Roc Nation Sports yesterday informed Nike that Thunder F Kevin Durant "has a deal on the table with Under Armour" worth between $265-285M over 10 years, according to sources cited by Darren Rovell of ESPN.com. The deal includes UA stock and "other incentives, such [as] a community center built in his mother's name." Nike will "have the right to match, which is a condition of Durant's current contract with the brand." Sources said that Nike's last offer "would have given Durant a base and a minimum royalty guarantee that would equal no less" than $20M a year. If UA "wins the services of Durant, it would be the largest sponsorship deal the company has ever committed to." Durant's shoe deal free agency to UA "turned out to be a bigger deal because of the interest expressed" by Founder, Chair & CEO Kevin Plank. Sources said that Plank felt Durant could "accomplish two major goals: growing its small shoe business and improving its international presence that has been lagging behind its North American sales growth." Making things "more appealing" was the fact that UA is a Baltimore-based company, just 36 miles northeast of Durant's hometown of Seat Pleasant, Md. (ESPN.com, 8/20). ESPN’s Stephan A. Smith said Durant deserves such a large deal "because you don’t have to worry about him misrepresenting the game." Smith added, "You don’t have to worry about him not wanting to play the game. You don’t have to worry about his philanthropy, which obviously is going to put him a position to do a lot of great things. I like the kind of message a deal like this sends.” ESPN's Skip Bayless: “It is unbelievable what is happening to this guy. He hasn’t won big yet, but they are betting on a lot of big things happening for Kevin Durant” (“First Take,” ESPN2, 8/21). See the full endorsement portfolio for Kevin Durant at Resource Guide LIVE.
