NBA and Stance partnership great news for sock enthusiasts

With the playoffs in full-swing and award season wrapping up, there has been no shortage of NBA headlines over the past few weeks. Thus, it is understandable that a story about socks would fly slightly under the radar. 

A couple weeks back, the NBA announced that starting next season, they will be partnering with Stance Socks, who will begin producing the NBA's official on-court socks. 

This is exciting for a couple reasons.

The sock market has been expanding rapidly. Long gone are the days of buying plain black (or white) 6-packs of socks at your local Foot Locker. (If you're still doing that, you're doing it wrong). Socks have grown greatly in both style and performance. Stance Socks have long been among the most comfortable and most durable socks on the market. They keep their form and feel after dozens of washes, meaning you don't feel like you're wrapping your foot in a old, baggy rag after just a few wears. Each pair is sold individually, each with a different design, or pattern. Already established within the skate community, Stance socks have gained extreme popularity with sneaker heads, as they are used to match with sneakers, and the basketball community as of late. 

Stance has long embraced the NBA culture, and already has a popular line depicting NBA players on their socks. Ironically enough, now their socks will be on the feet of all the NBA players. Stance makes great socks, and the company has displayed an obvious admiration of the NBA and its history. It's intriguing to see the growing California-based company get a chance to work with the NBA. 

Another reason to be excited about the sock switch is that is appears as though Stance will be designing in-game models with team logos and colors; something we haven't seen before. No more will players be limited to just boring black or white. The Stance logo will also appear on all in game socks starting next season -- another first for the NBA. No longer will the league logo be the only logo popping up on the socks, as traditionally only the league logo has been displayed on socks worn during games. It seems only right that players would be allowed to wear socks with their team logos displayed on them. This shift signifies the leagues willingness to embrace the emerging sock styles, which is a good sign for league-wide fashion and creativity moving forward. 

Plus, for those actually interested in socks for performance value - any Nike Elite fans out there? - you can bet that the Stance-sponsored NBA models will be an ideal wear for athletes. They will be padded, fitted, and supremely comfortable. My feet are getting excited already. 

For those that enjoy and appreciate socks, the merger of the NBA and Stance is exciting news. 

Stance will be replacing Bare Feet Inc., as the NBA's official sock supplier. So long, Bare Feet, you had a nice run. 

Stance released a promotional video, complete with an Allen Iverson cameo, to announce the news. Check it out below: 

Also, check out an early look at some of the team-specific on-court socks planned for next season.