Giannis Antetokounmpo re-signs with Nike, will get a signature sneaker
What's the story?
ESPN business analysts Nick DePaula and Darren Rovell announced on Tuesday that Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has re-signed with Nike for a long-term deal.
In case you didn't know...
Giannis is having an amazing start to the 2017-18 season averaging 31.0 PPG through nine games; which leads the league. He is also averaging 9.9 RPG and 1.4 BPG.
The heart of the matter...
The terms of the deal were not immediately available at the time of this writing, but it is reported to be a considering length of time. The main part of this deal is the fact that Antetokounmpo will have a signature shoe created. The process to design a shoe typically takes 14 to 18 months.
The Bucks travel to Portland at the end of the month to face the Trailblazers; which is the closest NBA city to the Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. They will meet with Giannis then to start the process and hope to have a shoe ready for market by the 2019 holiday season.
A few hours after the report, Antetokounmpo released this video on all his social media platforms:
Though Antetokounmpo plays in the fourth smallest market in the NBA with Milwaukee, his amazing play has earned him superstar status within the league, and last year his jersey was the third best seller according to Fanatics.
What's next?
Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks (4-6) will travel to San Antonio to play the Spurs on Friday night and wrap up their four-game road trip.
Author's take...
I'll be the first to say that Giannis definitely deserves the extension from Nike, his play is electric and has fans taking notice as evident by his jersey sales over the past year.
On top of that, if he keeps up with these numbers he's earning this season, he could be in the running for MVP.