Nike matches Under Armours's 265-285 million deal for KD

[QUOTE]Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant is staying with Nike, as the company decided to match Under Armour's enormous offer to the MVP, according to ESPN's Marc Stein and Darren Rovell.

Nike has countered Under Armour's offer of between $265 million and $285 million and believes it will keep Kevin Durant for the next 10 years, sources told ESPN. Nike, whose seven-year deal that guaranteed Durant $60 million is expiring, made an initial offer of about $20 million a year that was far from what Durant was looking for. Under Armour's huge play for Durant had many believing that Nike would even let him go at that price.

But on Saturday, Nike officials told Durant and his team at Jay Z's Roc Nation Sports that it would indeed step up enough to allow the world's largest shoe and apparel company to keep him in its robust stable of basketball endorsers that includes LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.

While the exact Nike offer for Durant isn't known, sources told ESPN that Durant should make more -- in base and royalties -- than the Thunder will pay him over the next two seasons ($41.2 million). That's why fans in Oklahoma City were nervous about a possible move to Under Armour, which could have steered him more to returning to his local roots to play for the Washington Wizards when he becomes a free agent after the 2015-16 season.

Weak era for marketable athletes

[QUOTE=dubeta]Weak era for marketable athletes[/QUOTE]

2000-2004 was the GOAT

Jordan
Kobe
T-Mac
AI
Vince Carter

:pimp:

I think KD is a likable, marketable athlete... but doesn't damn near $300 mil for an endorsement deal seem absurdly high for him? His shoe line sold less than $40 mil last year. How exactly is Nike planning on making that investment profitable for themselves?

[QUOTE=DonDadda59]I think KD is a likable, marketable athlete... but doesn't damn near $300 mil for an endorsement deal seem absurdly high for him? His shoe line sold less than $40 mil last year. How exactly is Nike planning on making that investment profitable for themselves exactly?[/QUOTE]
Well Durant will be the best player (or close) in the nba for the next 8 years or so. You just gotta roll the dice. Obviously they never planned paying him that much, but competition raised his market value.

Where did you get 40M at? I thought his shoe line sold for 150M last year.

Plus he is now entering his prime and is coming off one of the best regular seasons ever. If he wins a championship with OKC the hype for him is going to be insane. He will possibly be the biggest NBA star since Jordan

[QUOTE=DonDadda59]I think KD is a likable, marketable athlete... but doesn't damn near $300 mil for an endorsement deal seem absurdly high for him? His shoe line sold less than $40 mil last year. How exactly is Nike planning on making that investment profitable for themselves exactly?[/QUOTE]

nah, that was more like Kobe.Durant was 2nd to Lebron


[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/FWXf59E.png[/IMG]

I agree though, Durant isn't worth that conrtact.lebron should be getting like 600 mil:oldlol:

[QUOTE=russwest0]Where did you get 40M at? I thought his shoe line sold for 150M last year.

Plus he is now entering his prime and is coming off one of the best regular seasons ever. If he wins a championship with OKC the hype for him is going to be insane. He will possibly be the biggest NBA star since Jordan[/QUOTE]
:hammerhead: :hammerhead: :hammerhead:

[QUOTE=russwest0]Where did you get 40M at? I thought his shoe line sold for 150M last year.

Plus he is now entering his prime and is coming off one of the best regular seasons ever. If he wins a championship with OKC the hype for him is going to be insane. [B]He will possibly be the biggest NBA star since Jordan[/B][/QUOTE]
:biggums:

:kobe:

:durantunimpressed:

:yaohappy:

[QUOTE=russwest0]He will possibly be the biggest NBA star since Jordan[/QUOTE]
Lebron is the biggest NBA star since Jordan.

So next best thing for KD is being the next big NBA star since Lebron. But don't get your hopes up because Davis, Aldridge, Dragic and Griffin are coming for that title.

[QUOTE=Hoopz2332]nah, that was more like Kobe.Durant was 2nd to Lebron


[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/FWXf59E.png[/IMG]
[/QUOTE]

Interesting, I must've been looking at an older list since this one from Forbes says he sold $35 mil.


LeBron James (Nike): $300 million

Kobe Bryant (Nike): $50 million

Carmelo Anthony (Jordan): $40 million

Kevin Durant (Nike): $35 million

Derrick Rose (Adidas): $25 million

John Wall (Reebok): $5 million

Dwight Howard (Adidas): $5 million

Source: SportsOneSource

[url]http://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2013/05/22/lebron-james-is-the-nbas-leading-shoe-salesmen/[/url]

I guess that jump up to $175 mil encouraged the bidding war. They must figure his #s will only go up from there.

Durant is unique as hell. Like Kobe he can drop 50 on any given night but he isn't sharing the spotlight with someone as big as Shaq. And he's now putting up best since Jordan statlines and shattering some of Jordan's records. The man is 6'9 but because of his long ass arms has moments where he handles the ball like Iverson and spins defenders around.

Plus basicslly everyone in the Midwest knows who Durant is. He is beloved around here like no athlete I've ever seen before. Because of how humble, classy, and genuine he is, his image is basically as good as Duncan's but his game has much more star appeal.

If OKC stays healthy this year, Durant posts an insane statline like he has for the past 3 years, and if OKC wins it all, the hype is going to be ridiculous. The next great superstar who didn't bail and overcame hardship to become a CHAMPION.

[QUOTE=russwest0]LOAD OF BS AND HANDJERK[/QUOTE]
Durant will retire ringless. You need to get over that fact and seek help before it's too late and the world comes crumpling down on you.

[QUOTE=DonDadda59]Interesting, I must've been looking at an older list since this one from Forbes says he sold $35 mil.


LeBron James (Nike): $300 million

Kobe Bryant (Nike): $50 million

Carmelo Anthony (Jordan): $40 million

Kevin Durant (Nike): $35 million

Derrick Rose (Adidas): $25 million

John Wall (Reebok): $5 million

Dwight Howard (Adidas): $5 million

Source: SportsOneSource

[url]http://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2013/05/22/lebron-james-is-the-nbas-leading-shoe-salesmen/[/url]

I guess that jump up to $175 mil encouraged the bidding war. They must figure his #s will only go up from there.[/QUOTE]

yeah, that one is from 2 seasons ago.

[QUOTE=Encre92]Lebron is the biggest NBA star since Jordan.

So next best thing for KD is being the next big NBA star since Lebron. But don't get your hopes up because Davis, Aldridge, [B]Dragic[/B] and Griffin are coming for that title.[/QUOTE]




Hey how about you stop coming to ISH