Written By: Tim Newcomb  •  Tuesday, June 18, 2013 Nike knows all, apparently. Even down 3-2 to the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, which resumes tonight in Miami, the Heat will—according to a new Nike Lebron shoe—actually win the best-of-seven series with a win tonight and Thursday. How do we know? As Kix and the City shows us, a new Nike Lebron X Floral low shoe has the inscription “2 Time Champion” inside on the black insole of one of the shoes. It has the dates “11-12” and “12-13” inside the other. As Nike continues to rake in cash selling all sorts of “colorways” of its differing shoes, including wild green and black Lebron shoes, we may have to put a hold on the floral print. Of course, if Nike really knows all, the Spurs could be in trouble over the next two games. Place your ad hereShare of the U.S. basketball shoe market in 2015, by company/brandMarket share Nike* 93% Under Armour 4% Adidas 2.5% About This Statistic The statistic depicts the market share of companies/brands in the U.S. basketball shoe market in 2015.

The Nike brand, including the subsidiary Jordan brand, had a market share of 93 percent in the U.S. basketball shoe market. Special Functions Download startedBy Sam P.K. Collins Since entering the athletic shoe industry in the 2006 with his affordable brand of sneakers, retired NBA star Stephon Marbury has had to compete with more popular Nike shoes while confronting enthusiasts who don’t find his product aesthetically pleasing. Marbury, who currently plays in the Chinese Basketball Association, recently announced the resurrection of his Starbury sneaker line on social media, telling sneaker heads that, like Jordan’s and other brands that come with a price tag of up toward $300, his $15 wares are produced in the same Chinese factories for $5 a pop. Marbury’s comments come amid decades of conversation and criticism about the rising cost of the athletic footwear and string of sneaker-related deaths in the predominately black, low-income communities. More than 20 years after assailants took the life of teenager Michael Eugene Thomas during an Air Jordans robbery, urbanites of various ages continue to stand in line for new releases, even as the prices and stakes get higher.

In recent years, Nike has tried to quell tension by implementing RSVP and raffle systems that company heads said would make sneaker purchases safer. nike womens black running shoes saleBut little, if anything, has changed. nike tennis shoes new yorkIn 2013, three men in Houston shot and killed a young father during a robbery. nike athletic shoes outletJust hours earlier, he purchased a pair of the newly released Jordan Gama Blue 11’s for himself and his son during the Christmas holiday season. The next year, an Ohio couple got pepper sprayed during the release of the Air Jordan XI and another young man lost his life during an altercation at a similar event. Such has been the case for other expensive shoe brands.

A Virginia teen was robbed for a pair of Foamposites. Around that same time, a Chicago-area man lost his life when someone took his $1,800 pair of Air Yeezys, a brand of Nike sneakers created by hip-hop superstar Kanye West. Michael Jordan hasn’t done or said anything to address it, even as the Air Jordan brand garners a 55 percent market share in U.S. basketball and more than $2.25 million in annual profits, most from re-releases of earlier sneakers. In 2013, consumers spent $6.46 billion on athletic shoes. While Air Jordan and other brands don’t account for the total, experts say it’s a testament to people’s desire to make a fashion statement rather than engage in physical activity. This happens to especially be the case for black consumers, who have come to know these shoe brands via hip-hop culture and movies. Even so, Marbury has maintained that providing an affordable product would preclude people from taking violent measures to wear popular footwear. However, his message may be less potent because of a rocky NBA history that includes an average of 17.6 points per game during five lackluster seasons with the New York Knicks.

After three titles and an MVP trophy with the Beijing Ducks, Marbury may have a sudden boost of confidence. His tweet counts among his latest taunts at detractors. His Instagram post earlier this week showed a man purchasing four pairs of Starbury sneakers at a time with “When Those Starbury’s About to Drop?” emblazoned across the photo. Synopsis Sheryl Swoopes is an American professional basketball player. She played for Texas Tech before becoming the first player signed to the WNBA. Referred to as the "female Michael Jordan" and famous for both her offensive and defensive skills, Swoopes has won three Olympic gold medals and is a multiple WNBA MVP. She is also the first woman to have a Nike shoe named after her. In 2013, Swoopes was named head coach of the Loyola University women's basketball team. College Basketball Champion Born on March 25, 1971, in Brownfield, Texas, Sheryl Denise Swoopes is considered one of the best female basketball players of all time. Swoopes began dominating the court as a student at South Plains Junior College, excelling on the college's basketball team and earning the "Junior College Player of the Year" title in 1991.

Transferring to Texas Tech University, Swoopes quickly gained more national recognition. She scored 1,000 points in 46 games—a shorter period than anyone else in school history. During her time at Texas Tech, Swoopes set more than 10 school records, including for most points per game and best free-throw percentage. In 1993, she proved to be a key player in her university's bid for the NCAA Championships, scoring 47 points in the final game to help clinch Texas Tech's victory over The Ohio State University. Swoopes was subsequently named Most Valuable Player of the NCAA Final Four Championships. WNBA Star After graduating from Texas Tech in 1994, Sheryl Swoopes continued to play for the USA Basketball Women's National Team, helping the team earn a bronze medal at the 1994 World Championships and contributing to their undefeated record in the 1995-96 season. After a failed attempt in 1992, Swoopes finally made the U.S. Olympic team in 1996. She helped the team win the gold medal in Atlanta, Georgia.

Swoopes became the first player to be signed to the WNBA in 1997, and was assigned to play for the Houston Comets. During her time with the Comets, the gifted forward helped lead the team to four back-to-back WNBA championships from 1997 to 2000. For her performance at the 2000 championships, Swoopes was named the WNBA's Most Valuable Player. That same year, she once again thrived in Olympic competition, bringing home gold as part of the U.S. women's basketball team at the Sydney Games. Inarguably a leading figure in her sport, Swoopes received a new type of recognition in 1995, when the Nike corporation launched a line of basketball shoes named after the WNBA star—making Swoopes the first woman to have a Nike shoe named after her. Swoopes continued to shine on the court, picking up two more MVP Awards, in 2002 and 2005, and winning her third gold medal with the U.S. women's basketball team at the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, in 2004. In 2005, Swoopes made headlines for her personal life.

She acknowledged to the press that she had been in a long-term relationship with Alisa "Scottie" Scott, an assistant coach with the Comets. "I'm just at a point in my life where I'm tired of having to pretend to be somebody I'm not," she explained to The New York Times. "I'm tired of having to hide my feelings about the person I care about. About the person I love. I was basically living a lie." Swoopes had previously been married to Eric Jackson. The couple divorced in 1999 and has a son together, Jordan Eric Jackson. After 11 years with the Comets, Swoopes went to play for the Seattle Storm in 2008. But her time with the team proved short; the team dropped her from their roster the following year. Swoopes returned to the court as a member of the Tulsa Shock in 2011—marking the start of what would be her final stint in the WNBA. Coach Swoopes In 2013, Swoopes announced that she would be returning to college basketball, this time as a coach. She was hired by Chicago's Loyola University, marking her very first coaching position.