Philadelphia 76ers: Why Under Armour was smart to sign Joel Embiid

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has been racking up endorsement deals left and right. He now gets to sell his own signature shoe with Under Armour. Can he defy the conventional stereotype that NBA big men can’t sell sneakers?

Joel Embiid has been known to troll his peers on social media. This month, though, he took a dose of his own medicine. You might have seen it. Steph Curry playfully impersonated Embiid, exaggerating the big man’s moves. The social media post was timed perfectly. Why? Joel Embiid was about to wear his Under Armour signature sneaker for the first time, and Curry, who is also endorsed by the shoe company, could help get the word out.

For all of the fun involved, Embiid declares that his shoe will be larger than the game itself, but can he lay to rest the notion that NBA big men can’t sell shoes?

Embiid’s success at selling his new Embiid One sneaker will rely on a few things. We can divide his marketability in two segments — personality and play style. Let’s evaluate each one to predict how far his first signature shoe will go.