Top high school basketball player Shabazz Muhammad yesterday committed to play for UCLA next year, and it “would be naive for anybody to suggest the financial relationship” adidas has with people around Muhammad “didn't factor into his decision to attend" the school, according to Gary Parrish of CBSSPORTS.com. adidas has “sponsored Muhammad's summer team (Dream Vision) for years, and his tennis-playing sister (Asia Muhammad) has an Adidas contract even though she's ranked outside the top 375 in the world.” Parrish: “This stuff has to matter on some level” (CBSSPORTS.com, 4/11). In Las Vegas, Ed Graney writes under the header, "Since Shoe (Adidas) Fits, Choice Was Easy" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 4/12). North Carolina Central Univ. men's basketball coach LaVelle Moton wrote on his Twitter feed, "Did people think that Shabazz (Adidas Kid) was goin to choose a Nike School? (kentucky) Its Deeper than Basketball People. Much Deeper!" ESPN's Fran Fraschilla wrote, "Wow. Shabazz Muhammad to UCLA. Three stripes and Kentucky's out!" But RealGM.com's Twitter feed stated, "If Adidas is such a deciding factor for Shabazz, why were his two other choices Nike schools (UK, Duke) and not Kansas, Baylor, etc.?" CBSSports.com's Jeff Borzello wrote, "I don't get the whole outrage over the UCLA-Adidas connection. Why no outrage over the Nike-every other school connection?"
