In the upcoming NBA 2018~19 season, fans and friends may be dazzled by colorful sneakers.

According to ESPN's Nick Depaula, the NBA lifted the restriction on all shoe colors in the 2018~19 season, which means that players can choose any color of boots, and teams can also customize their own colors. Of course, there are limitations: sharp protrusions and reflective elements are rejected, and the appearance of third-party logos needs to be approved in advance.

Finally waited for this moment

This is the first time in the NBA's 72-year history.

The U.S. Basketball Association has always been strict about shoe colors, and all players must have at least 50% white/black boots and the other 50% in the team color (depending on home or away). Only on special occasions can players let themselves go and wear shoes that do not match the team's jersey.

Historically, the most famous person who broke this rule was Jordan.

In the 1984~85 season, Jordan received a warning letter from the league because he wore the Jordan 1 in black and red. However, warnings and fines are nothing compared to a brand's reputation. Look at Jordan Brand today, with annual revenues of $3 billion.

The NBA has gradually abandoned seriousness in its development, with fewer and fewer restrictions.

In the 21st century, the NBA allowed players to wear the team's main color of the team's shoes, for example, Bulls players can wear all-red shoes, and Celtics players can wear all-green shoes. In 2012, the league joined the "Theme Nights" program, cooperating with sneaker brands to produce some special colorways, such as Christmas, Valentine's Day and other theme colors. Last season, James' Lebron 15 came out in 51 different colors.

Not only the sneakers, but also the jerseys have been relaxed. Last season, after Nike "ordered" the jerseys of 30 teams, the original tradition of home jerseys based on white was changed, and teams can choose their own home and away jersey colors.

For the players, this is undoubtedly the perfect time to let go of themselves and show off their shoe cabinets, here @P.J. Tucker。

As a shoe lover/shoe maniac, he once spent a lot of money on 20 pairs of sneakers for $17,000. He has a pair of Jordan 5 Shan Marions who don't even have Jordan himself.

I'm sure P.J. Tucker, who saw the news, might have burst out laughing. Perhaps in the near future, he will start the crazy shoe drying mode.

In addition to allowing players to let themselves go, the biggest beneficiary this time is undoubtedly the sneaker sponsors.

It can be said that the NBA is a market segment that opens up giant sports brands. In the NBA, too, it is becoming more and more "rampant", with 67% of players wearing Nike or Jordan Brand on their feet last season.

To name a few examples, James and Durant were both signed by Nike, while Leonard and Willis signed Jordan. Among the top 10 stars are Anthony Davis, Paul George, etc., who are Nike (or Jordan) people.

In terms of numbers, how much revenue do these shoes bring to the brand?

According to 2017 data, Air Jordan's revenue exceeded $2.8 billion as of May 2016, an increase of 18% over the previous fiscal year. Jordan himself relied on the brand to reach a net worth of $1.3 billion. As a result, Jordan secured the first position.

In terms of sneaker revenue, LeBron ranked second, reaching $32 million; Durant's sneaker revenue reached $25 million; Bryant also earned $16 million in sneakers.

Today's Nike can already "dominate" the NBA. As mentioned above, Nike will become the official jersey sponsor of the NBA from the 2017~18 season. The global sales and marketing partner's contract is eight years long and valued at approximately $1 billion.

Despite this, Adidas, Under Armour, and even Li Ning and Anta all have a chance to overtake, and they also have superstar players in their hands. After the color of sneakers is released, brands have a wider design space, which also means more considerable commercial value.

Most NBA players are tall and weight, and they often have to make some difficult moves on the court, which is very serious for the consumption of their shoes, so it is normal for the average player to prepare two or three pairs of basketball shoes in a game, like those who endorse Adi. Nike's big-name players probably have more sneakers in their locker room than you can imagine.

James and Durant, these supergiants, the sponsors behind them will prepare multiple pairs of shoes for them during the game, because their sports intensity is high, so it is likely that a pair of shoes will be used in a game, so these players are also very willful in the use of sneakers, remember when Harden signed Adi, Adi gave him a cart of sneakers.

So do you want to know that the shoes that the players didn't wear out during the game ended up taking them? In fact, in order to be able to play the next game healthily, the shoes worn by the players will not be worn in the next game.

Some players sign their names on their shoes after a game and auction them off at charity, with James having a pair of sneakers that fetch thousands of dollars at auction, while others wear their boots that aren't broken during training. Isn't it strange that the sneakers worn by the stars can be used for so many purposes!

Owning a pair of signature sneakers from your favorite NBA star is definitely one of the dreams of many basketball lovers!

But which is more prevalent in the hearts of fans, "James's endorsement shoes" or "cheap and easy-to-wear sneakers"?

After joining the NBA, Olajuwon, a famous Rockets, understood that it was not easy for many poor athletes! In 94, after Olajuwon's success, he rejected the endorsements of top brands such as "Hook" and "Three Bars", and instead released a series of "poor version" sneakers!

And, Olajuwon responded to the matter: How can a desperate family raising multiple children afford a $100 hook basketball shoe?

And the 80s was the era when the gap between sneaker brands began to widen! In 90, Sports Illustrated even used "The Bloody Case Caused by a Pair of Sneakers" as the cover to cause people from all walks of life to ponder: Do you want shoes or die?

Former Knicks guard Marbury did the same thing that "looked very good": created the Starbury brand; Committed to a variety of cheap and high-quality sports equipment, Starbury only costs as little as 14 US dollars! The conversion is less than 100!

Starbury has the same design company and design philosophy as the hook and 3 bars, and if you cut the Starbury piece by piece, you will find that its high performance is no different from the top NBA sneakers! The only difference is the 1:10 spread!

But in the end, the brand spearheaded by Marbury, one of the NBA giants, ultimately fell short! In recent months, it has been removed from all major popular markets.

Fans said: Buying famous brands is just for vanity! This bad social atmosphere has also spread to the "basketball game that only talks about technology"! If you don't have a pair of hooks, even if you wear slippers on the wild court, you are just a rookie and a poor sour man in the eyes of others!

It's worth mentioning that Marbury wore Starbury once in an entire NBA season, and fans only remember this one.