A review of logos for basketball players and their signature sneaker lines for Under Armour and Adidas

We recently wrote a blog about the best basketball shoe technologies and other factors that help many decide which pair is ideal for them. One thing we did not really mention is today’s topic – logos – because we feel that there is no other sport like basketball when it comes to legendary symbols with stunning aesthetics and unique storytelling. Our idea is to take at least a quick look at the most important ones and share some things that perhaps you did not know before.

Splash!

We will start the list with a story that is quite different, as it involves one the greatest basketball players who was brave enough to have his logo redesigned which is something we do not see very often. A great reason for that was the launch of his own brand after he already released 7 signature basketball shoes. Of course, this was Steph Curry who launched his own Curry brand within Under Armour in 2020. Not only were his new kicks amazing, but the logo was also a great piece of storytelling.

First, it includes his SC initials which used to be the foundation of his initial logo. Then, it has the “high arc” and this is what Steph said about it:

“You also have the higher arc here, a nod to the halo effect and me drawing in inspiration and purpose from my faith and the overall presence within the game. It’s a cool little collaboration of all of those different inspirations.”

Finally, there is also the “celebration of the game’s most valuable shot” that led to the logo being called “the Splash”. Again, the Curry brand sneakers are epic, and the logo sealed the deal for us!

Fear the Beard

Although he is always primarily associated with his “the Beard” nickname, James Harden also has a great logo for his Adidas signature line. This is how he unveiled it in 2016: https://twitter.com/JHarden13/status/763093679477133313

While the video has a lot of things going on in it (to say the least), luckily to the logo itself is much more straightforward as it resembles the letter H while the black blocks in the middle could be a link to his famous facial hair we mentioned.

Spida, not Spiderman

Donovan Mitchell shared a story how a former teammate’s father played a role in him getting the Spida nickname:

“I had long arms and I was quick to getting a lot of steals. I didn’t think it would correlate to where I am now. He never called me by my first name and to this day, he still doesn’t. He’ll text me, ‘Spida, how ya doing?’ Spiderman was one of my favorites growing up and it just stuck with me. That’s where it all came from.”

While the majority of logos include athlete’s initials, it was truly refreshing that Donovan Mitchell combined his nickname and passion for the game in a logo that became a fan favorite, just like his sneakers that are always very popular among our customers.

Dame D.O.L.L.A.

Next for adidas we have Damian Lillard and the company released all the interesting details of his logo when the signature line was released:

  • the D Lillard logo is comprised of a D and an L fusing together to create a “0”
  • D: represents Damian’s first name
  • L: represents Damian’s last name and family
  • 0: Damian’s number on the court, which he chose to symbolize the letter “O” for the three places he’s called home: Oakland, California; Ogden, Utah; and Oregon
  • a wing made of three stripes represents his crew of close friends, the “Fly Guyz”

Given how deadly Lillard becomes when the game is on the line, we would absolutely love if this logo underwent at least a slight refresh to incorporate “Dame time” in it and perhaps also his Dame D.O.L.L.A. nickname related to his rap career!

This wraps up the first blog in our LOGO series so make sure that you don’t miss out on the next edition. Until then, you can let us know on our social media channels which logo from this blog is your favorite!