Have you ever wondered what the net worth of AND1 is? The company started out back in 1993 and was a hit in the 90s.
The owners have been quite successful in their careers and made millions of dollars from the shoe company.
As of May 2023, AND1 has a net worth of $140 million. Today, we’ll share the story behind AND1 and how it became a household name in basketball shoes.
Table of Contents
Early Days
Seth Berger, Jay Coen Gilbert, and Tom Austin started their clothing company AND1 from the trunk of a car in 1993. The entrepreneurs were still students at the University of Pennsylvania when they started selling t-shirts.
The t-shirts featured the renowned faceless hooper with several basketball slogans like “Pass, Save Yourself The Embarrassment” and trash talk lines. Essentially, they were targeting young, impressionable basketball enthusiasts.
Once they began selling hundreds and hundreds of t-shirts, they caught the attention of Foot Locker. So, after almost two years, the company’s products were made available to the public in 1,500 stores in the USA.
They later collaborated with Stephon Marbury, who became their spokesperson. The collaboration was successful, and they dove headfirst into the basketball sneakers category.
Success
Once AND1 got into the shoe industry, there was no stopping them. They used a fresh new batch of basketball players to advertise for them, like Miles Simon, Toby Bailey, and Darrell Armstrong.
AND1 stumbled for a while in the beginning with their marketing strategies and television commercials. However, they quickly got the ball rolling again when they took a unique approach to their brand.
In late 1998, AND1 received a videotape full of streetball stunts and hip-hop music from a high school coach in New York.
The moves in the videotape were performed by none other than Rafer Alston (also known as Skip to my Lou), who was a streetball player.
Liking what they saw, AND1 edited the tape and distributed around 50,000 digital copies across America.
The tape became an instant hit with basketball fans and was dubbed the “Skip Tape” in reference to Alston’s nickname.
With all the hard work they put into their brand, AND1 became the second-largest basketball brand in America after Nike.
In 2005, the business was sold to American Sporting Goods and later sold to Brown Shoe Company. By August 2011, AND1 was sold to Galaxy Brands.
Downfall
Unfortunately for AND1, their fame came and went all too quickly.
It wasn’t just because of the major competition in the market with Adidas and Nike, but it seemed that various NBA players were upset with them.
Apparently, they felt that AND1 was simply using them to make more money and grow without giving back enough. So, many of the players didn’t feel like they were treated fairly, which led to arguments with company officials and tour managers.
However, the final blow to the brand came when one of the founders, Tom Austin, decided to leave because of his health problems.
Austin was in charge of the company’s creative division, coming up with new shoe and product designs.
So, when he decided to leave, both Seth Berger and Jay Coen Gilbert decided to sell the company before it lost all its value.
The story behind the company is so inspiring that there’s a Netflix documentary series titled “Untold: The Rise and Fall of AND1.”
AND1 Net Worth 2023
As of May 2023, AND1 has a net worth of $140 million. The company had a great start with a strong foundation, but, sadly, it didn’t last long enough.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is AND1 owned by Nike?
No, Nike doesn’t own AND1. Galaxy Brands owns the brand.
2. Does AND1 still exist?
Yes, AND1 still exists, but under different ownership.
3. Do any NBA players wear AND1 shoes?
Various NBA players wear AND1 shoes, including Jevon Carter, Norman Powell, and Terence Davis.
Key Takeaways
Get Creative
One of the main things that put AND1 on the map was the release of its Skip mixtapes.
Such a unique concept helped the brand gain popularity among street basketball players and basketball enthusiasts.
Plan Ahead
Even though the company was still fairly successful and making money, Tom Austin had to step away from the brand due to his health issues. Unfortunately, his absence hurt AND1, and the two founders quickly sold it off.
However, had they planned ahead, they would’ve still been able to run the company.
Be Persistent
AND1’s success was due to the fact that they didn’t give up even when the company was struggling.
They continued to work hard and create new ways to bring their brand to the forefront of basketball culture.
If they had given up, AND1 wouldn’t have become the iconic brand we know today.