By Candy Yang

Basketball sneakers are like ‘secret weapons’ to the youth who ‘love this game’. A basketball fan does not just buy any pair of sneakers; they study them, love them, and acquire strength and courage from them. As I immersed more into the basketball cohort on the Internet, I found a lot of energy and buzz around sneakers. There are so many individual bloggers sharing their stories with sneakers with deep touching tone.

For instance, ‘Sneaker Club‘ - the blog of ‘OK Lai’ who has become a basketball fan since middle school.

Another blog, Dog King - the blogger writes about sneakers as well as other stories of his life. He has always been a hardcore fan of Jordan in his entire life.

And sneakers are always one of the hottest topics in the online forums, from functions, brands, basketball stars, to history of sneakers…(For example, http://bbs.hoopchina.com/gear，http://group.xiaonei.com/GetTribe.do?id=200003721）

Star endorsement, among many other factors, can often create a lot of buzz in the forums. Recently the heat goes to Wade X Converse and Kidd X Peak.

（photo from hoopchina)

Wade X Converse

As Wade contributed a lot for the winning of the Olympic game, a lot of discussion about this star was aroused, including his new pair of Converse sneakers. However, the increasing popularity of Wade does not ensure a likewise favorability the sneakers he wears. In the eyes of some Chinese consumers, the design is not so attractive; ‘a bit too bulky’, as they describe it.

(photo from hoopchina)

Kidd X PEAK

The community were firstly shocked to see the combination of a big NBA star with a local brand. ‘PEAK has big money!’ ‘But basketball sneakers are not that easy! There are a lot of high technologies in them…’ some Kidd fans are even concerned about Kidd’s performance with his new sneakers. While some people were more optimistic. They have never been able to afford a pair of star-endorsed sneakers; but with the local brand version available, they would probably be able to finally own a pair.

Filed under: Sports, What's Up?, basketball, converse, Dwyane Tyrone Wade, local brand, Peak sign Kidd, sneakers