Nike and Under Armour are both considered the top companies in the shoe industry. Nike has been the sole winner in the market for decades, but with the rise of popularity on Under Armour, Nike is now facing legit competition.

Nike has the largest number of devoted fans with their enormous research and development budget on their shoes. Under Armour has also been making waves in the basketball shoe market, and they have managed to release a number of high-demand basketball shoes.

Nike has the most prominent NBA superstars on its roster of endorsers and created the modern basketball shoe business model with the release of Air Jordan I in 1984.

Under Armour has also signed a number of young NBA players to be its endorsers. Sure, it still has quite a way to go before catching up with Nike in terms of market share.

Think of Nike as Amazon, and Under Armour as eBay. eBay is way behind Nike, but they are #2 in the marketplace.

Nike vs Under Armour Verdict

• Overall Quality: It is neck and neck, a tie.
• Design: Nike wins if you’re a collector of limited editions
• Price: Under Armour has a much better price than Nike
• Size Fit: Both brands run small. Nike tends to run narrow & Under Armour has normal widths.
• Cushioning: Both are great. The best is Nike Lebron 17.
• Upper: Both brands have great upper.
• Traction: Both are great, Nike has a slight advantage with the PG series.
• Market Share: Nike wins by far.
• NBA Players Endorsement. Nike wins by far.

Under Armour without a doubt is an up-and-coming force in basketball shoes to be reckoned with. Sometimes people ask if Nike owns Under Armour.

Under Armor shoes are mostly made in Asia. Amongst the Asian countries, China has the biggest production at approximately 20%. The rest are meeting other Asian countries including Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia in Philippines.

Related: Where are Jordan’s Made?

Nike does not own Under Armour. Nike has bought numerous apparel before, but most have been sold since then. Nike currently only owns Converse and Jordan Brand.

Related: What Companies are Owned by Nike?

Let’s take a look at how Under Armour and its basketball shoes stack up against those from Nike. We will also take a quick side trip and see how Under Armour basketball shoes compared to those from another big name in the market: Adidas.

The name of this rookie was Michael Jordan. The name of his line of shoes was Air Jordan.

Nike released the first Air Jordan basketball shoe, Air Jordan I, in 1984. It had hoped to reach a sales goal of $3 million by the end of year 4. It ended up selling $126 million’s worth of Air Jordan I in year 1.

Air Jordan I was the shoe that transformed basketball shoes from mere athletic equipment into fashion statements, cultural icons, and collector’s items. Before Air Jordan I, basketball shoes was something you wear to play basketball. After Air Jordan I, they became something you would wear to school, to the mall, to everywhere.

This transformation expanded Nike’s potential market size by many times. It also turned Nike from a small upstart living in the shadow of giants such as Adidas into the undisputed juggernaut in basketball shoes.

Compared to Nike’s storied history, Under Armour is an upstart, just like Nike was back in 1984. Under Armour was founded in 1996 as a maker of quick-drying athletic t-shirts made from sweat-wicking synthetic fabric.

The company started branching out into other athletic markets. In 2011, Under Armour debuted its first basketball shoe collection. Since then its basketball shoe business has been steadily increasing.

Related: Top 25 Best Basketball Shoes for Guards | Forwards | Centers

Nike vs Under Armour Design

Design is very subjective. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that. But Nike does have an advantage here by the sheer variety of its shoe models. You are more likely to find a design you like from Nike than from Under Armour, just due to the simple fact that Nike offers far more designs to choose from.

Nike is also the more design-focused company among the two. It offers unusual designs and colorways such as the Kyrie 5 SpongeBob SquarePants or KD 13 Funk 2K Gamer Exclusive. You will not find designs like that from Under Armour.

Design Verdict: If you are a collector or a fan of limited edition shoes, Nike will probably be more to your liking. Otherwise, both Nike and Under Armour offer very good-looking shoes.

