When Kevin Durant signed his first shoe contract with Nike, he actually took a reported $20 million less than adidas offered because Durant love Nike’s shoes and wanted to wear them, maybe someday have his own line.
It’s not that way with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation representing him.
Under Armour wants into the basketball shoe market badly and needs a big name endorser to lead the brand, and Durant could be that guy. They have made an over the top offer of at leaf $26.5 million a season — now Nike has to decide whether to match it, reports Darren Rovell of ESPN.Kevin Durant’s representation Roc Nation Sports informed Nike on Wednesday that he has a deal on the table with Under Armour worth between $265 million and $285 million over 10 years, sources told ESPN.com…
Nike, which saw its signature business related to the Oklahoma City Thunder forward grow to roughly $175 million at retail last season, will have the right to match, which is a condition of Durant’s current contract with the brand. Durant can still choose Nike if it doesn’t match but can’t legally choose Under Armour if Nike does.
Under Armour threw other incentives at KD, according to the report from building a community center built named after his mother to some company stock. Nike reportedly offered just north of $20 million a year to Durant, now it has to decide whether or not to match Under Armour.
To me this is the bigger takeaway from this: How much influence Roc Nation seems to have here. Durant was seen as a loyal Nike guy and now he’s on the precipice of leaving the brand to jump to a company better known for football gear and compression pants. It would be a cold business move.
Come the summer of 2016, would Roc Nation and Under Armour (based out of Baltimore, near Washington D.C.) have a big influence on Durant on where he should sign next?
KD’s world is changing fast, and whatever happens between Nike and Under Arrmour we know this — Durant is going to get paid. A lot.
