Lucrative endorsement deals "are beginning to roll in" for Knicks F Kristaps Porzingis, but Shifman Mattresses "was the first company to identify his potential, signing him to a one-year deal as its first brand ambassador soon after" he was drafted fourth overall in June, according to Scott Cacciola of the N.Y. TIMES. Shifman GM Phil Zucker said, "Some of it was just luck. We had no idea. I don’t even think the Knicks knew what they had in him." Cacciola notes at the company's factory, Porzingis "is impossible to miss." A framed replica of his jersey "hangs in the showroom," and there are posters and autographed basketballs as well. In exchange for some promotional work, the 7'3" athlete "received a $25,000 bed -- the largest bed that Shifman has manufactured." Shifman President Bill Hammer said, "This is our first partnership with anyone, but I think we’re on to something." Cacciola notes for Porzingis, a partnership with a mattress company "makes sense," because from a young age, he "struggled to find beds that fit his frame." Last spring, Hammer "was waiting for a flight at an airport when he met" ASM Sports VP/Communications Dan Rohme, whose agency represents Porzingis. Hammer said that his company "had manufactured custom beds for several athletes, including three" for Basketball HOFer Dikembe Mutombo. Around the time of the draft, Rohme and Hammer "reconnected." At 98 inches long and 80 inches wide, Porzingis' bed has 29% "more surface area than a regular king does." The company "actually made two of them -- one for Porzingis and another for a fellow first-year player whose promotional deal with the company will be announced in January." Hammer "declined to identify the second player, other than to say he is 6 feet 11 inches and plays for a team in the Midwest" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/22).
12 DAYS OF KRISTAPS: In N.Y., Alan Feuer wrote Porzingis jerseys just before Thanksgiving "were selling fast, competing with those" of Warriors G Stephen Curry. Porzingis "has been treated to Page 6 mentions in The New York Post, videos by fashion blogs, and an ESPN advertisement with a hip-hop soundtrack." Naturally, endorsement deals "have started." One of his sponsors, Delta Air Lines, "has offered him unlimited free travel to Latvia." Yet another, the sports drink BodyArmor, "recently began a '12 Days of Kristaps' publicity campaign." Despite his age (20) and inexperience, Porzingis "has been handling the pressures of his fame with equanimity and grace." Porzingis said, "I love it here. New York's the place to be" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/20).
