Nikola Jokić is one of the best centers in NBA history. A very elite group of other athletes have achieved some accomplishments as Jokic–3 MVPs and 1 Finals MVP. Despite his greatness, the Denver Nuggets leader isn’t as popular and celebrated around the world as one would expect an NBA superstar to be.
Advertisement
A huge part of this is the reason behind Nike and Adidas not associating with the Joker, according to Gilbert Arenas.
Arenas appeared on Vlad TV and explained why he believed Jokic wasn’t representing any leader from the sports apparel market. Agent Zero simply said that the Serbian was an unmarketable athlete. The former Washington Wizards star justified himself by revealing how Jokic wasn’t even in the top 8 list for jersey sales over the past three seasons.
“He can’t crack the top 8 in jersey sales. Shoes–Nike didn’t touch him, Adidas didn’t touch him. No big shoe company touched him. He had to go some outside company, something 360. I don’t know what the f**k,” Arenas stated.
Arenas would further imply that Jokic also had no influence, making it difficult for Nike and Adidas to sell his personality.
“Can you sell him? Why wouldn’t you be able to? Can you sell his personality? There’s that. How many eight-year-olds are in the basketball court trying to be Jokic?”
Jokić was a member of the Nike roster until a few years ago. However, the American brand was giving much more of its attention to other stars, such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Ja Morant, and Devin Booker. Hence, driving away Jokic.
Jokic didn’t explicitly disclose being offended by the same. However, when talking about his deal with 361, Jokic stressed the fact that the Chinese brand treated him with respect.
“361 showed up with great respect for me… they’re very popular and actually an upscaling brand. Maybe I can help them in some ways,” Jokic said.
By joining his teammate Aaron Gordon as a member of the 361 roster, Jokic was rewarded with his own signature sneaker – multiple models under the BIG3 silhouette.
The low-top version of Nikola Jokic's 361 Big Future model is available now 🗓️ pic.twitter.com/mtTLjJMHdD
— Sneaker News (@SneakerNews) December 31, 2023
If Jokic’s deal with 361 results in success over the coming years, it won’t be surprising to see other athletes avoid market leaders such as Nike and Adidas to be ambassadors of such unconventional brands.
