from Feb. 13-16 at 150 Powell St., a two-story experience that will include sneaker drops, NBA player appearances, interactive games and prizes, product customization and more. Also, New Balance revealed its two-shoe “A Different Bounce” collaboration with Bricks & Wood at an exclusive pop-up, located at 166 Maiden Lane.
“We are finally getting back to large scale activations that we used to see pre-COVID,” content creator and host Tamara Dhia told FN. “Jordan Brand has really steamrolled, in the best way, the marketing space over the past few months with their incredible ‘Banned’ campaign, which celebrates 40 years of the Jordan 1. All-Star weekend is just starting and they already have a drone show in San Francisco highlighting the brand and the sneaker release. I think other brands are following suit and turning up the volume on their own releases.”
Jamiersen Green, who also is a host within the industry, added, “It’s in a major city again, with a very popular NBA team in the Warriors and a new stadium recently built. And warmer weather makes this weekend more desirable than weekends in the past. Also the infrastructure of the city, there’s much more real estate to build out activations, experiences and special events. With the smaller cities, businesses close earlier, restaurants, city traffic that can’t handle the influx of people. I remember being stuck in Indianapolis traffic for 30 minutes to go 1.2 miles. It was crazy.”
The Release Race
In terms of sneaker releases, brands are bringing the heat, whether its retros of undeniable classics (Nike Air Foamposite One “Galaxy,” Air Jordan 12 “Flu Game”) or newcomers that are shaking up the game (Anta Kai 1 Speed “Bag Work”). What’s more, in a literal sense, Nike tapped into the event with the Kobe 6 Protro “All-Star 2.0” release, as well as a Dunk Low and an Air Force 1 Low celebrating the beloved “We Believe” Golden State Warriors, which had a historic 2006–07 season.
The renewed buzz around basketball silhouettes has ramped up, albeit slowly, in recent years. Though retro runners are still in favor, basketball shoes — mostly signature looks from the sport’s younger stars — have become a part of people’s rotations.
For instance, performance basketball shoes started to heat up on StockX in 2023, with shoppers seeking out several signature shoes from the game’s rising stars (Anthony Edwards’ Adidas AE 1, LaMelo Ball’s Puma MB.02, Ja Morant’s Nike Ja 1) as well as the first look from an NBA veteran (Devin Booker’s Nike Book 1) and another from an undeniable icon (LeBron James’ Nike LeBron 20).
And in 2024, Anta — led by Kyrie Irving’s shoe, the Kai 1 — was the year’s fastest-growing sneaker brand on StockX, with 1,901 percent year-over-year trade growth.
“Basketball shoes aren’t just meant for function anymore, they are fashion,” said Dhia, naming the AE 1 and Irving’s work with Anta as examples. “These athletes are more than just basketball players, they are tastemakers.”
Green noted, “Fashion, style, sneakers and culture all move in a cycle, and it’s time for basketball shoes to come back into the forefront of fashion. It helps that companies have been designing with a more on-off court perspective in recent years. I think they found that performance footwear leaning too far performance in design aesthetic alienated people who are fans of the game but may not play.”
He further stated that looks including the Adidas AE 1, the Nike Book 1 and the Adidas Harden 9 are now being worn with “everyday ‘fits,” which reminds him of the era when Nike released the LeBron 9 “South Beach” and the KD 4 “Nerf.”
The Bigger Business Picture
Spurwink River advisor Matt Powell, however, isn’t sold on this year’s All-Star Weekend efforts.
“The performance basketball business, up until the last 18 or 24 months, has been negative since 2015,” said Powell, who is also a senior advisor at BCE Consulting. “This is a Hail Mary pass [from brands and retailers]. Let’s go out and really over invest to try to get this back.”
The insider also isn’t confident that basketball shoes will return to the forefront any time soon.
“In dollars and cents terms, the performance basketball shoe business — while it’s in better shape than it has been in a decade — it’s still a relatively small business, and it’s mostly around scholastic sports as opposed to streetwear,” Powell explained. “That’s where basketball lost all of its allure over the last 10 years, and it has not gained it back yet. You’re speaking to a much smaller audience than you were 10 years ago.”
He continued, “Durant and LeBron are long in the tooth, and Curry is not getting the excitement around merchandise sales that he once was. The inflection point could be that some of these new guys are going to bring in energy to the business — but that remains to be seen. The AE 1 was his first shoe, and that always gets some attention. But it was Yeezy-like, I think that was intentional. Other younger players, Zion Williamson as an example, the guy has never done anything in terms of merchandise sales. Ja Morant has been OK, but he has not lit it up. It’s complicated. It’s not as simple as you get a compelling young guy and he brings big business. Those days are are behind us.”
About the Author
Peter Verry is the Senior News and Features Editor for Athletic and Outdoor at Footwear News. He oversees coverage of the two fast-paced and ultracompetitive markets, which includes conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders and writing stories on sneakers and outdoor shoes. He is a lifelong sneaker addict (and shares his newest purchases via @peterverry on Instagram) and spends most of his free time on a trail. He holds an M.A. in journalism from Hofstra University and can be reached at peter.verry@footwearnews.com.
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