Key Factors
- After combating foot points, Damian Lillard launched Transfer, a high-performance insole model, now a rising participant within the $6 billion market.
- Transfer launched in 2021, surpassing $1 million in gross sales inside a yr, with NBA star Chris Paul becoming a member of as an investor to spice up credibility.
- The sneaker insole market is ready to develop past $8.5 billion by 2032, positioning Transfer as a serious participant in efficiency footwear expertise.
For Damian Lillard, success isn’t simply measured by what occurs on the courtroom. The nine-time NBA All-Star, recognized for his deep-range taking pictures and clutch performances, has at all times understood that longevity—whether or not in basketball or enterprise—takes greater than uncooked expertise. Now, as one of many world’s highest-paid athletes, he’s remodeling the $6 billion sneaker insole market together with his efficiency model, Move.
Lillard’s journey from damage to innovation
Lillard’s entry into the enterprise world wasn’t some grand plan—it was born out of necessity. Again in faculty at Weber State, a damaged bone in his proper foot sidelined him for a lot of the 2010-11 season. Docs prescribed stiff orthotics to assist, however they solely made issues worse. “They had been too stiff for me, they had been arduous on my toes,” Lillard recollects. “That assist has at all times been wanted, I simply haven’t been capable of finding something that labored.”
Even after making it to the NBA, foot issues didn’t go away. He handled flat toes and spent two years battling painful plantar fasciitis, however nothing appeared to assist. Then, in early 2020, his agent and enterprise accomplice, Nate Jones, floated an thought: Why not create an insole that truly works? The suggestion caught with Lillard, and similar to that, Transfer was born.
Transfer’s insoles mix efficiency, consolation, and assist
Transfer began with a transparent and easy aim: to present athletes and on a regular basis customers high-performance insoles that present actual assist with out compromising consolation.
Lillard put the primary prototypes to the check throughout coaching for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, and the distinction was instant. “As soon as I attempted Transfer, it was simply higher,” he says. “I used to be shocked at how tender it was, how snug it felt, and that I didn’t really feel like my shoe was too stiff.”
When Transfer formally launched in late 2021 with a direct-to-consumer mannequin, it pulled in over $100,000 in its first month. By the next yr, gross sales had already surpassed $1 million. It wasn’t simply Lillard who believed in it—NBA veteran Chris Paul joined as an investor, additional solidifying Transfer’s credibility within the sports activities world.
At the moment, it presents 4 core insole choices: Recreation Day ($49.99) and Recreation Day Professional ($64.99) for skilled athletes, All Day ($49.99) for on a regular basis put on, and Baseline ($29.99) for reasonably priced however efficient assist. Transfer has additionally expanded into accessories, together with Transfer Socks ($12.99), Transfer Drawstring Baggage ($5.99), and Lasso Efficiency Compression Crew Socks ($24.99).
Sneaker insole market poised for progress
What began as a product for athletes is now reaching a much wider viewers—anybody who spends lengthy hours on their toes. The worldwide sneaker insole market, valued at $6 billion, is projected to surpass $8.5 billion by 2032 as extra customers search for methods to boost efficiency and stop accidents.
For Lillard, Transfer isn’t nearly promoting insoles—it’s about shifting the best way individuals take into consideration foot well being. “Any basketball participant will let you know, the best way your toes really feel once you step on the courtroom is every little thing,” he explains. “Once I put these in my footwear, the best way it hugged my foot and nonetheless let me transfer naturally made an enormous distinction.”
Balancing enterprise and basketball
Regardless of his rising enterprise ventures, Lillard stays locked in on his NBA profession. After 11 seasons with the Portland Path Blazers, he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2023, becoming a member of forces with two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. His first season in Milwaukee noticed the workforce rack up 49 wins earlier than an early playoff exit, however his influence on and off the courtroom was plain.
His strategy to enterprise mirrors the best way he performs—strategic, disciplined, and at all times pondering forward. In 2023-24, he earned $63.6 million, with $45.6 million from basketball and $18 million from endorsements and enterprise ventures. The following season, he pulled in $61.9 million, together with his Adidas signature shoe line—Dame 9—rating among the many firm’s prime NBA sellers.
Nonetheless, Lillard is aware of his time within the NBA received’t final eternally, and he’s already laying the muse for long-term success past basketball. With Transfer persevering with to realize traction in a booming market, it has the potential to change into a dominant power in efficiency footwear expertise.
“Basketball gave me a platform, however enterprise is about legacy,” Lillard says. “Transfer isn’t nearly me—it’s about serving to individuals carry out at their greatest, whether or not they’re enjoying within the NBA or simply getting by way of a protracted day on their toes.” He’s additionally paying it ahead. Transfer has donated 1000’s of insoles to younger athletes, ensuring that the subsequent era has entry to the identical high-quality gear that professionals depend on.
