Kevin Durant, Nike agree to lifetime deal
Since he was a rookie in the NBA in 2007-08, Kevin Durant has been partnered with Nike.
Now, it looks like he will for the rest of his life, as Boardroom (a company founded by Durant and Rich Kleiman) announced Friday that he is signing a lifetime deal with Nike, joining LeBron James and Michael Jordan as the third NBA player to have signed a lifetime deal with the shoe company.
“When I first signed with Nike, I couldn’t have dreamed of how far we’d go in this partnership,” Durant said via press release. “We’ve done amazing work creatively and philanthropically. We’ve traveled the world together and built a business that will now last forever. I’m excited for the future and honored to be in rare company with this deal.”
Durant previously signed a deal with Nike for 10 years, $300 million with a $50 million retirement package ahead of the 2014-15 season. LeBron James signed his lifetime deal with Nike in Dec. of 2015 while Jordan revolutionized Nike with the Jordan Brand, which began in 1988.
In his 16th NBA season, Durant has released 15 signature shoes with Nike, with a 16th coming soon. Nike plans to continue its philanthropic journey with Durant, who’s focused on uplifting grassroots basketball through the Durant Family Foundation and Team Durant, his EYBL program.
“As one of best basketball players in the world, Kevin Durant has been an important part of the Nike family for the past 16 years,” John Slusher, the Nike EVP of Global Sports Marketing, said. “We look forward to continuing to serve the next generation of athletes together.”
All quotes via Boardroom
Durant has been one of the most marketable and premier faces of basketball throughout his entire career. Now, getting a lifetime deal with arguably the biggest shoe company worldwide vindicates that. The financial disclosure has not been made public at the time of this publishing.
Even though they have not been released to the public yet, Durant wore KD 16s during the Phoenix Suns’ first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers. In his first playoff series with Phoenix, where he was shipped to at the start of the trade deadline, he averaged 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 6.2 assists, one steal and one block per game on 51.8 percent shooting, including 45.8 percent from beyond the arc. This all came despite getting lower on-ball usage alongside Chris Paul and Devin Booker as primary initiators.
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