Last month, it was announced that Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond will be joining the Chicago-based shoe company Stria Sport as a Creative Director and Investor.
“This is something I’ve envisioned since I was a kid, being able to help create and shape something that reflects how athletes really move, compete, and express themselves. To now have the opportunity to bring those ideas to life with Stria Sport is incredibly exciting, and I can’t wait to get to work,” said Andre Drummond.
Stria Sport was founded by Eric Porter in 2021, while he was working as a real estate agent. Porter is a former college basketball player at Loyola Chicago and Lake Forest College.
According to his LinkedIn page, Stria Sport is “a performance brand founded by athletes, for athletes. Our focus was to create the most comfortable and lightweight performance shoe on the market at an affordable price. Our mission is to provide quality performance products that are accessible to the masses.”
The company has built its reputation by providing its 107 Series basketball shoe, worn by international pro basketball players from 15 countries, including Olympians Gian Clavell and Majok Deng. And of course, made NBA headlines when the news announced that the company entered into an agreement with two-time All-Star Andre Drummond.
“Andre brings a rare combination of elite experience and thoughtful perspective. Having his voice at the table strengthens everything we do”, says Stria founder Eric Porter. “But what truly made this a no-brainer was who he is off the court. From our earliest conversations, we shared a natural connection around creative ideas and a clear vision for where we want to take the brand together. We are excited to have him on our team.”
In a recent interview with Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson, Drummond expanded on his role with Stria Sport
“It’s both, 100%. I’m doing the apparel, the sneakers, and the recruiting. We actually started the recruiting process this past summer. Obviously, my main focus right now is the Philadelphia 76ers and the NBA season, so I don’t want to dive too deep into the recruitment side until the summer hits, and I can give it my full attention. But right now, I’m deeply involved in creating my signature shoe. We’re almost through the design phase; in fact, the final design call is tomorrow. We should have a physical prototype by the end of the summer.”
Drummond also spoke about what the position meant to him personally, “Honestly, man, it’s a dream come true. Every child that picks up a basketball—or even every kid playing baseball who loves the culture—just wants their own signature shoe. For me, it started with watching my idols. I saw Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant build their own brands and their own worlds. I’d see those sneakers and think, “Damn, I want that to be me one day, too.”
It took 14 years of hard work in this league to finally get here. I actually reached out to the team at Stria Sport back in 2021 when I was moving on from Jordan Brand, but at the time, they weren’t quite ready to take on professional athletes. Eric Porter told me to give him a couple of years to build the brand up, and he promised he’d come back with a real proposal. He stayed true to his word. He reached out this past June and asked if I was still a “sneaker free agent.” When he offered me the Creative Director role, equity in the company, and my own signature shoe, it was a no-brainer. This is about ownership, which is bigger than basketball. I’m thinking about my kids; I want them to have a special part of this company that I can hand down to them. It’s an opportunity to use my creative genius for things I’ve always wanted to do, both on and off the court.”
In his 14th season in the league with the Sixers, Drummond is averaging 6.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.2 assists.