Stephon Marbury spoke about what inspired him to sell the Starbury, a $15 shoe.
A former player for the New York Knicks, Marbury chose an uncommon path for an NBA player. In 2006, Marbury was at the height of his fame and could have priced the shoe significantly higher, on par with his NBA peers. While appearing on the Maxed Out podcast, Marbury told host Vernon Maxwell what led to his decision.
“I mean $14.98, access for all people who couldn’t afford. My mom, seven kids, she couldn’t afford to do it. We grew up on food stamps, WIC, everything like everybody from the hood. But, I understood the importance of giving back, making sure that we created something that people would be able to attach themselves to,” he said.
Back in April, Marbury spoke to fellow NBA player Carmelo Anthony on his 7 PM In Brooklyn podcast. He reminded Anthony about the Starbury line’s success. According to him, the shoe sold millions in its short time in production.
Marbury marks the violence that accompanied luxury products as a reason to keep costs low, making sure there was an ample supply to go around, even to people living under the poverty line.
”I did Starbury. I did more numbers than Michael Jordan selling shoes. During this time, when you talk about enlightenment, I was having out-of-body experiences because I was seeing Black Parents who looked like me, who didn’t have ideal situations, where they couldn’t afford to buy shoes, leave spending 200 dollars, walking out with, like, ten bags.”
In 2015, the entrepreneur called out Michael Jordan and Nike for the steep markups of its products. The proclamation came when Marbury was attempting to revive the Starbury shoe line after the company filed for bankruptcy in 2009, according to MSN.
“Jordan has been robbing the hood since. Kids dying over shoes, and the only face this dude makes is I don’t care. The times will change,” he posted on X.
The Jordan brand had yet to take a hit. According to Sportico, the shoe is projected to hit $7 billion dollars in sales in 2024.
The original Starbury’s are being sold on EBay for $325, Marbury would possibly frown at the knowledge.
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