Ewing Athletics: Looking at the history of Patrick Ewing's shoe company
Patrick Ewing was one of the NBA's top players in the 1990s. The Hall of Famer was named to the NBA's 50th and 75th Anniversary teams. During his career, he averaged 21 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting 50.4% from the field. Additionally, he averaged 2.4 blocks and one steal.
The seven-time All-NBA member became the first athlete to have his own shoe brand when he created Ewing Athletics in 1989. Ewing's agent David Falk claimed that the company made $100 million during their best years. Take a look at Ewing Athletics over the years.
Brief history of Patrick Ewing's initial run with Ewing Athletics
In 1991, two years after opening, Ewing Athletics signed a distribution deal with Next Sports that led to increased success. In addition to being worn by the 11-time All-Star, the company's 33 HI appeared in music videos, album covers and movies in the 1990s.
Initially, the company focused on basketball shoes, with each pair debuted by Ewing on the court. In 1993, however, Ewing Athletics began to release different types of shoes and apparel.
After a successful eight-year run, a financial dispute led to Patrick Ewing filing a lawsuit against Next Sports in 1996 that ended production from Ewing Athletics. In 2012, 16 years after closing down, Ewing announced a relaunch due to increased demand for the shoes.
How is Ewing Athletics performing now?
Ten years after relaunching, Ewing Athletics is still thriving. While their initial relaunch focused on re-releasing the popular 33 HI, the company has expanded their brand over the years.
Initiated by David Goldberg, a lifelong fan of Ewing and the New York Knicks, the relaunch prioritized the release of retro basketball shoes. While their original focus was to target lifelong Knicks fans like Goldberg, an avid Ewing Athletics collector in the 1990s, they have found success outside of New York as well.
Ewing Athletics sells products all over the world and many of their customers are too young to have seen the three-time All Defensive Team member play. Ewing Athletics, the first shoe brand owned by an athlete, made history in 2018 when they allowed the head of their fan club, Albert Lebron, the opportunity to collaborate on a 33 HI.
While it is unclear if Ewing Athletics is bringing in the same amount of revenue that they did in the 1990s, the company's return has been quite successful.
Check out Patrick Ewing wearing 33 Hi's below:
Patrick Ewing's kicks from this classic pic are coming back.
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