Exclusive: Why Andre Drummond’s Stria Sport venture is a ‘dream’ turned into reality

ATLANTA, GA – It’s bigger than basketball for Andre Drummond.

As a two-time NBA All-Star and four-time rebounding leader, the Philadelphia 76ers’ center has accomplished several accolades throughout his career. In 2014, he signed an endorsement deal with Jordan Brand and nearly stayed with the company for a decade. Throughout that time, he didn’t have a signature sneaker, which is something he manifested when he was younger.

“As a kid, I would draw sneakers of just things I would like to see, like being the face of Nike,” Drummond said in an exclusive interview with Clutch Points. “At the age of, like, 10 years old, I’m drawing Nike solutions on shoes that I created. Just fantasizing my idols and people I grew up watching, seeing them have their signature shoe. Being a guy who loved Jordan and got to be a part of Jordan Brand for many years.

“That was like a dream come true for me, too. I’m like, ‘One day, I want to be able to do something similar on my own scale.’”

14 years later, and that dream has turned into a reality.

Drummond recently announced his new venture with Stria Sport, founded by Eric Porter, where he’ll not only have his own signature sneaker but also will hold the title of “Creative Director” and have equity in the company.

After his deal with Jordan was coming to an end, he was looking for another brand to work with in 2022. He happened to be scrolling on social media when he saw athlete and family friend, Xavier Rathan-Mayes, playing in some sneakers that caught his eye.

“I’m like ‘D—, these [are] kind of hard,'” Drummond said. “So I reached out, and Eric got back to me right away and was like, ‘Hey, man, we’re just starting out a new company. We’re not really ready to sign a player like yourself right now, so give us a few years, and we’ll come back and revisit if you’re still a free agent.'”

Drummond hadn’t signed with anybody. He was still a free agent and wearing several different sneakers during his time with the Chicago Bulls and 76ers.  Then, Porter reached back out last June. Not only did he offer to sign Drummond to Stria Sport, but he also offered to give him ownership, a signature shoe, and equity in the company.

It was a no-brainer for Drummond.

“Not only am I doing this to have my own signature shoe, but to have equity in the company, to have creative direction of the company, of what I want to see. It was a no-brainer,” Drummond said. “So I was super excited to do it. We ironed out the paperwork. Took us a few months to get the paperwork done, but we figured out what was best for both sides of the party, and here we are today. Things are off to the races.”

Andre Drummond is looking to build a legacy

Drmmond knows how the business works. Companies will call and tell you that they’ll reach back out when the time is right, then you’ll never hear from them again. Eric was different in that regard.

“Just to have [Eric] reach out and me not reach out to him really shows the seriousness of how much belief he had in my vision of what I wanted to see. Not for myself, but what I saw for the company.”

Stria Sport was a match made in heaven for Drummond. He’s able to work side by side with somebody who actually played the game and knows what it’s like to have a good basketball shoe on their foot. For Drummond, he’s worn three of the biggest brands for most of his career, but it’s always been something else he’s reaching for.

“Of course, I’m excited about the signature shoe, but for me, I’m thinking about the future and what this company could look like,” Drummond said. “I’m thinking about my kids and what they can do for this company, like having something of their own. Not so many people can walk around school and say, ‘Hey, my dad owns a sneaker company.’ I get to have that creative direction. I can make my own shoe if I want to, essentially. I’m thinking about the next generation of passing this down to my kids, and they pass it down to their siblings as well, too.”

“It’s so much bigger than me. It’s bigger than basketball. It’s bigger than all of us. I want to create a shoe and build a company that is athlete-based.”

Everyone knows about the top players who had a hand in making their own signature sneakers. Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, and James Harden are just a few. These are some of the people that Drummond grew up watching, playing against, and building friendships with.

“Seeing them have their own shoe, I wanted that to be me one day. Obviously, it’s later in my career, and obviously, where I was seven years ago is different than where I am now, which is why I say this is so much bigger than basketball. This is creating something that is athlete-based, that everybody can know and love.”

No matter how long it took him, Drummond will be able to put his name in conversations with athletes who have their own signature sneaker. That’s something not only he’s proud of, but his kids and the younger generation can see and want to aspire to do.

It was all a dream for Drummond at first, but now he’s living in it.

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