It’s no secret that shoe companies run grassroots basketball. While James Harden may have just gotten paid a ridiculous amount of money by Under Armour, he was swiped away from the Nike family. The Nike EYBL and the Under Armour Association are the two most competitive circuits in AAU basketball. If you are lucky enough to have an Under Armour Association team and a Nike EYBL team in your city, the “beef” would be very obvious to you. Most people would think that this “beef” would stay between teams and fans. However, the competitiveness is real, very real. In fact, it’s so real that even the companies are involved. Yes, Nike is beefing. Nike and Under Armour don’t like each other, it’s obvious.
Every year since 2006, Under Armour has hosted an incredible High School All-Star game, the Elite 24. Kris Stone, the Elite 24 Founder and Director of Basketball Sports Marketing for UA said “For the past nine years the Elite 24 has been a platform created to celebrate the heart and soul of the game. Being played outdoors keeps the game authentic to anyone who wants to get better..This game brings together the world’s best high school basketball players, regardless of grade, battling it out for bragging rights” There’s no doubt that Under Armour has created one of the best basketball atmospheres in all of HS basketball with the Elite 24. Last year, in 2014, the game was literally played above water. When it comes to High School Basketball All Star games, the Elite 24 has the crown.
Nike, however, doesn’t seem to like the fact that Under Armour is holding any type of crown. Harry Giles and Jayson Tatum, arguably the two best players in the Class of 2016, were set out to play in the Elite 24 on August 22nd. There’s incredible talent on the Elite 24 rosters, but Harry and Jayson led the pack. Out of nowhere, Nike announced that they were having an EYBL Select Team training camp in the Bahamas. This team will play against members of the Bahamian national team. Nike is holding this event August 19th through August 23rd. In an attempt to take their stars back, Nike invited both Harry Giles and Jayson Tatum. They both had a change of heart and decided to play in the Nike event, Nike won again.
Wherever there’s money involved, there are problems involved. If Harry Giles’ favorite high school basketball memory is the Elite 24, he would obviously be grateful for the memories that Under Armour has given him. This also goes for Jayson Tatum and every other player who would call the Elite 24 their favorite memory. Nike doesn’t want this to even be a possibility. All of the players invited to these elite events are potential NBA players. Some of them are even predicted NBA superstars. At least one of these players are going to have their own signature shoe one day. Being that Harry Giles and Jayson Tatum are considered the two best players, they are also the two most likely to have their own signature shoes.
Two of the companies that they’ll consider signing with most are Nike and Under Amour. When making the decision, they’ll dwell on their memories with both companies. Nike doesn’t want players to have any memories with Under Armour and Under Armour doesn’t want players to have any memories with Nike. It’ll make their jobs a lot easier if the player doesn’t know anything but their company. By inviting Harry Giles and Jayson Tatum to the event in the Bahamas, they are potentially making their jobs a lot easier in the future. When shoe companies look at players such as Harry Giles and Jayson Tatum, they see dollar signs. Top prospects are treated so well by shoe companies because of the money that the players can make for them. Beef isn’t only hot in hip hop, it’s also hot in high school basketball.
