Anthony Edwards’ trajectory toward stardom took a huge leap these past few weeks in the 2023-24 NBA playoffs. Capping off an excellent season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Edwards has been a huge hit among fans and his signature sneakers, AE1. One retailer that has seen Edwards’ fast-growing popularity is Foot Locker as they see an unexpected increase in sales suddenly.
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Anthony Edwards’ signature shoe AE 1 debuted back in December 2023. The shoe sold gradually, however, since Ant-Man’s antics in the postseason, Foot Locker has seen a spike in sales, something that they did not expect.
The spike in sales resulted in a 15% increase in Foot Locker shares which came off as a surprise to many and can be credited to all the attention Anthony Edwards has garnered in these past few months.
With Foot Locker being the primary and only retailer for the AE 1, the Minnesota Timberwolves guard’s signature sneaker has caused quite the ruckus, with the shoes being sold off from shelves at a moment’s notice.
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As per Boardroom’s Instagram post, “Adidas CEO Bjorn Gulden said in March that the Edwards line might be the brand’s best-selling basketball shoe in the past decade — outpacing those of its other stars, Damian Lillard and James Harden. Each time Adidas releases the AE 1 in a new color, it sells out. Foot Locker stock soared 20% on Thursday after revealing a better-than-expected Q1 report.”
Adidas may fumble on the Anthony Edwards hype train
Anthony Edwards’ AE 1s have been all the rage among sneakerheads around the country. With Foot Locker running out of the signature shoe at multiple locations, Adidas is all set to release another version of the All-Star guard’s shoe.
Adidas is planning to release a low-ankle version of the AE 1s. The Minnesota Timberwolves guard debuted the AE 1 Low during these NBA playoffs and one can expect them to be at their nearest Foot Locker come this fall.
But looking at all the hype surrounding Anthony Edwards, it would be unwise for Adidas to wait till the end of the summer to drop the AE 1 Low. The NBA Finals will kick off in another few days, and given how fans are still high on Ant-Man and his playoff performance, it would greatly benefit Adidas if they released the new edition of the sneakers right away.
The marketing campaign surrounding Anthony Edwards and the AE1s has been great since the get-go. Waiting till the end of the summer is bound to affect the steam and momentum they have been able to generate so far. So, let’s see when Adidas releases the shoe and if in fact, Foot Locker notices the same spike or a drop in numbers.
