{"id":706621,"date":"2026-04-09T13:45:59","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T13:45:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/706621\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T13:45:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T13:45:59","slug":"milwaukee-bucks-vet-bobby-portis-goes-grassroots-with-and1-sneaker-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/706621\/","title":{"rendered":"Milwaukee Bucks vet Bobby Portis goes grassroots with AND1 sneaker deal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis<\/a> has a Nike Kobe collection that\u2019s coveted even among the NBA\u2019s sneaker elite.<\/p>\n

It includes Undefeated collaborations with Nike<\/a> that fetch four figures on StockX, Michigan State exclusives<\/a> only seeded to the Spartans, and Black History Month colorways<\/a> that were never released at retail.<\/p>\n

For the past five seasons, Portis has played in the expensive pairs like clockwork. What the world didn\u2019t know was that Portis was no longer under contract with the footwear giant.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got cut from Nike for starting my own brand,\u201d Portis, 31, told Andscape.<\/p>\n

In 2019, the 6-foot-10 Arkansas alum launched his Underdog clothing line<\/a> of T-shirts, sandals and hats.<\/p>\n

The entrepreneurial endeavor endeared Portis to his growing online fanbase but caused behind-the-scenes friction with his longtime footwear sponsor.<\/p>\n

April’s best sneaker drops: Your guide to this month’s must-have releases \u2013 AndscapeRead now<\/a><\/p>\n

All the while, his impassioned play spoke directly to the ethos of Dexter Gordon, AND1\u2019s global brand director and head of sports marketing.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mindset is, if I were to drop this person in any hood in America, could they get busy on that streetball court?\u201d Gordon told Andscape.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Not only was Portis\u2019 game asphalt-approved, but his underserved upbringing aligned with AND1\u2019s broader approach to growing the game.<\/p>\n

Since its 1993 founding, AND1 has existed as an industry disruptor rooted in streetball and community connection.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Over the course of the \u201890s, AND1 infiltrated popular culture through its bold Trash Talk tees and inventive Mixtape series: a VHS mixtape-turned-nationwide tour that brought streetball superstars such as Rafer \u201cSkip to My Lou\u201d Alston and Philip \u201cHot Sauce\u201d Champion to local pickup games.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the guys from the Mixtape Tour should be in the Hall of Fame for what they did for basketball culture,\u201d Gordon said. \u201cAND1 took the bus into the neighborhoods. Every kid has a mixtape now with highlights and music. AND1 started that.\u201d<\/p>\n

By the 2000s, the likes of Latrell Sprewell, Chauncey Billups and Jason Williams were all wearing AND1 sneakers in NBA games. At one point, AND1 had its own ESPN reality series<\/a> and its own video game.<\/p>\n

While AND1 has remained active for 33 years, the brand has been at its best when platforming inner-city superstars the traditional basketball hierarchy has often overlooked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make basketball accessible to everyone,\u201d Gordon said. \u201cWe love everything about Bobby. He\u2019s a real humble guy who wants to give back to the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MilwaukeeA Little Rock, Arkansas, native who spent his two college seasons at the University of Arkansas, Bobby Portis was drafted 22nd overall in 2015 and has played in more than 700 career NBA games ever since. <\/p>\n

Joe Murphy\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why at All-Star Weekend in February, Portis participated in the NBA 3-point Contest, not wearing Nike Kobes but in his own AND1 sneakers.<\/p>\n

The big-stage debut came midway through a season in which Portis is averaging 13.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while shooting 45.6% from behind the arc on 4.4 attempts per game.<\/p>\n

Switching shoes may have come as a surprise to fans following Portis, a Nike athlete since his AAU ascent on the Nike EYBL circuit, but it didn\u2019t happen overnight.<\/p>\n

Finally, Bobby Portis is at peace in his NBA career \u2013 AndscapeRead now<\/a><\/p>\n

According to Gordon, conversations with AND1 began three years ago, when the Bucks\u2019 forward was representing Team USA in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d been trying to work with Bobby for a minute,\u201d Gordon said. \u201cWe like working with those guys who got it from the mud.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, Portis began his basketball journey as an unranked prospect with an unrivaled work ethic, one inspired by the grind of his single mother, Tina Edwards, who raised and supported four boys<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI lived in 18 houses growing up,\u201d Portis said. \u201cI know what being an underdog is. I live by that.\u201d<\/p>\n

That mentality, paired with his humble home base, all played into AND1\u2019s decision to align with Portis as its sole NBA ambassador for the 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were trying to find an NBA player who could connect with Walmart,\u201d Gordon said, referencing the retail giant headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas. \u201cThey love Bobby because he\u2019s from Arkansas and does a lot of community things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BobbyBobby Portis (left) and Lance Stephenson (right) pose with Dexter Gordon, AND1\u2019s global brand manager and head of sports marketing (center), at the AND1 x SLAM After-Party during NBA All-Star Weekend 2026<\/p>\n

