Antetokounmpo this year became the first international player to grace the cover of NBA 2KNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo feels it is "really important" to build a brand as an NBA player, and with his recent deals, he wants to "try to be authentic and try to be original," according to a Q&A with Jarrel Harris of SI.com. Antetokounmpo: "If you are going to do something, you have to do it for yourself and that’s what I try to do." He said it has "been great" to work with Nike on a signature shoe, which is "expected to release soon." Antetokounmpo: "I have a lot of things on the shoe that [are] going to be really surprising and I think we did a great job. People are going to be excited. The shoe fits into my personality." He added, "I am going to try to throw some crazy colorways on. Nike is going to send me some crazy shoes so everyone better be on the watch." Harris writes Antetokounmpo has "become one of the league's most marketable stars." He became the "first international player to grace the cover of NBA 2K," and "just signed a deal with the headphone company, JBL, to become one of its ambassadors" alongside Warriors G Stephen Curry, Pistons C Andre Drummond and Knicks F Kristaps Porzingis. Antetokounmpo will be "featured in a campaign for JBL called 'Sounds of the City,' and he is currently developing a track that’s about his love for Milwaukee and the role that music plays in his life" (SI.com, 9/18).
