The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 412 — Varsity Blues 🏀
Nike's Cooper Flagg tweet might open up a can of worms
Good morning, friends! Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thanks so much for rocking with me today. Appreciate you giving me a bit of your time. Hope you had a great weekend.
DC traffic is stupid. This happens every year during cherry blossom season. On one hand? Can’t blame folks. Those flowers are beautiful. On the other? Please go home.
Let’s dive in.
An NIL problem
Most of you know me pretty well at this point. You know I like spicy sneaker talk between brands. So when Nike took a shot at New Balance using Cooper Flagg’s incredible performance in March Madness, I was here for it.
Yes, but… Does anyone feel this could open up a potential can of worms that no brand involved here wants a part of?
What happened: Cooper Flagg, Duke’s star player and arguably the best player in men’s college basketball, had an incredible game in a Sweet 16 matchup against Arizona.
Duke noted Flagg’s awesome game on the X account. Nike Basketball quoted it, saying, “Powered by the Swoosh.”
Nike later deleted the tweet. But screenshots live forever.
Why that matters: Flagg is a New Balance athlete. He signed a name, image and likeness (NIL) deal with the brand before the start of this season with Duke.
The background: NCAA rules require Flagg to wear Nike on the court because Nike has a sponsorship deal with Duke. The team’s sponsor supersedes any NIL deals players may sign.
Athletes can sign NIL deals with whatever brands they want. But they’re only allowed to represent those brands when they’re not publicly appearing for their teams.
In other words, Flagg can wear New Balance on his own platforms. He can wear it on his social channels, he can wear it in commercials, he can wear it when he’s outside on his own time. But when he practices and plays for Duke? Flagg must wear Nike.
What he’s saying: Flagg was asked about it before the Sweet 16 game. He called it a “tough situation,” and said he’d love to wear New Balance’s shoes during games, but respects the NCAA’s rules. (I’d honestly love to see what would happen if he didn’t! Suspend him, Duke. I dare you.)
All of that on its own is pretty messy. It got even messier when Nike Basketball sent that aforementioned tweet, which is probably why it’s deleted now.
Here’s why: The tweet put Flagg’s “tough situation” out in the open for the public. It publicly broadcast how unfair this specific rule is for NCAA athletes.
Just think about it.
Despite an athlete being signed to one brand, another brand with an overarching deal with a school can leverage that athlete to its advantage, despite not having a contract with the individual. Isn’t NIL supposed to prevent that sort of thing?
A tweet like that could potentially harm the athlete. It shows why signing a long-term deal with an amateur athlete could be less attractive when other brands know they can’t leverage that athlete’s best moments.
It also certainly confuses consumers. Based on that tweet, there are absolutely people who will think Cooper Flagg is a Nike athlete.
Between the lines: This issue is way bigger than Cooper Flagg. He’ll be going to the NBA next year after his freshman season in college. It won’t be a problem after this summer. But what about the athletes who stick around longer?
LSU’s Flau’Jae Johnson is a perfect example. She’s a Puma athlete but plays for a Nike school at LSU. She’ll have spent three years exclusively wearing an opposing brand on the basketball court.
The bottom line: As the NCAA, student athletes and the court system work to hammer out exactly what NIL should look like and how student athletes should benefit from it, this conversation will almost certainly come into play.
Boy, I can’t wait until student athletes are finally allowed to collectively bargain.
Converse’s concerning outlook
I promise I’ll stop hammering on Nike’s terrible third quarter earnings soon, but I do want to get in a quick word here on Converse. I haven’t seen too many spaces talking about how terrible things are for the brand right now.
By the numbers: Things are bleak for the legacy brand.
Revenue for Converse was $405 million in the third quarter. That’s an 18 percent dip (!!!) for the quarter, according to the brand.
This revenue dip is along the same lines as the overall dip we’ve seen from Converse in the last few years. In 2023, the brand brought in $2.4 billion. In 2024, that number shrank to $2 billion. The shrink hasn’t stopped.
Why it matters: Nike has enough problems without Converse being a major one. It’ll have to add the converse problem to a longer list of issues that must be resolved. The problem is that the solution likely won’t come easily.
The brand’s biggest problem is that it doesn’t fit the day's trends.
