As a young boy, Kevin Durant, like many in Washington D.C., wore New Balance sneakers. But when it was time for basketball, Durant turned to the brand that would ultimately have a major impact on his life on and off the court.
That brand was Nike and this past Friday, Durant and the brand announced they had agreed to a lifetime contract.
According to Boardroom, which is owned by Durant and partner Rich Kleinman, the new lifetime partnership will include footwear, apparel and “a community and philanthropic collaboration focused on grassroots basketball.”
The deal enables Durant to join Michael Jordan and LeBron James in an even more exclusive group of athletes who have signed lifetime deals with the Swoosh’s basketball division.
“When I first signed with Nike, I couldn’t have dreamed of how far we’d go in this partnership. We’ve done amazing work creatively and philanthropically. We’ve traveled the world together and built a business that will now last forever. I’m excited for the future and honored to be in rare company with this deal,” said Durant.
This type of deal was unfathomable to a young Kevin Durant. As he told Nick DePaula on The Sneaker Game, he grew up wearing New Balance 929s as his daily shoe.
“That’s what we wore where I’m from,” Durant laughingly told DePaula. “In D.C. that’s what we wore.”
But when it was time to play ball, Durant was all Nike and that brand stayed on his feet anytime they touched a court.
As he rose to basketball prominence nationally and became a star at Texas, Durant, still a teenager at the time, had a choice to make in 2007 when it was time to play in the league.
Nike or Adidas.
Continue reading over at First and Pen.
This content has been brought to you by First and Pen in partnership with TheHub.News. First and Pen “amplifies local sports stories from voices of color to the national conscience…”
