NBA fans react after $100M man Damian Lillard bags lifetime deal with Adidas - "All he needed was a championship"
After winning the NBA Cup with the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday, Damian Lillard reportedly signed a lifetime deal with Adidas. On Wednesday, NBA insider and ESPN reporter Shams Charania broke the news on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Lillard is now just the fourth NBA player to sign a lifetime deal with a sneaker company.
Lillard, who is estimated as being worth $100 million by Celebrity Net Worth, has partnered with Adidas for years. In early 2015, Adidas released Lillard's first signature shoe.
While the two sides have released nine signature shoes since then, Lillard's agent has been negotiating with Adidas since this summer, when his contract expired. He joins LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry as the only NBA players with lifetime shoe deals.
Immediately, NBA fans weighed in, with some cracking jokes about Lillard finally winning a title in order to secure his lifetime contract.
"All he needed was a championship to get his lifetime contract!" one wrote.
"I thought this was going to say lifetime extension with the Bucks lmfao," another added.
Others weighed in on the lifetime extension for Dame as well.
"Heck of a 24 hours for Damian Lillard," one wrote.
"Adidas probably told him years ago that he’d get a lifetime extension after winning a championship," another added.
"Crazy what winning nba cup will do for you!" another wrote.
"One of the best players I've ever played with," - Giannis Antetokounmpo shouts out Damian Lillard after NBA Cup win
After Damian Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the OKC Thunder 97-81 to win the NBA Cup, Giannis Antetokounmpo praised him.
During the trophy presentation ceremony, Antetokounmpo said that both he and Dame weren't at 100% during the game. Despite that, the two got the job done to secure the Bucks an In-Season Tournament title, as well as $500,000 paychecks for players on the roster.
“Man, this guy is one of the best players I’ve ever played with," Antetokounmpo said. "Top 75, his resume speaks for itself. Coming into the game, we both didn’t feel 100%, but we grind. We knew we had to do our job and that our team needed us. Whenever I need this guy, he’s always there for me. Whenever he needs me, I’m always there for him."
With the win, the team has silenced its doubters after a rough start to the season. The Bucks (14-11) are now in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, a game-and-a-half behind both third and fourth place.
Although the final doesn't count in the standings, Milwaukee has won 11 of its last 13 games. With that run, an NBA Cup title and a lifetime Adidas contract for Damian Lillard, things seem to be looking up for Milwaukee.