The Chuck Taylor is Converse’s staple. It’s a classic, but it doesn’t have the chunky Y2K aesthetic that wins in 2025. It’s also not a thin sole terrace type shoe.
The brand has also made a ton of innovations around the Chuck and some of its other retro ‘80s basketball stylings in the last few years. To the brand’s credit, they’ve been solid and creative. But few, if any, stuck the landing.
The future: Things are coming down the pipeline, like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s signature hoops model and the Louie Lopez skate joints. But those things are new and very niche. Their impact will probably be limited and won’t show up until later.
With that said: That doesn’t mean it’s time to hit the panic button yet.
Converse has seen dips and recovered. Chuck Taylor has endured many downswings. But it’s a classic that comes and goes. Converse will likely be able to lean on it again down the line. Styles always come back around.
At the same time, the brand will need its future offerings to hit well. Luckily, there’s some excitement around the upcoming release of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s signature sneaker. That’s a big positive. It’s up to Converse to keep that momentum going.
The other side of the collab coin
Adidas was known for its massive collaborations with big-name celebrities. These days, the partnerships are much smaller in scale, but they still pack a mighty punch.
Case in point: Adidas launched another collaboration with Cincinnati’s UnheardOf brand over the weekend on the AdiStar Cushion.
UnheardOf is a small skate shop boutique founded in Cincinnati, run by Philip Lipschutz.
This is the same brand that did the Grandma’s Couch shoes in late 2023. In 2024, UnheardOf did another Rivalry Lo collab inspired by the bridges in Cincinnati.
The brand launched the “Piggy Runner” AdiStar Cushion over the weekend, inspired by Cincinnati’s pork industry. It’s yet another small, intimate story about the city and people that birthed this brand, but it’s resonating on a broader scale. Just take a look at this line.
The way folks reacted to this collaboration online would’ve made you think Yeezy was back in its prime. Resellers were chasing the online leftovers. An online contingent of sneakerheads complained about botting and the brand website getting cooked. It felt like 2021 again.
Zoom out: UnheardOf’s collaborations with Adidas are the perfect representation of the brand’s shift when it comes to collaborations.
Adidas was all about gathering the biggest names and telling the broadest stories. The brand leveraged the power of celebrity, rather than genuine connection, to sell you a product. In some cases (Yeezy), it worked. In other cases (Ivy Park), it bombed.
What we’re seeing here is a holistically different approach.
This story is told by a smaller brand with a growing following.
The product run is smaller and more limited. The audience is more targeted and specific.
The big picture: This shift in priorities allows the brand to tap back in with niche communities it’s lost touch with over the years, while generating some hype behind products that could be winners in the North American market.
This is the smart way to go. And with the work Lipschutz and his brand have done over these last few years, you can be sure the three stripes will run this back.
Reebok is cookin’
I like to give credit where it’s due. Reebok? Y’all got some gas right here.
Poppa Yang (a must-follow on IG) shared a video featuring several Reebok silhouettes, including several looks at the Premier Road.
Look at these colors.
Don’t sleep on Reebok. It’s been super quiet since the Authentic Brands Group acquisition in 2022 and they’re also kind of late on the Y2K trend. But I think this is a pretty good entry. As someone who loves trying different things from different brands, I might cop me a pair or three here.
What’s droppin’, bruh?
Nike Total 90 III “Dynamic Yellow” — Tuesday, April 1
Under Armour Curry Fox 1 “Gamer” — Tuesday, April 1
Hoka Bondi x Marni B3LS — Friday, April 4
Adidas AE 1 Low “3SSB PE” — Friday, April 4
Yuto Horigome x Nike SB Dunk Low “Matcha” — Saturday, April 5
That’s a wrap, folks. Thanks so much for rocking with me today. Appreciate the time. Have a fantastic week.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns hit me up via email at mikedsykes@gmail.com or shoot me a message via Substack.
Peace and love. Be safe, be easy, be kind. We out.
-Sykes 💯
"Please go home" LOL
Those Reeboks, oh my goodness. 2019 Me would've bought like 4-5 of those colorways. Those hit me just right, the way some random shoes (AM270 Reacts, Harden 1) do.