Nate Robinson: Marketing of a dunk champ

March 25, 5:29 PMSeattle Basketball ExaminerZac Kaplan

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Nate Robinson at the Nike billboard unveiling

After having won the title for the second time, Nate Robinson is reaping the benefits of dunk champion.

Little-old Nate is now a giant. Just ask Nike. He became the figure to replace LeBron James on the Nike billboard that towers 42nd Street and 7th Avenue in central Manhattan. The slogan reads: Leaps Tall Centers.

Nate’s creativity and marketing prowess, not that unlike LeBron, has catapulted him to new heights. No pun intended.

He is a marketing dream. When he laced up those Krypto-Nikes wearing that adidas Knicks St. Patty’s Day jersey and flushed over Dwight Howard, who do you think applauded most? Nike. adidas.

Days after the dunk contest, eBay’s elite signed on to bid on what the seller claimed to be the kicks worn by Nate Robinson in the 2009 dunk competition. The actual shoes were allegedly auctioned to the tune of $22,300 by an upstanding member of the eBay community - eBay id: BABOOOSE. A day later, Nate was on Letterman wearing the shoes. The seller quickly ended his auction with no buyer. The shoes did eventually sell for $9,200.

The message was clear. The demand was there. adidas and the NBA began producing green Knicks tees with Krypto-Nate written on the back in honor of the dunk champ. That campaign was soon pulled due to some copyright infringements with DC Comics. Apparently, the shirt was a little too close to the Superman storyline. But now the NBA is working with DC Comics to create a Krypto-Nate/Superman theme.

And just a few days ago, Nike issued 48 pairs of the famed Foamposite “Krypto-Nate” Lite shoes at House of Hoops in Harlem. Nate was on hand to sign each pair. Of course eBay sellers got their hands on a few pairs; they’re running from $1,000 to $4,000.

His jersey sales rank ahead of any other active Knicks player. Kids can identify with the short guy. Tickets are selling. Fans fill Madison Square Garden hoping to get a glimpse of what was seen in Phoenix during All-Star weekend. And Nate has not disappointed. Since the All-Star break, he’s averaging over 25 points per game and is a serious candidate for Sixth Man of the Year.