Stephon Marbury's $15 shoes were a cute little idea, I'd imagine, if you were a titan of Nike or adidas. But not serious competition, right? I mean threatening in theory, perhaps. (Taking almost all of the profit out of the basketball shoe business, is after all, something that could, in theory, matter to your bottom line.) But in practice?

They said it was not just a shoe but a movement. Really?

Well, I guess the jury is still out, but there's a big new dude on the witness stand. From a Steve & Barry's press release:

Four-time NBA All-Star Ben Wallace is best known for a strong work ethic that has resulted in four Defensive Player of the Year awards, multiple NBA rebounding titles, and an NBA blocked shots title. With today's announcement that the Chicago Bulls center is the first athlete endorser of Starbury, he will put that legendary work ethic to use on and off the court by helping get kids and parents to join the Starbury Movement. Wallace - aka Big Ben - will wear Starbury basketball shoes on-court this season. Wallace's Big Ben signature Starbury sneaker is currently being designed and will debut next season during Wallace's games.

My big question is: who's next?