Athletes That Shook Up the Sneakersphere in 2024
While popularised by culture, sneakers are grounded in sport and innovation. All of these tenets are woven together throughout sneaker history, and each formational moment in the industry can be traced back to a point of innovative disruption that served the athlete. From Bill Bowerman’s waffle iron and Nike’s Air to adidas’ Boost and Reebok’s Pump, all these sneaker designs were spurred by the need to create something new and ended up going down in sneaker lore. Throughout the decades, the need to push the envelope has blessed sneakerheads with on-foot heat and 2024 was no different. Athletes broke the rules, ignored boundaries, and delivered shake ups within the sneakersphere that continue to move the industry and community forward. Here are the standouts of the year.
Jaylen Brown
No example better drives home the parity that exists within the basketball sneaker market than Jaylen Brown’s sneaker journey. Upon entering the league, Brown was signed with adidas and when that deal expired in 2022, he had a brief stint with PEAK before quickly parting ways. He rocked Nike sneakers after, albeit with the Swoosh logo covered up since he’s had his fair share of criticism towards the mega brand. In 2024, Jaylen Brown took matters into his own hands and rejected not only the major brands, but also the niche companies that are becoming more common and launched his own company: 741. In a market as saturated as sneakers, Brown broke the mold, set out on his own, and created a product to fit his needs. Whether the company will be successful remains to be seen but what is true is that Brown has forged a new sneaker path for himself in the NBA.
Anthony Edwards
Marketing and storytelling elevate good shoes into great shoes and adidas have taken this approach head on with the AE 1, with everything surrounding it helping make the performance model a grand slam. Propelled by Edwards’s stardom, a high-performing product, and its marketing genius, adidas have struck gold with the AE 1, something they have been searching for since Derrick Rose in the early 2010s. The debut signature has single-handedly helped adidas and Anthony Edwards make their mark the basketball marketplace, and their set up has made them successful from the very start with the original ‘With Love’ colourway selling out almost instantly. Throughout the NBA season, nearly a dozen or more signature shoes have been released or unveiled making it a difficult market to stand out in; however, Anthony Edwards and adidas have cut through the noise and risen to the top. Believe that.
Noah Lyles
The Olympics never fail to deliver some of the most memorable moments in sports, and luckily for sneakerheads, this often translates to sneakers. This year in Paris, USA sprinter Noah Lyles made waves on both the track and in sneakers. The Pokemon card-collecting sprinter not only dazzled on the track taking gold in the 100-meter dash and earning the title of World’s Fastest Man, but he also made waves in the sneaker community. Following his victory, the adidas-sponsored track athlete declared, ‘I want my own shoe, I want a sneaker. Ain’t no money in spikes.’ He’s currently the most dominant athlete in his sport, he has a loud marketable personality, and is hot off the Paris Olympics; however, the question lingering over a contract is whether track carries the staying power required to maintain a signature line. Regardless, there is no denying this assertion was a bold one and sparked discussion throughout the sneakersphere.
Ruth Chepngetich
Once a generation there rises an athlete so gifted, so dominant that their pursuit of excellence leaves their competitors in the rearview and fans watch in awe as they are treated to the performance of a lifetime. One such moment was delivered by Ruth Chepngetich at the 2024 Chicago Marathon. The Kenyan-born runner and Nike athlete maintained a blistering pace, which resulted in a world record marathon time of 2:09:56. She did it in Nike’s latest super shoe the Alphafly 3. The model is Nike’s lightest Alphafly ever, despite utilising a larger carbon fiber plate than in previous iterations and a fully connected ZoomX Foam midsole. Nike’s mission has long been to listen to ‘the voice of the athlete’ and equip them with the best tools possible through cutting-edge innovations. However, tools only take you so far if master crafters don’t use them. Only the best for the best, and in this case its Ruth Chepngetich.
Carlos Alcaraz
With 7 Wimbledon titles, Novak Djokovic is widely considered one of the greatest players on grass courts in history. Yet in 2024, a 21-year-old youngster had something to say about that. Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz entered the Wimbledon final having never won a major tournament on grass and across the net was a man who had lost very few. In the end, Alcaraz did ascend the mountain and won his first Wimbledon. Alcaraz is signed to Nike and following up this monumental victory, they dropped Alcaraz’s Player Exclusive colourway of the Zoom Vapor 11. Nike’s visitation to the vault over recent years has been discussed at length, but one thing that has remained untouched before this had been PEs, especially PEs from a major championship. The special release sold out and in doing so raised questions about whether Nike should continue releasing player exclusives or keep them in the vault.
Jordan Chiles
Even though Jordan Chiles’s sport doesn’t use sneakers (she’s a two-Olympic gymnast), she is a fashionable sneakerhead with a collection that boasts everything from GR Jordan 1s, and Pharrell x NMD Human Race, to Off-White Air Jordan 4 ‘Sail’. Her credentials are legit and Nike recognised this, tapping her to be the first to debut their new Air Max model, the Air Max Muse, earlier this year. When she stepped out to throw the first pitch at a New York Mets Game, she gave the world it’s first look at the upcoming silhouette. Debuting a shoe is an honour, one reserved for only the biggest stars and the true sneakerheads.
Nigel Sylvester
He did what?? Ain’t no way Jordan Brand let that man chop the Jordan 4… way. BMX rider Nigel Sylvester has a history with Nike, but he took his catalogue to new heights this year with his collaboration on the Air Jordan 4 RM. He not only created a buzz with the new low-cut style on the beloved Jordan 4, he also delivered one of the best marketing campaigns of the year. The promo materials feature a commercial that was shot in his childhood driveway, uses clips from his childhood, and stars Jo Marie Payton playing the part of his grandmother. When Nigel wasn’t riding his bike in the driveway, he was inside watching Family Matters with his grandma so having Jo Marie Payton in the ad is a cool connection to Nigel’s past. From restoring the feeling of childhood excitement and nostalgia for what got us all into sneakers to fundamentally changing the Jordan 4 model, Nigel made waves few can rival this year.
Caitlin Clark
She is one of the most electrifying players in basketball – when she crosses half-court she is in range. Even though Caitlin Clark has only one year of professional basketball in the books, she has cinched WNBA Rookie of the Year and is already on a Hall of Fame trajectory. She was the first rookie since 2008 to be named to the All-WNBA first team and holds multiple records. She’s also breaking records off the court, as she inked an endorsement deal with Nike this year that is the largest in women’s hoops history. Known for her three-ball and litany of Kobe Protro PEs, this partnership makes sense although it didn’t come to the Swoosh easily, as they still had to outbid other major competitors. The deal is for $28 million over 8 years, and while she is continuing to rock the , a signature sneaker is expected in the future.
Sha'Carri Richardson
Few have the it factor the way Sha’Carri does. Whether on the track or the runway, she is blistering and her athletic achievements are staggering. In 2019, she set the NCAA in the 100m, clocking a time of 10.75 seconds, in 2023, she took home the gold at the World Championships in the 100m, and in 2024, she made her Olympic debut running anchor in the 4x100 and securing a come-from-behind gold medal victory and a silver medal in the 100m. Her accomplishments in sneakers are noteworthy as well, she ran in an exclusive pair of Nike Maxfly 2 Spikes at the Paris Olympics, she was featured in the Nike x Jaquemus and Nike Air Max DN campaigns, and most recently, she debuted the Nike Air Superfly. Sha’Carri is a dynamite star and to their credit, Nike has recognised this and included her in some of their biggest roll outs of the year.
For more breakdowns on the best of 2024, head here.