T'Wolves rookie F Wally Szczerbiak's "combination of
athletic skill, intelligence, poise, polish and good looks
has brought" him a "number" of endorsement offers, according
to Marty Williams of the DAYTON DAILY NEWS. Szczerbiak's
L.A.-based agent Gary Wichard: "Let's face it, Wally's
different. He's got the ability to go beyond the basketball
thing. Companies see him as a high-profile role model for
suburbia. ... Because of the image Wally presents and his
off-the-court saleability, he has that rare ability to cross
over." Wichard declined to name the companies interested in
Szczerbiak, but said he has been dealing "with five or six
companies," including Tommy Hilfiger. Wichard, on possible
deals: "Some involve shoe deals and some are more on the
apparel side. The interesting thing about Wally is that
there are some major fashion designers in the mix."
Williams: "Some of the companies do not make basketball
shoes but may want Szczerbiak to sign an exclusive contract
that would prohibit him from endorsing footwear."
Szczerbiak said he is "not surprised by the interest" in
him: "I think I project a certain image and part of that
image is that I'm good for basketball. [Companies] know
that I'm not going to do anything that's going to put me or
them in a negative light. ... There are a lot of good guys
in the NBA. I've already met some of them. It's unfortunate
that all you hear about are the bad guys, the knuckleheads
who are always in the news" (DAYTON DAILY NEWS, 8/15).
