Key Takeaways
- Strategy’s $250 bitcoin-themed Jordans sold out, but the kicker is you can’t actually pay with BTC.
- Bitcoin fans on X are roasting Strategy in 2026 for taking cards and Apple Pay, but giving BTC the cold shoulder.
- Saylor just put $176 million into STRC while Strategy’s BTC buying sits on ice, leaving its next move wide open.
Strategy’s $250 Bitcoin-Themed Sneakers Spark Social Media Jabs
“Strategy just launched $250 Bitcoin themed Jordans, but doesn’t accept Bitcoin or any crypto as payment,” the X account Bull Theory wrote on the social media platform. This is the type of critique Strategy is getting for the apparel sold at its store located on the Strategy website. “Sometimes the memes write themselves,” another individual added.
They are talking about the apparel Strategy sells in its online store as it sells hoodies, t-shirts, long sleeves, and vests. But also the store carries Strategy-branded Nike sneakers, specifically Air Jordans and Dunks, and they are custom-branded shoes inspired by the AJ1 / Dunk silhouettes, not an official Nike collaboration. Both pairs are currently marked sold out and reportedly sold for $250 a pair.
Strategy’s Store Takes Fiat, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, but No BTC
The site does not accept bitcoin for store payments as BTC is not shown as an option. Credit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay are the only payment methods accepted. One would think that, as a bitcoin treasury firm, they might want to sell the goods for BTC instead of fiat. That’s not the case with the largest bitcoin treasury company in the world. “Is bitcoin worthless until people start accepting it as payment?” another social media account asked.
Alongside this, some X accounts used generative artificial intelligence (AI) to craft their own styled Nike sneakers with their own favorite crypto coins like XRP, KASPA, and others. One user made pair with gray colors for the digital asset firm Grayscale.

That’s a big difference from, say, the steakburger chain Steak ’n Shake. Last year, the 90-plus-year-old firm chose to accept BTC for food and beverages, and customer payments were shifted to a bitcoin reserve. Like Strategy, it too has also purchased BTC on the open market. Whenever a Steak ’n Shake customer pays with bitcoin, that means the firm’s balance sheet is bolstered even more. The viral posts concerning Strategy’s Air Jordan and Dunk sneakers made their debut as the company recently paused buying BTC for the time being.
Saylor Puts $176 Million Into STRC as Bitcoin Buying Takes a Break
Instead, on Tuesday morning, after a day off on Labor Day, Saylor announced that the company repurchased its preferred stock STRC by acquiring $176 million. In fact, Strategy has been playing around with fiat a whole lot more in 2026 than ever before, so the idea that it doesn’t sell goods and merch for BTC shouldn’t be so out of the ordinary this year. Whether or not the Strategy-branded Nike sneakers return remains to be seen, but the idea sure got people discussing the company and its motives.

