Damian Lillard's Insole Brand Grew From $1.2M to $8M in Sales in Three Years

Move Insoles, the sports-performance brand NBA guard Damian Lillard started with sports marketing executive Nate Jones, brought in $8 million last year, more than six times its 2022 total of $1.2 million, according to Black Enterprise, citing Inc. The insoles now sit in roughly 560 Dick's Sporting Goods stores. Jones estimates about 25 NBA teams use them, and athletes including A'ja Wilson and CeeDee Lamb wear them with no paid endorsement deal, the report says. Lillard got the idea from his own foot injuries, and Jones pulled together podiatrists, shoe designers, materials experts and players to build the line; Lillard still tests all four models. Growth came with headaches. A $120,000 first month with no marketing caught the team short on inventory and drove up shipping costs, and tariffs and rising factory costs followed, Black Enterprise reports. Next up is an official partnership with NBATA, the association for NBA athletic trainers. The money lesson: fast demand is great, but plan cash and stock for success before it shows up.