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.
PERSONALITY
It’s hard to believe that a skinny kid from Cameroon, who didn’t play organized basketball until he was 15, could get a sneaker deal with the same company that has Steph Curry and Tom Brady on their endorsement roster. Well, that kid is all grown up now, and with the charm and wit of NBA All-star Joel Embiid, that disbelief can be suspended.
Once he joined the Sixers in 2014, the hype surrounding Embiid’s arrival only grew because of an injury that sidelined him for two seasons. In the meantime, what he could not display on the court, he learned to leave lasting impressions on social media. Whether he knew it or not, it was there that Joel Embiid began marketing himself.
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The self-proclaimed “I love to have fun” big man let it be known through Twitter that he could stay relevant even while sitting at home. For example, his tweets to Rihanna, requesting a date, made a huge splash online, and Embiid’s Twitter star was launched. Why was this daring attempt to garner the attention of one of the hottest pop artists so monumental for Embiid? While he never got that date with her, it proved that he was unafraid to be himself, and of course, have fun.
Is he the only player to make such provocative moves on social media? Of course not. Yet, when you think of the stigma of big men being unable to sell shoes, Embiid’s brashness and amusing antics only help him rise above such underwhelming expectations. Excluding Shaquille O’Neal, most NBA centers have come across as stiff and uncool. For Under Armour to take a risk on Embiid, they had to recognize his unique traits and social media smarts.
David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, and Alonzo Mourning were All-Stars and made the NBA Hall of Fame, but their personalities could not rival Shaq’s during their era. Shaq admitted that his endorsement endeavors stemmed from a commercial starring Spuds MaKenzie, the Bud Light campaign mascot. He figured out from those commercials, featuring that cute dog, that humor sells.
Well, Embiid has picked up where Shaq left off. The difference? Embiid will dwarf the shoe sales of Shaq and the other mentioned big men combined. Why will Embiid surpass Shaq as an endorsement juggernaut? Let’s check out his multidimensional style of play.
PLAY STYLE
My debut article for The Sixer Sense focused on Embiid’s lack of identity. My view is that he should find a signature move as a big man, and as a result, he will punish defenses more often and help the Sixers win more games. Yet, when it comes to selling his Embiid Ones, versatility may be the key element to their profitability. When his shoe deal was announced in 2018, he claimed “I am not a big man. I can do everything on the basketball court.” This proclamation could only carry weight with potential shoe buyers if his game spoke for itself on the basketball court.
Although he averages big man numbers in points, rebounds, and blocks, Embiid has accumulated a nice reel of highlights that support his claim of being able to do it all, including sleek moves of a guard. Whether it was his crossover on Giannis Antetokounmpo, his Eurosteps against multiple players, or his windmill dunk against the Raptors in a 2018 playoff game, Embiid’s skill set will resonate with consumers.
Why is this relevant? Consider how popular sneakers are with kids. When kids shoot hoops on the playground, the last thing they try to emulate is a post-up move. No kid ever yells, “Rudy Gobert!” while taking a jump hook in a game. Instead, they obsess with Kyrie’s crossover, Curry’s deep 3, or Harden’s step-back. Each of which Embiid has proven he can execute under the bright lights.
Should Embiid implement more nifty moves into his repertoire, the Embiid Twos will be a nice follow-up shoe, and Under Armour will be very happy.
FINAL SELLING POINT
While Embiid’s signature sneaker establishes itself in the global market of athletic shoes, his personality and play style will boost its success despite him being a big man. He won’t even have to dress up like Grandmama (Larry Johnson) to sell his sneakers. He just has to be himself.
Other factors will have an effect, too. Winning games should help him move shoes off the shelves. It makes sense. The more appearances in the playoffs, the more visibility he gets. Also, the more chances he will have to troll on Twitter and post controversial comments on Instagram. Yet, what those social media outlets will eat up more than anything hasn’t even been mentioned yet… Embiid’s smile.
The same smile he wears when he raises his arms in the Wells Fargo Center after a big play. The same smile he projects as he cups his ear to amplify the crowd cheers from Sixer fans. Joel Embiid entertains his millions of followers on social media with his amazing play and astonishing personality. He’s already been a familiar face for Mountain Dew and Hulu. Now it’s his time to shine for Under Armour.