Nike vs Under Armour Price

Category	Nike Shoes (Price Range)	Under Armour Shoes (Price Range)
Running Shoes	$65-$200	$80-$160
Training Shoes	$70-$200	$60-$130
Basketball Shoes	$80-$200	$70-$170
Lifestyle Shoes	$50-$200	$70-$160
Outdoor Shoes	$80-$200	$70-$150

Nike has dozens of basketball shoe models and countless colorways on the market at any given time. In 2020, its biggest selling models include Air Jordan XXXIV, Lebron 17, KD 13, PG 4, Kyrie 6, Zoom Freak, and Nike Air Zoom UNVRS FlyEase. The breadth of product offerings from Nike is truly unparalleled.

Under Armour has a much more limited product range. Its biggest sellers include Steph Curry’s signature shoes: UA Curry 7 and UA SC 3ZERO III. UA Lockdown 4 is also a popular model.

Pricing is another place where Nike and Under Armour differ significantly.

Nike’s pricing is decidedly upscale and has been a target of criticism for a long time. Nike Adapt BB 2.0 carries an astounding list price of $400. LeBron 17 “Graffiti” sells for $225, Air Jordan XXXIV sells for $180.

Under Armour, on the other hand, takes a more down-to-earth (well, relatively) approach to pricing. Its most expensive basketball shoe, UA Curry 7, sells for $140. UA SC 3ZERO III sells for $90, UA Lockdown 4 sells for $65.

Price Verdict: Nike basketball shoes are significantly more expensive than those from Under Armour.

Nike is also seen as more of a collectible brand, which also contributes to Nike’s higher prices. Are the higher prices justified? You have to decide for yourself. Under Armour’s lower prices do not mean lower quality. In General, the materials and build quality of Under Armour basketball shoes are on par with that of Nike shoes.

Nike vs Under Armour Fit

Nike shoes are notorious for running small. This has become such conventional wisdom that it is common for people to suggest getting at least 1 size bigger when it comes to buying Nike shoes. For example, if you normally wear a size 10 for brands such as Adidas and New Balance, consider getting at least a size 11 if you are buying a Nike shoe. Sometimes, you might even have to go up by a size and a half, getting a size 11.5 in this case.

Of course, not all Nike models run small. Some models, such as Nike Air Max and Nike Dunks, have a true-to-size fit. Whether a Nike shoe runs small or fits true to size really depends on the shoe model and the wearer’s size and preference.

Related: List of Nike Shoes That Run Big | Small | True To Size

Under Armour shoes are also known to run small. One main difference between the two is that while Nike shoes are known to run narrow, Under Armour shoes typically come with normal widths.

If you have wide feet, you may want to avoid Nike shoes altogether. On the other hand, Under Armour shoes will typically work for wide feet. You just need to go up by 1 size or 1 size and a half.

Size Verdict: Both Nike and Under Armour shoes tend to run small. Nike shoes also run narrow while Under Armour shoes typically have normal widths.

Nike vs Under Armour Cushioning

Cushioning is very important in basketball shoes. The game of basketball can be very harsh on your feet and knees. All the jumping, sprinting, cutting, and stopping on a dime put enormous stress on your bones and ligaments. Basketball players frequently suffer from foot and knee injuries such as plantar fasciitis, stress fractures, ACL tears, and ankle sprains. A basketball shoe with good cushioning can help prevent that.

Nike created the airbag-like cushioning technology Nike Air in 1977. Initially, it was used in running shoes but eventually, it found its way into Nike’s basketball shoes. The original Air Jordan I featured a Nike Air unit in its heel.

In 1987, Nike Air was upgraded to Max Air which featured a bigger and visible airbag for improved cushioning. To this day, Max Air is still found in many Nike basketball shoes.

In 1995, Nike released Zoom Air, which added a series of high tension, tightly stretched polyester fibers to an airbag for extra impact absorption, and to snap the airbag back into position after it is compressed.

Nike is not limited to just airbag-based cushioning technologies. It also offers foam-based cushioning. In 2017 it launched Nike React, a new foam material for cushioning. Nike React manages to provide soft impact absorption and stability support at the same time, perfect for protecting basketball players given their need to change direction and speed at the blink of an eye.

