The last few months have been particularly busy for the NBA. The NBA Finals just wrapped last month, the draft soon followed and now the league is knee-deep in free agency.
During the NBA’s free agency period—which began at 12:01 a.m. on July 1—NBA teams engage in heavy bidding to sign the league’s best talent.
And the resulting offers make even the cushiest, six-figure corporate America compensation packages look like minimum wage.
Case in point, the Pelicans and Anthony Davis just agreed to a five-year, $145 million contract.
Wait, there’s more: the Cavaliers and Kevin Love have agreed to five-year, $110 million contract; Draymond Green will re-sign with the Warriors for a five-year, $85 million dollar contract; and the Heat and Goran Dragic have agreed to a five-year, $90 million deal.
And those are just a few of the multi-million dollar signings set to take place.
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Before you waltz into your human resources department to hand in your resignation in hopes of pursuing your newly-acquired hoop dreams, we’ve got even more details that are certain to send you reeling.
The shoe endorsement packages these elite athletes are offered on top of their NBA deals, are just as lucrative.
The ability to get paid to sport a major footwear company’s wares while playing a sport one loves is pretty exciting, to say the least. But an actual signature shoe with one’s name and image integrated into its very design? That’s icing on the cake.
Here, we breakdown the top athletes insiders say could be next to land signature shoe deals.
*Player: James Harden
Team: Houston Rockets
Position: Guard
Current Deal: Nike (No Signature Shoe)
Prospects for deal/signature shoe: Nike, Adidas
*Player: Anthony Davis
Team: New Orleans Pelicans
Position: Forward-Center
Current Deal: Nike (No Signature Shoe)
Prospects for deal/signature shoe: Nike
*Player: Paul George
Team: Indiana Pacers
Position: Forward
Prospects for deal/signature shoe: Nike
*Player: Russell Westbrook
Team: Oklahoma City Thunder
Position: Guard
Current Deal: Has a lifestyle shoe with Jordan but no sneaker
Prospects for deal/signature shoe: Jordan
*Player: Blake Griffin
Team: Los Angeles Clippers
Position: Forward
Current Deal: Nike but no signature shoe
Prospects for deal/signature shoe: Jordan
*Player: Emmanuel Mudiay
Team: Denver Nuggets
Position: Guard
Current Deal: Under Armour but no signature shoe
Prospects for deal/signature shoe: Under Armour
