This college basketball season's indelible moment came when Duke star Zion Williamson's size-15 Nike burst apart at the seams just seconds into a much-anticipated game against rival North Carolina.
Williamson, the ACC Player of the Year and expected No. 1 overall NBA draft pick, missed the rest of the regular season. Nike executives flew to Durham the next day _ part damage control, part relationship management _ and worked to find a solution to get Williamson back on the court for the ACC Tournament a month later in a retrofitted shoe.
It was another reminder of the vital role shoe and apparel companies play in basketball at all levels and underscored the near-impossible task of diluting the influence Nike, Adidas and Under Armour hold. The shoe and apparel companies that support the sport at the amateur, collegiate and professional levels have created a pipeline through which elite talent, like Williamson, flows.
