Durant Bypasses Larger Offer From adidas To Stick With Nike

Durant Inks Seven-Year, $60M Deal With Nike

Sonics F Kevin Durant has signed a seven-year, $60M deal with Nike that included a $10M signing bonus, marking the "second-largest endorsement contract for an NBA rookie," according to Percy Allen of the SEATTLE TIMES.  Durant's deal will include a signature shoe "that will be unveiled after his rookie season."  Sources said that Durant "declined a seven-year, $70[M] deal with adidas that included a $12[M] signing bonus largely because he has a long history with Nike dating to the eighth grade" (SEATTLE TIMES, 7/18).  Durant's agent, Aaron Goodwin, said, "After eight weeks of diligent work between [Nike Senior Dir of Pro Basketball] Lynn Merritt and I, we have structured a footwear and apparel deal for Kevin that becomes the second largest rookie deal in basketball and includes a line of signature products."  CNBC.com's Darren Rovell wrote Durant going to Nike is "another loss for adidas," though the company has signed Grizzlies G Mike Conley Jr., Pistons G Rodney Stuckey and Lakers G Javaris Crittenton from this year's rookie class (CNBC.com, 7/17).

LOW TOPS? Durant said previously he wanted a mid-priced signature shoe, Knicks G Stephon Marbury, who markets a low-priced brand of shoes and apparel, wrote on his N.Y. POST blog, “I had a lot of discussions with Kevin Durant's people to see if he would join the Starbury flagship. I never spoke to him directly, [but] I told his agent Aaron Goodwin about the formula and new business model we've developed for the sneaker industry. They seemed interested but decided to go in another direction. I hear that Nike is coming out with a Kevin Durant shoe for $50 or $60. I guess we're doing something right” (NYPOST.com, 7/14).

CAUSING A STIR: In Utah, Loren Jorgensen writes Durant's appearance with the Sonics' Rocky Mountain Revue team against the Jazz yesterday "brought out the biggest crowd of the summer and caused a bit of a mob scene before the game even started."  While the crowds "had been good" for the previous Jazz games, yesterday "marked the first sellout," as a standing-room-only crowd at Salt Lake Community College watched Durant score a game-high 29 points in the Sonics' loss (DESERET NEWS, 7/18).