http://sport.guardian.co.uk/news/sto...857075,00.html

In shopping malls across the United States a revolution is brewing - inspired by one of basketball's star players who is taking on the global might of companies such as Nike and Reebok. For the past two years Stephon Marbury has been a key player for the New York Knicks and for the past decade one of the stars of the NBA, but now he has embarked on a "change-the-world" mission that could transform the economics of the sportswear and sponsorship market. If it succeeds, his vision could also be replicated in Britain.

Marbury has teamed up with a leading US retailer to endorse an NBA-quality basketball training shoe at the virtually giveaway price of only $14.98 (£7.92). The Starbury One sneaker - incorporating a sleek design and the same technical features found in the nation's top brands, which retail for up to $150 (£79.31) - will be identical to those Marbury will wear for the coming season's games.

In another uncharacteristic twist, Marbury, the fifth-highest salaried player in the league, will not be paid for endorsing the sneakers, though he will receive a percentage based on how well they sell. That in itself is a remarkable development for a sport in which probably its biggest name, LeBron James, of the Cleveland Cavaliers, signed a $90m deal with Nike when he graduated from high school in 1993. Nike, Reebok, Adidas and And 1 sponsor most of the NBA feet in a global sporting footwear market worth almost $50bn (£26.4bn) last year.
It was the celebrity cult surrounding Michael Jordan and his Air Jordan range of cushioned-sole trainers made by Nike that transformed sporting footwear into a fashion statement. Air Jordans became highly sought after items by young urban men, and was behind the muggings carried out by those determined to own them. The shoe has been updated annually with one version, the $200 Air Jordan XVII, coming in its own metal briefcase.
Erin Patton, principal of The Mastermind Group, the marketing agency behind the Starbury Collection, said: "Stephon Marbury understood the difficulty parents and kids face keeping pace with the exorbitant price of sneakers. He knows what it means for inner-city living kids and the extreme measures that are sometimes used to get these products." Patton, who for five years was director of the Jordan brand at Nike, described Marbury's initiative as "an industry-changing event".
Marbury, who grew up in the tough inner-city environment of Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York, entered the NBA in 1996 and the coming season will be his fourth with the New York Knicks. Speaking at the launch of the Starbury Collection, which also includes a variety of casual wear items, nearly all priced under $10, Marbury said: "Kids shouldn't have to feel the pressure to spend so much to feel good about the way they look. It was very important to me that the Starbury Collection had a strong social component for kids and parents, especially in urban areas." The collection's website carries the message from Marbury: "You can stay fly and still stay on budget." Or as he put it at the launch: "Two hundred dollars to buy a pair of sneakers - that's groceries for the week."
The Starbury One is designed by the athletic gear design firm, Rocketfish, which has provided high-performance basketball sneaker concepts to Nike, Reebok and Converse. Rocketfish's co-founders TJ Gray and Ashley Brown said: "Cut the Starbury One in half and you'll find that it is constructed the same way as other high-performance basketball sneakers."
Nike and the other footwear giants are holding their counsel about the challenge to their lucrative market, but they will have been keeping a nervous eye on sales at the 140 Steve and Barry's University Sportswear stores across the US, which are stocking the Starbury Collection. There were queues outside the shops on launch day from 5.30am, according to Patton: "Parents were crying and thanking Stephon for doing something."
Marbury is not the first to put his name to cheap basketball shoes: Shaquille O'Neal's Dunkman costs $40 and Hakeem Olajuwon backed a $35 shoe, but Steve & Barry's is a national chain that specialises in affordable ranges. Howard Schacter, the company's chief partnership officer, said the shoes cost less than $14.98 to produce, adding: "Our whole business model is based on the fact that we need to make a few pennies on each item." Patton said: "Discussions have already taken place relative to a global extension of the brand and the UK would be part of that."
The Starbury One initiative has been greeted with interest at the National Consumer Council, which has carried out research on "pester power" from children, which can force parents to spend large sums on branded goods. The council's spokeswoman Janice Allen said: "It sounds like a breath of fresh air in the commercial environment of sport - a refreshing departure that should be encouraged."


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i have found pics on ebay, mainly of high top trainers. they look ok

what do you think

and to my american bnv fam how are they being recieved stateside?

I think this is absolutely effing brilliant and I applaud his initiative.



I really hope he succeeds,this would truly be a revolutionary happening.



I'm also sure that Nike,Addidas et al will do everything to sabotage this.......plus there will always be the kids for whom it's a $200 sneaker and nothing else.

But if we could get a shift of perception that the overly expensive sneaker is wack.....that would be one of the greatest things to ever happen in the community.

Slow down @ Jett, he is not a revolutionary.

Marbury Luther King lol!

This is not even new, Hakeem Olujawun(spelling) did something similar back in the day

I hope it works though, but these shoes will just free up money for other ill-advised purchases, like $100 jeans

Now if some top rapper, entertainer could make an affordable clothing range, then we would be in business

Marbury didn't make a thing.He's a ppaid endorser.I saw alot of push for this a few months ago,but it has died down.

The streets set the trends and the streets rejects the shoes .

This is great for mothers that can buy 5 pair of sneakers for her kids, if she has that many, and still have change leftover from a 100 dollar bill!!