Related: Top 8 Best Running Shoe Brands that are Trusted by the Public

Lebron 17

Nike Lebron is known for its exceptional cushioning. Lebron 17 features a huge Max Air unit at the heel and 2 maximum volume 15mm Zoom Air pods in the forefoot in addition to a soft React foam midsole. That is about as much cushioning as you will find anywhere today in a basketball shoe.

Related: Our Lebron 17 Review

Kyrie 6

Other Nike models take a less extreme approach to cushion. For example, Kyrie 6 comes with a Zoom Air Turbo unit under the ball of the foot plus a lightweight foam for cushioning. This combo provides less cushioning than Lebron 17 but offers the benefits of lighter weight and a better court feel. That is a trade-off many people would be willing to make.

Related: Our Kyrie 6 Review

Like Nike, Under Armour has its own proprietary techs for cushioning. Charged Cushioning is an EVA-based foam that provides more or less the typical amount of cushioning you would expect from the industry-standard EVA foam.

For newer shoe models, Charged is being replaced by HOVR which is a new foam formula that is lighter and more durable.

Micro G is a high-energy return, low compression foam that is 30% thinner than similar foams on the market. Micro G is particularly suitable for basketball shoes as its thinness gives basketball players a better court feel.

Typically, Under Armour basketball shoes utilize a combination of these cushioning techs. For example, UA Curry 7 comes with HOVR plus Micro G cushioning.

UA SC 3ZER0 III features Micro G foam together with the industry standard EVA foam.

Cushioning Verdict: If you need the maximum amount of protection and cushioning, you can’t go wrong with Nike Lebron 17. Otherwise, most Nike and Under Armour basketball shoes have a comparable amount of cushioning. You will be happy with either.

Nike vs Under Armour Upper

The upper of a basketball shoe determines how form-fitting, breathable, and supportive the shoe is going to be.

Most Nike basketball shoes feature a synthetic or mesh upper that is both breathable and supportive. Some, like Lebron 17, come with a knitted upper based on Flyknit. Flyknit is a Nike proprietary knitting tech that knits high-strength fibers into a lightweight, form-fitting, and virtually seamless shoe uppers. The resultant upper wraps the wearer’s entire foot in an anatomically precise way, leading to improved support, fit, and breathability.

Under Armour basketball shoes typically come with uppers that are made with synthetic leather and/or TPU skins. They are comparable in breathability and fit to Nike uppers.

Upper Verdict: Nike vs Under Armour Upper is a tie.

Nike vs Under Armour Traction

Both Nike and Under Armour basketball shoes are typically equipped with rubber outsoles. That is not a surprise as rubber is pretty much the industry standard for sneaker soles due to its durability and traction on smooth surfaces.

But traction is not just determined by the material of the outsole. The tread pattern on the outsole also plays a part. Each shoe model has its own tread pattern. In general, various tread patterns from various shoe models perform more or less on par with each other. The exceptions are Nike PG 3 and PG 4. They offer substantially better traction than most other shoe models. The outsole of PG 3 is covered in tiny rubber suction cups. These cups grip onto the ground like the suckers on an Octopus’s arms. PG 4 has a circular tread pattern that is just as grippy as that of PG 3.

Traction Verdict: Nike PG 3 and PG 4 offer the best traction you will find anywhere. Other Nike shoe models and Under Armour models are comparable in terms of traction.

Nike vs Under Armour Transition with Slips Stats

Below are two tables that showcase the test results of Nike vs Under Armour done by Iowa State University, on slipping while players transitioned from one movement to another.

Nike vs Under Armour: Transitions with Slipping

	Under Armour Lockdown	Nike Hyperdunk
Transitions with slipping	25	36
Percentage of transitions with slipping	34%	49%

Nike vs Under Armour: Transitions with Severe Slips

	Under Armour Lockdown	Nike Hyperdunk
Transitions with severe slips	2	6
% of transitions with severe slips	3%	8%

The amount of slip also depended on the movement athletes were completing. For the most part, Under Armour Lockdown shoes performed with fewer slips in the study, but on a full-court sprint, they tied with the Nike Hyperdunks, and the Under Armour shoes actually had quite a bit more slips than the Nike shoes on a sprint to backpedal movement.

