Many of us know the feeling of getting picked on in school when we were younger for not having the latest or coolest looking shoe growing up. But the reality was that many parents could not afford the popular brands. Fortunately, there were multiple NBA players looking to make shoes that were fashionable and affordable.
In 1995, Shaquille O’Neal was walking out of an arena when a Black mother told him “y'all be charging our babies all this money for the shoe[s].” That mother inspired Shaq to create the Dunkman brand.
Dunkman sneakers were in Payless stores all around the country for low prices. While the Dunkmans had a great impact on the Black community, it wasn’t enough. Then in 2006, Starbury sneakers came into the picture.
Stephon Marbury has always been vocal about how top shoe brands are “robbing the hood” with overpriced sneakers. So at the peak of his career, he came out with Starburys, which only cost around $15, and took the sneaker industry by storm.
Black entrepreneurs don’t have to price gouge their products to be successful. Just like Marbury and Shaq demonstrated, sometimes it’s more about the impact your product can make for the culture, rather than the profit alone.