When OG Anunoby made a leap for the ages to set up the Knicks’ historic victory on Wednesday night in New York City, the shoes that propelled him weren’t Nike or Adidas. Instead, they were Skechers.
That’s not a name that springs to mind when consumers think about shoes for hoops: The brand released its first line of technical basketball shoes less than three years ago.
But after Anunoby’s “Right Hand of God” tipped the ball into the basket with 1.2 seconds remaining in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Skechers finds itself in the enviable position of an MVP candidate wearing its shoes. He joined the company’s roster less than a year ago.
Prior to the Finals, Anunoby gifted fellow Skechers brand ambassador Martha Stewart an autographed pair with the “Let’s Go Knicks” chant.
“If someone said ‘OK, what shoe do you expect someone to be wearing at the NBA finals?’, I don’t think that Skechers would be a brand that was foremost of mind, so I think it is surprising in that sense,” said Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData.
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Anunoby didn’t just help his team in the final moments of the game, but was a driving force in its win. As the Knicks overcame a 29-point deficit, he scored 33 points, including seven 3-pointers.
“I think it’s a very significant moment for Skechers, because not only does it give them a huge boost in terms of visibility and credibility, it actually cements their strategy of becoming more of a performance brand,” Saunders said.
Skechers was founded in 1992 as a logger boot seller in California before it started selling sneakers for adults and kids. The company was taken private by 3G Capital last year.
“OG Anunoby competing in the NBA Finals in Skechers is a milestone moment for our brand,” the company said in a statement.
During his heroics, Anunoby was wearing a Skechers SKX Nexus “NYC Blue.” Fans can’t purchase it, though, as it’s a custom sneaker the company made for the Knicks star. But Saunders believes the spotlight will help the brand.
“It will have a lift to their sales,” he said. “I mean it’s not going to be the only thing that lifts them up, but certainly when you get a major athlete at a major sporting event wearing a signature product, it throws a halo around the brand. People want similar shoes.”
Skechers still holds less than 6% of the global market for sports footwear. But over the past five years, its share has nudged up while market leader Nike has seen its dominance shrink more recently, according to data from Euromonitor International.
Recently, the company has made a further push into sports. Just last month, the brand inked a multi-year deal with the WNBA, positioning it as an official partner of the league. It entered the NBA market in 2023.