Nike became the leading brand in basketball with the success of Michael Jordan. Following the company’s dominance since the mid-1980s, several superstars have been associated with the brand. Over the years, the likes of Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, and Kobe Bryant, among many others, have even had signature shoes of their own. However, only three NBA stars have received the ultimate honor from the American sportswear powerhouse. Joining Michael Jordan and LeBron James, Kevin Durant, who has reportedly crossed the $2 billion mark in sales, became the recent-most icon to sign a lifetime deal with Nike.
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Michael Jordan was the defining reason behind Nike’s success. In fact, in the late 1990s, Nike honored the Chicago Bulls legend with his own “Jordan Brand”. Today, some of the biggest names in the league – Jayson Tatum, Luka Doncic, Zion Williamson, and Russell Westbrook – are associated with the iconic brand, releasing newer versions of their respective shoe lines every year. LeBron James, who signed a lifetime deal with Nike worth $1 billion in 2015, has already released 20 editions of his signature shoes.
Kevin Durant speaks about his lifetime deal with Nike
At CNBC and Boardroom’s inaugural Game Plan sports business conference, Kevin Durant had an extensive conversation with Andrew Ross Sorkin. At one point in the interview, the two had a brief discussion about KD’s latest lifetime deal with Nike.
Durant first partnered with Nike in 2007, just entering the league as an extremely hyped prospect. Since his association with Nike, KD has launched 16 signature shoes. Agreeing with Sorkin’s estimate, the Phoenix Suns star believes that he has helped Nike make $2 billion in sales over the last 15 years. Here’s a snippet of their conversation from the conference:
KD: “We have 16 or 17 shoes now.”
Andrew Ross Sorkin: “So you have probably $2 billion in sales.”
KD: “That sounds good.”
Meanwhile, the two-time NBA Champion spoke about his expectations with the company after signing the lifetime deal. KD added that he wants to narrate his own stories through his shoes to millions of customers from around the globe.
“The beauty of it now is having a lifetime deal, you really can create from ground zero, from the sole of the shoe, and build up from there and tell the stories that we want to tell with the biggest brand in the world,” Durant said.
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For the past several years, the 34-year-old megastar’s merchandise has been selling hot. Apart from the fans, even his fellow competitors have been seen wearing his signature shoes when taking on the hardwood.
KD explained how Michael Jordan is as big as Nike
Despite the dominance of Air Jordan products, Kevin Durant once explained why Nike hasn’t outgrown the Jordan brand. In an appearance on the ETC podcast, KD revealed that MJ separated himself from Nike, despite being tied up with them.
“I think he has separated himself from being affiliated with Nike, although we know he still is Nike, you know it’s two separate entities.” Similar to His Airness, Durant’s lifetime deal can allow him to achieve greater heights with the brand.
