Photo: Peter Baba

Draymond Green believes Big Baller Brand was judged too quickly, arguing that every sneaker company needs time to learn from its early products and make improvements.

Green defended the brand by pointing out that first-generation basketball shoes are rarely perfect.

In his view, the criticism surrounding Big Baller Brand became so intense that the company never received a normal opportunity to develop its footwear over multiple releases.

“The first pair of shoes that any sneaker brand has ever made was not the greatest pair of shoes. It’s called trial and error. It’s called learning from mistakes. Again, it goes back to the noise that is around sports today and how things are spoken about.”

According to Green, that negative attention created problems beyond criticism of the original product.

He believes the reaction made it much harder for the company to learn from its first shoe and gradually produce better versions.

“I think ultimately that had a negative effect and a negative impact on what y’all were doing because the snowball starts rolling down the mountain, and you never really truly get the chance to make two better than one, make three better than two, make four better than three. You never really get the full opportunity because of the noise around it.”

Green used one of basketball’s most iconic sneakers as an example.

While Jordan 1s remain extremely popular as lifestyle shoes, he argued that their performance as basketball footwear would be viewed much differently by modern standards.

“Think about this. You’ve probably worn a pair of Jordan 1s, just like I’ve worn a pair of Jordan 1s. One of the worst basketball shoes ever created. I love wearing Jordan 1s. It’s one of the best shoes to put on with a fit. But as far as a basketball shoe, you never see anyone playing in Jordan 1s anymore unless they’re trying to make a fashion statement.”

For Green, the comparison illustrates why an initial product should not necessarily determine the future of an entire brand. Companies need opportunities to identify weaknesses and improve with each new model.

“Guess what that was, it’s the first one. Trial and error is something we all go through, and I honestly don’t think y’all ever got the full opportunity to actually work through the errors. But needless to say, I can always respect someone for swinging for the fences.”