Adidas reached a major milestone, finally surpassing Nike’s Jordan brand to become the world’s second most sought-after sneaker brand. Nike continues to hold its number one spot.
Matt Powell, NPD Group sports industry analyst, tweeted the news earlier this week, stating ‘This is an achievement I never thought I would see in my lifetime.”
Adidas has overtaken Jordan as the #2 brand in U.S. sport footwear. This is an achievement I never thought I would see in my lifetime.
— Matt Powell (@NPDMattPowell) September 18, 2017
However, Powell does not believe all of Adidas’ success can be attributed to the brand’s long list of celebrity endorsements and collaborators, which include the likes of Pharrell Williams, Kanye West and high-end designer Alexander Wang.
Powell spoke of falling Nike and Under Armour sales as to a reason for Adidas’ number two spot, as the two brands are among Adidas’ biggest competitors, along with Adidas’ strong performance last quarter, reaching $410 million in profit.
Powell also tweeted “Basketball clearly is not yet back, with sales down 20 percent. The decline in basketball is now entering its second year. Adidas basketball, +40 percent,” showing that Adidas is finding opportunity in a part of the sneaker industry that is otherwise failing to connect with customer’s pockets.
Basketball clearly is not yet back, with sales down 20% The decline in basketball is now entering its second year. Adidas
basketball +40%,— Matt Powell (@NPDMattPowell) September 18, 2017
Only time will tell if Adidas will outpace Nike, bringing in a new basketball champ.