Nike Will Determine What Basketball Shoe You Should Buy

Well this might have been out for a couple weeks now, but I just got an email about it, and it’s pretty cool. Nike came out with the “Nike Basketball Blueprint.” It’ll take the information you input and then tell you what type of shoe would be best for that play style. Here’s the description in the email:

 

From LeBron James to Isaiah Thomas, every player’s game has defining features. Based on data collected from Nike Basketball athletes, over the entire season, we’ve identified nine varieties of player. Now, by showing us where and how you play with a few taps, you can use this data to identify which type of player you are and get shoes to fit for your game.

 

I’m no hardcore basketball player, but I’ll play some pickup ball from time to time, so I decided to give this a try.

 

The Nike Basketball Blueprint starts by asking where you play on the court. First, on offense, you split up where you play by quarters. It’s broken up into three sections: 1) the paint, 2) between the paint and the three-point line, and 3) outside the three-point line. Curiously, you can’t do 1/3 for each, but you can do 50% for two of the sections, 100% for one section, 75/25, etc. After you complete offense, you do the same thing for the defensive side of the court.

 

Then you select all that apply for offensive play style out of five different categories:

 

• Create off the dribble
• Catch and shoot
• Score from anywhere
• Attack the basket
• Own the paint

 

Then for defense:

 

• Cover the ball handler
• Shadow the shooter
• Guard anybody
• Own the block
• Defend the rim

 

It only takes a few minutes, then it spits out the result of your play style, along with shoe suggestions. My result was “The Shifter,” with the description suggesting I play two ways with a game built on speed and agility.

 

 

 

Comparing my game to DeMar DeRozan, Paul George, and Gordon Hayward is a pretty big insult to those guys—but putting that aside—I did find the description similar to my below-average pickup basketball game.

 

Looking at the shoes suggested kind of makes me want to buy a pair and play some pickup basketball.

 

Good job, Nike.