Movement	Under Armour	Nike
Sprint to Sprint- Free Throw Length	50%	70%
Sprint to Sprint- Half Court Length	60%	100%
Sprint to Sprint- Full Court Length	40%	40%
Shuffle to Shuffle- Across the Lane	52%	84%
Sprint to Back Pedal	20%	0%
Back Pedal to Shuffle	0%	0%
Shuffle to Sprint	0%	0%
Sprint to Sprint- Around a Cone	0%	20%

Nike vs Under Armour Overall Quality

Nike has long been known for its technological innovations in athletic shoes. Its Nike Air airbag technology, debuted all the way back in 1978, can be considered the very first blockbuster athletic shoe technology in history. In a sense, Nike Air blazed the way for all the other proprietary shoe techs that came after it – ASICS Gel, Adidas Boost, Nike Lunarlon, Nike React, Under Armour HOVR, Under Armour HOVR, New Balance Fresh Foam, and more.

More than 40 years after the launch of Air, Nike is still as focused on technology and quality as ever. Its basketball shoes are well constructed and filled to the bream with cutting-edge technologies.

The Lebron 18’s full-length Zoom Air unit and Max Air in the heel provide one of, if not the best cushioning you will find anywhere in a basketball shoe. The Air Jordan XXXV provides lightweight lockdown and stability through the Eclipse 2.0 plate and Flywire technology. The Jordan React Elevation leverages Nike React foam under the heel to offer highly responsive cushioning without sacrificing impact protection.

As a company specializing in performance athletic shoes and apparel, Under Armour creates basketball shoes that are every bit as technologically advanced as those from Nike. Its HOVR cushioning tech is widely praised by critics and users alike for its comfort and protection. Flow, Under Armour’s next-gen cushioning tech and the follow-up to HOVR, manages to achieve high energy return and high impact protection at the same time, the holy grail of basketball shoe cushioning.

When it comes to making their shoes, both Nike and Under Armour outsource their manufacturing to 3rd-party factories mostly in Asia. In general, basketball shoes from these two companies are similarly well-made in terms of construction and craftsmanship. Between the two, Nike basketball shoes tend to use slightly more premium materials, but that is mostly because Nike shoes also tend to carry a higher price tag.

Quality Verdict: In terms of Quality, it is a tie. You will find both Nike and Under Armour basketball shoes to be generally high quality.

Under Armour vs Adidas

Adidas has an even longer history than Nike, having been founded in 1949. It is the second-largest footwear company in the world after Nike, selling $13 billion’s worth of shoes in 2018. That is less than Nike’s $22 billion but still much more than Under Armour’s $1 billion.

Adidas’s endorser roster, while not as star-studded as Nike, also surpasses that of Under Armour’s. Adidas endorsers include NBA superstars Damian Lillard, James Harden, and Donovan Mitchell. The signature shoes of these 3 players, Dame, Harden, and D.O.N., constitute the mainstay of Adidas’ basketball shoe offering.

Price-wise, Adidas is on the same level as Under Armour: most shoes are priced between $70 and $140.

Adidas developed a micro capsule-based foam cushioning tech called Boost. It combines the softness and comfort of EVA foam with the energy return and durability of TPU foam. Boost can be found in the midsoles of some Adidas basketball shoes such as Zoneboost.

More recently in 2018, Adidas created a basketball-specific cushioning tech called Lightstrike, a midsole foam that is extremely lightweight. Lightstrike can be found in newer Adidas models such as N3XT L3V3L, Harden Vol. 4, and Dame 6.

Uppers, outsoles, and traction of Adidas basketball shoes are comparable to that of Under Armour.

