Mayo First Draft Prospect With Shoe Deal After Signing With Nike

Mayo Inks Four-Year Deal With Nike

On the eve of tonight's NBA Draft, LRMR Marketing CEO Maverick Carter, who reps NBA Draft prospect G O.J. Mayo, said that Mayo "has signed a four-year deal with Nike," according to Darren Rovell of CNBC.com. Mayo is the "first of the high-profile draft picks ... to have signed a deal." Carter said that Mayo "will be included in Nike's advertising campaigns and he'll wear a customized shoe that could be released in the market he plays in." Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Rovell notes Mayo "certainly isn't getting [Cavaliers F LeBron James] shoe money" (CNBC.com, 6/26). James, who is also repped by Carter, signed a seven-year, $90M deal before being drafted in '03 (THE DAILY). 

DRAFT activation: In this week's SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, Terry Lefton reports with the draft typically producing "one of the most heavily trafficked days on NBA.com, there is plenty of online marketing activation." Sprite has a "Pick 'em" game offering a trip to the '09 NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix for the person who "most accurately predicts the top 14 selections" in the draft, and it is underwriting a "'virtual green room' on draft day, with behind-the-scene access and video blogging from the event." T-Mobile sponsors the prospect search, while Kia has the team overviews. EA Sports sponsors the draft board itself. Meanwhile, for the third consecutive year, Sprite has presenting sponsorship of the draft, both on-site at MSG and during ESPN's five-hour telecast. Sprite, T-Mobile, Kia, Wrigley, Nike, EA and Southwest Airlines will all air commercials during the coverage. The Wrigley-sponsored NBA Jam Van will be outside MSG, while the Kia- and T-Mobile-sponsored NBA Nation mobile basketball marketing playground will be in N.Y. over the weekend "in an attempt to extend the draft beyond a one-day event" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 6/23 issue).

GENTLE SPURRING: Spurs G Tony Parker, who yesterday was announced as the cover athlete for EA Sports' forthcoming "NBA Live 09," said he made through his agent a subtle push for the cover nod for the worldwide version of the game after being featured on the French version of the game for the past five years. "You definitely ask about it, but this was still a surprise when they asked me [to be on the global cover], and a big, big honor. This is the game I've been playing since I was a kid." Parker last week shot a commercial for the game, which is set for an October release (Eric Fisher, SportsBusiness Journal).