Basketball players have palmed their shoes for years, hoping to solve the age-old problem of slipping on the court. It seems like no product has helped and evolving shoe technology couldn't solve the problem either.
Enter Mission AthleteCare, a company that has made some strides in niche spaces in the sports business over the last couple years. They have a sunscreen that doesn't sting if it gets in your eyes and an anti-friction cream that is popular with runners.
Mission conducted a national research survey and found that 82 percent of basketball players considered court traction the main issue.
Their new product CourtGrip is applied to the bottom of shoes with a sponge applicator on the top of an 8 ounce bottle. After a couple seconds, the product dries and it allows the shoes to grip the court better.
Dwyane Wade is an equity partner in Mission AthleteCare and the endorser of CourtGrip.
"You could talk to any basketball player, any athlete, it's a huge problem," Wade told CNBC. "I can name some arenas that I go to and I have to adjust my game. If you know my game, it's all about traction, about changing direction, it's about explosion."
Wade said his teammates have tried to put Coke or Gatorade on the bottom of their shoes, but that's too sticky. He's now happy there's an answer.
"You have to think about having concerts, they're having halftime shows, they're having motorcycles come out and some have fireworks before the game," Wade said. "All that dust cakes up on the floor and it's dirty. And I don't care what you have, I have the best sneakers the world makes, but I can't do anything to stop the dirt on the courts."
So are the people at Nike's Jordan brand upset he's doing this deal?
"It's not a Jordan problem," Wade said. "I'm equipped with the best sneakers. If Jordan made basketball courts, it would be a different story."
Mission AthleteCare's CourtGrip will be sold for $14.99 exclusively online at Eastbay and in Foot Locker stores.
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