What sets Adidas apart from Under Armour is its design. Among the 3 shoe companies, Adidas is probably the most fashion-forward. Models such as N3XT L3V3L, Dame 6, and Harden Vol. 4 are truly eye-catching and beautiful. In comparison, Under Armour’s designs tend to be more conventional.

Nike vs Under Armour vs Adidas Market Shares

In the shoe market, Nike remains by far the largest player. Selling more than $22 billion’s worth of shoes in FY 2018. Under Armour lags far behind Nike, managing to sell a total of a bit more than $1 billion’s worth of shoes in FY 2018.

This is hardly a surprise as Nike remains the biggest name in the business. It has the most influential brand, the largest number of shoe models, and the biggest NBA superstars as its endorsers. In comparison, Under Armour is more of a niche player in basketball shoes.

The story of Nike began in Oregon. In 1964, University of Oregon athlete Phil Knight and his coach Bill Bowerman formed a company to import Japanese sneakers from Onitsuka Tiger (maker of ASICS shoes) and to sell the sneakers at track meets out of the back of Knight’s car. A few years later, they stopped reselling shoes from Onitsuka Tiger and launched their own brand of sneakers – Nike.

For years after its founding, Nike was mainly known as a running shoe company. In 1984, everything changed. That year, a basketball player from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was drafted third overall by the Chicago Bulls of the NBA.

This rookie was determined to sign with Adidas to be an endorser of their basketball shoes. He had no interest in talking to a mere running shoe company such as Nike. However, his mom intervened and made him to go meet with Nike. To seal the deal, Nike offered this rookie $250,000, several times more than even the biggest NBA superstars were getting at that time. As part of the deal, he would also get his own line of basketball shoes.

Related: Does Nike Make Good Running Shoes? Facts & Comparison Chart

Nike vs Under Armour vs Adidas Athlete Endorsement

A core part of the basketball shoe business model is athlete endorsers. In this arena, Nike remains the peerless heavyweight champion.

Nike has sponsorship deals with dozens of players in the NBA, including the most prominent superstars such as the late Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and the rookie phenom Zion Williamson.

And then there is, of course, the one and only Michael Jordan, who remains the top-selling endorser for Nike after more than 3 decades.

In comparison, Under Armour is a featherweight in the endorsement game. It has signed a total of 4 NBA players, 3 of which are mid-tier non-stars. But the 4^th one turns out to be Under Armour’s saving grace: 2-time MVP and 3-time champion Steph Curry, the consensus greatest shooter of all time. Originally, Steph Curry was signed to Nike. But that was before he broke out into stardom.

In 2013, in a disastrous negotiation with Curry to renew his endorsement deal, Nike’s representative mispronounced Curry’s name and showed Curry a PowerPoint presentation that featured the name of another NBA player – Kevin Durant’s. Nike also refused to give Curry a signature shoe. All this disrespect by Nike gave Under Armour an opening.

Curry jumped ship from Nike and signed with Under Armour in 2013. Shortly after that, he broke out to become one of the biggest stars in the NBA. He won back-to-back NBA MVP awards in 2015 and 2016, as well as 3 championships in 2015, 2017, and 2018.

Finally, Under Armour had a bona fide superstar on its roster. To this day, Curry’s signature shoes remain the cornerstone of Under Armour’s basketball shoe business.

NBA Players with signature shoes get 5% royalty from shoes sales.

• NBA players with Under Armour Signature Shoes: Steph Curry, Joel Embiid
• NBA players with Nike Signature Shoes: LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Paul George,
• NBA players with adidas Signature Shoes: James Harden, Derrick Rose, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell

Both brands make high-quality and good-looking basketball shoes. Nike is by far the biggest and probably the most technology-focused. It also offers a large number of limited editions. If you are a collector or a basketball shoe nerd, you’ll probably like Nike. But it is the most expensive.

Under Armour offers high-quality shoes at a substantially lower price point than Nike. If you are looking for a good value and you prefer a more conventional look, Under Armour is your brand.

Adidas also comes in at a price point similar to that of Under Armour. It is the most fashion-forward of the 3. So for those who want a bolder design at a good price, look no further than Adidas.

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