New Balance’s secret to winning? Think like a challenger

Back on December 15th, Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg became the youngest player in NBA history to score more than 40 points in a game. It was also just the third time a teenager had 40 points, five rebounds, and five assists in the league’s 79-year history. 

The only other two players to achieve that last stat line were LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Given that elevated company, and the fact that James, Durant, and about 65% of the NBA wear Nike shoes, it is still a bit of a shock to see Flagg donning New Balance. 

The privately-owned, Massachusetts-based shoemaker has gradually built a comparatively small, but elite roster of athlete ambassadors over the past decade. Despite its size—New Balance’s 2024 sales were about $7.8 billion, compared to Nike’s $51.4B—Flagg shares the shoe brand with reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen, and Major League Baseball MVP Shohei Ohtani. Not to mention WNBA standout Cameron Brink, as well as fellow NBA stars Tyrese Maxey, Kawhi Leonard, Jamal Murray, Darius Garland, and Zack Levine. Many star in the brand’s newest ad that dropped on January 5th.

CMO Chris Davis says the goal is not to be the biggest, but to be the best, most boutique sports marketing brand in the world. “We had to find that core component of our identity that enabled us to succeed for the first 110 years of our existence,” says Davis. “And it was rooted in the idea of being the ultimate challenger brand. We always say internally that we’re a brand with heritage, not a heritage brand. A heritage brand purely relies on its past. A brand with heritage honors its past, but is obsessed with innovating into the future.”

That mentality has fueled New Balance as it’s disrupted streetwear, fashion, and sports. But as its business has grown by 20% or more in each of the past five years, the challenge now is maintaining that boutique challenger status amid the significant growth. 

Pushing forward with new design

As Flagg, Ohtani, and Allen are scoring in sports, New Balance is also able to maintain and build on its streetwear and fashion bonafides with innovative looks like the new Gator Run (a flat style trainer), and of course the snoafer (aka 1906L). Meanwhile, the Abzorb 2000 and SC Elite V5 have been named among the best sneakers of 2025. 

Davis says that the original seeds for its current star-studded athlete roster were its heritage in running combined with its ties to streetwear and sneaker culture. 

“In those early stages, it was certainly about resonating with our ascension, particularly in the streetwear space,” he says. “And then of course, it was about the trusted innovations that we’ve been putting forth in running for decades.”

Now, the driving force is the brand’s commitment to its independence and what that affords them in how they work with athletes and other collaborators.

“The fact that we are privately owned certainly facilitates a unique mindset,” says Davis. “And the fact that we don’t have to make decisions based on Wall Street or quarterly earnings reports, it enables us to take a long-term vision, build a strong foundation, and primarily to do things because we believe that they are the right thing to do, the right thing for the brand, the right thing for our people internally and the right thing for all our partners.”

The evolving brand of New Balance

He credits the brand’s independent identity with attracting the first in its wave of new athletes over the past decade. But another pillar to Davis’ athlete strategy is partnership over sponsorship. Athletes aren’t silo’d in a single sports category of basketball or tennis, but part of the brand as a whole. This is embodied in launches like the recent collab between fashion label Miu Miu and Gauff.

“We work collaboratively on everything that our major athletes touch,” he says. “So we co-author our storytelling, we co-author our product, and we co-author our business strategies together. They have a massive input on how we’re coming to market collectively. That not only enhances their sphere of influence, but it makes them more connected to our brand.”

As 2026 kicks off, the challenge facing Davies is the same as it was 12 months ago: Continued growth without sacrificing the culture that got it here. But New Balance recognizes that perception of its brand has changed, and that’s helpd their momentum. Years ago, it was New Balance pitching athletes and other partners to team up, now the company turns down about 99% of inbound requests. 

“The best indication of future behavior is past behavior, and success breeds success,” says Davis. “At the end of the day, being the best version of ourselves is one of our major goals. But, I don’t think it’s gotten easier because our expectations have gotten higher.”

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