The triumvirate of basketball shoes back in the day was Nike, Reebok and Adidas. 

While Reebok has fallen from grace and Nike remains, Adidas has had to deal with the rise of other brands (such as Puma, Li Ning and New Balance) in the basketball world, and since the start of 2024, they have shown that they have what it takes with multiple players getting updated signature sneakers.

The rebirth of Adidas Basketball began at the tail end of 2023, with the release of the Adidas AE 1 in collaboration with Anthony Edwards. The AE 1 is a standout sneaker in the basketball sneaker sphere, with its perforated TPU “wings” on the side being the standout feature. Since then, Adidas has updated just about all of its signature athlete sneakers, with standouts including the Harden Vol. 8 and the Trae Young 3. All of these updated sneakers are instantly recognizable silhouettes on the court.

Junior Dylan Kreiss agrees that these shoes are upgrades. “I love the salmon color,” Kreiss said, referring to the AE 1 “With Love” colorway. “Definitely pricey, but for sure a cop.” Not all LD students are in agreement with the aesthetics of these new shoes. Junior Jasmine Prieto believes that the Harden Vol. 8s are “insanely hideous.”

While some may be divided on the looks of these shoes, Adidas is definitely doing something right. People are talking about them. They have extremely strong advertising campaigns for these signature sneakers, and with the crazy looks to match, it looks like 2024 will be the year of Adidas Basketball.