AND1<\/p>\n

Over the past two decades, AND1 has pivoted its positioning from big-box sportswear suppliers to budget-friendly supercenters. <\/p>\n

This allows AND1 to sell $20 basketball shoes at scale to communities often overlooked by larger sneaker companies. <\/p>\n

Portis knows these communities well. He remains connected to Arkansas by hosting summer basketball camps and creating programs and initiatives for local single moms through the Bobby Portis Foundation.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody can\u2019t afford $120 sneakers,\u201d Gordon said. \u201cWe make it accessible. We\u2019re one of the only brands you\u2019ll see from Walmart to Extra Butter. We want everyone to be a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, including everyone means providing proper performance wear for Portis, an 11-year NBA veteran who plays 24 minutes per night and regularly guards both hulking big men and quick perimeter players.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe loved wearing Kobes, so we had to find a model he felt comfortable in,\u201d Gordon said. <\/p>\n

\"BobbyThe AND1 SE 4.0 PE sneakers worn by Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on March 1 in Chicago. An in-line iteration of this pair will be released sans-BP branding later this summer.<\/p>\n

Geoff Stellfox\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\"BobbyThe AND1 SE 4.0 PE sneakers worn by Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis against the Miami Heat on Feb. 24 at Fiserv Forum Center in Milwaukee. A bright blue \u201cUD\u201d logo on the tongue represents Portis\u2019 Underdog brand.<\/p>\n

Gary Dineen\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

The answer was the AND1 Racer SE 4.0, a revised retro once worn by Stephon Marbury in the 1998 NBA playoffs.<\/p>\n

The model features the upper of the original 1998 AND1 Racer and pairs it with the bottom tooling from the AND1 Attack 4. Priced at $110, the Racer is set to release in June.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe upgraded the materials and the inner workings of the shoe to make it up to date for today\u2019s player,\u201d Gordon said. \u201cHe loved it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In only three months as a forward-facing AND1 partner, Portis has debuted four player-exclusive colorways of the Racer SE 4.0. Two makeups match those of Bucks jerseys \u2014 the deep green Icons and cream-colored City Editions \u2014 while the other iterations draw on the Arkansas Razorbacks\u2019 colors in honor of Portis\u2019 alma mater.<\/p>\n

Each installment bears both \u201cBP\u201d and \u201cUnderdog\u201d tagging on the tongue, detailing the Nike Kobes that he never had.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a lot of control over how they would look and feel,\u201d Portis said. \u201cCreative control. That\u2019s big for a player.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to platforming Portis, AND1 has expanded its reach by partnering with the men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams at Wilberforce University \u2014 a historically Black university in Ohio \u2014 as well as Gratz High School in Philadelphia and Forest Hills High School in Queens, New York.<\/p>\n

Why Darius Acuff Jr. is the only bet Reebok Basketball could make \u2013 AndscapeRead now<\/a><\/p>\n

Portis is the league\u2019s lone endorser of AND1, though New York Knicks guard Jose Alvarado was recently seen<\/a> wearing an AND1 T-shirt on his way to a game. According to Gordon, the brand plans to make more waves in the WNBA and NBA soon.<\/p>\n

Across the NBA, more players are taking chances with smaller sneaker brands, both domestically and abroad, seeking greater input on product development and access to marketing resources.<\/p>\n

In 2024, Boston Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown launched 741 Performance<\/a> after his Adidas contract expired three years prior. In 2025, Philadelphia 76ers center and former MVP Joel Embiid debuted a signature shoe with Skechers<\/a> after a four-year run with Under Armour.<\/p>\n

\"MilwaukeePortis said of the process of choosing AND1 shoes to play in: \u201cI had a lot of control over how they would look and feel. Creative control. That\u2019s big for a player.\u201d<\/p>\n

Patrick McDermott\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

While Portis, who won an NBA championship with Milwaukee in 2021, does not have the individual accolades of the aforementioned names, he does carry the distinction of being a top priority at an American brand focused solely on basketball.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of guys are on merch deals with the bigger brands, and that\u2019s cool,\u201d Gordon said. \u201cBut it\u2019s a partnership with us. Now, guys are open to working with a smaller brand where they can get attention.\u201d<\/p>\n

Portis, the league\u2019s second-most accurate 3-point shooter this season, is leaning on his underdog status and Arkansas upbringing to give back while achieving his own goals.<\/p>\n

It means giving up playing in his coveted Nike Kobes on court \u2014 but perhaps having his own Underdog-branded Bobby Portis player exclusives means more.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that nowadays, it\u2019s not about being with a Nike or an Adidas,\u201d Portis said. \u201cIt\u2019s about being with somebody who lets you be you, somebody who believes in what you believe in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ian Stonebrook is a culture, sports, and music writer based in Austin, TX. For a clever second line, say what up or find him on a basketball court.<\/p>\n

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