SDSU's Nike contract will remain unchanged but the basketball team will now don the Jumpman logoGETTY IMAGES
The San Diego State men’s basketball team will become the eighth program outfitted by Jordan Brand beginning with the '18-19 season, joining an "exclusive club of schools" sponsored by the Nike brand, according to Mark Zeigler of the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. The announcement, made Sunday night at the team’s postseason banquet, makes SDSU the "only Jordan Brand program in the western half of the country." By joining fellow Jordan schools North Carolina, Michigan, Oklahoma, Florida, Georgetown, Marquette and Houston, SDSU is the only one "never to have reached a Final Four." The agreement is "only with men’s basketball and does not involve extra money." The athletic department’s Nike contract, which was "recently extended" through '23-24 and provides $1.2M worth of apparel each year, will "remain unchanged." The uniforms will "look the same but have a Jumpman logo instead of a swoosh" and players will wear Jordan Brand apparel instead of Nike. It "didn’t hurt" negotiations that SDSU’s "most famous basketball alum, Kawhi Leonard, has been sponsored by Jordan Brand through his seven NBA seasons." SDSU Assistant AD Matt Soria: “In the discussions we’ve had with them, it wasn’t the only reason they thought it was a good fit but it was part of the reason. Kawhi being a Jordan Brand athlete and the ability to market him with us helped this along.” Some Jordan Brand apparel "will be available this month at the SDSU bookstore and online" (SANDIEGOUNIONTRIBUNE.com, 4/16).
