Why are Nike's basketball shoes so narrow?

April 23, 2014 12:38 PM

I'm looking for an article or a good explanation for why Nike's basketball shoes are so narrow. Basketball players are some of the bigger/taller people on the planet, so what gives?

Nike's basketball shoes were fine for a time, but in the last decade most of Nike's basketball seem to have gotten more and more narrow. Why?

I am looking for articles from Nike, interviews about how they design their basketball shoes, or the like.

I have seen stories like Ray Allen's and Lebron James' who both had issues with Nike's shoes, which dominate the basketball shoe industry. Lebron's feet themselves suggest that narrow Nike shoes have been a problem. I know this is a longshot, but I'm hoping mefi detectives have an answer.

posted by cashman to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (4 answers total)

my first detective question would be, is there any chance your feet have widened in the relevant interval, or are they mature feet which had already spreaded out as far as they're gonna go?
posted by bruce at 12:42 PM on April 23, 2014

Best answer: I've always felt that Nike shoes ran too narrow. I used to be a runner and I could never fit into Nikes.
posted by Thorzdad at 12:53 PM on April 23, 2014 [4 favorites]

Best answer: My experience is the same as Thorzdad's. All manufacturers have shoe lasts, or models of the foot they use to design shoes around. Nike seems to have stuck with their narrow last for their basketball shoes but there's at least some evidence they have a wider range for their golf shoes.
posted by tommasz at 1:38 PM on April 23, 2014 [1 favorite]

Thorzad wrote: "I've always felt that Nike shoes ran too narrow. I used to be a runner and I could never fit into Nikes"

Same with me. Adidas, not so much.
posted by qsysopr at 3:52 PM on April 23, 2014