20 NBA Players Who Didn't Deserve Sneaker Deals

Image via Complex Original

20. Carlos Boozer 

Brand: Nike 

For a company that instills the values of loyalty and determination, well, Carlos Boozer may have been a stretch. You can't deny that his stat line looks good but he has a knack for bouncing on teams when they expected the most from him — whether it was a verbal agreement with the Cavs when he was a restricted free agent or the Bulls playoff run in 2011, he just doesn't do it. 

19. Baron Davis

Brand: Li-Ning 

The Beardman logo/concept was great, but was an aging Baron Davis really the best Li-Ning could do? (If the rumors about their next signing are true, apparently not.)

18. Rashard Lewis 

Brand: Nike 

From crying in the green room on draft day to destroying salary caps, Rashard Lewis has had quite the NBA career. His sweet stroke was a nice complement to Ray Allen's in Seattle, but that was about it. Max money doesn't necessarily translate to sneaker sales — did you even know what brand he wore?

17. Mickael Pietrus

Brand: Jordan Brand

Besides being a legit third option on the perimeter and being able to guard Kobe (sometimes) we are not sure how the hell Pietrus got connected with Jordan Brand. He's a real funny guy, but so is Jonah Hill, and he doesn't get PE Vs.

16. Jimmer Fredette 

Brand: Spalding  

That is right, Spalding — they do more than make game balls. After Jimmer-mania swept the college ranks, Spalding picked up Fredette to do a sneaker deal to attempt to bring the brand to relevance. Look, if Hakeem couldn't sell Spalding as a sneaker brand, what do you expect from Jimmer?

15. Kyle Korver 

Brand: Converse 

Shooters keep shooting, but maybe in Korver's case he should learn a little defense too. Converse tried making a big push by picking up some fan-favorite mid-level NBA players over the past five years and Korver was supposed to the next Steve Kerr-caliber shooter. If you have been a Bulls or Jazz fan then you know the frustration with his game. Besides his struggles on the court his Converse ads were getting confused with Geico Caveman spots — not confirmed. 

14. Darius Miles 

Brand: Jordan Brand 

D. Miles had high expectations after bouncing from East St. Louis straight to the NBA and Jordan co-signing the 7-foot swingman pushed them even higher. He kicked things off in L.A. with a pair of XVIIs displaying his name down the side. But it was the IXs he got while a member of the Cavaliers that remain high atop many grail PE lists. Too bad his play never warranted the player exclusives, and Jordan Brand eventually let him walk. 

13. Acie Law

Brand: Converse 

Who he play fo'? No, seriously.

12. Corey Maggette 

Brand: Dada Supreme 

Chris Webber was king of Dada with his chromed-out kicks and while Corey Maggette had made a lot of noise during his one year at Duke, he wasn't ready to shoulder a sneaker brand based off of his play. Tons of ups and down with the Clippers and then becoming a NBA journeyman is never a good look for the face of a shoe — even if that shoe has spinners. 

11. Michael Beasley 

Brand: adidas 

At one point there was a real question about who should go first overall: Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley. Oops. Unlike most players on this list Beasley actually had his own signature shoe. The former number-two pick is now on his third team five seasons and has yet to even get a bench spot in an All-Star Game. 

10. John Wallace

Brand: Karl Kani 

This made no sense on any level. Period. 

Anthony Randolph 

Brand: adidas 

adidas has taken flyers on long shots before and seen them blossom into megastars — see McGrady, Tracy. This could still happen with Anthony Randolph, but we highly doubt it.

8. Sebastian Telfair

Brand: adidas

Bassy was the real-life Jesus Shuttlesworth around 2002/2003. He was reppin' Lincoln and getting national media attention in high school — including sharing the cover of SLAM with Bron-Bron, a solo cover with SI, and his own ESPN documentary. Telfair decided to forego his college eligibility like James and inked a solid deal with adidas, but he didn't quite pan out the same. Telfair has bounced around from team to team and never saw the same (on seven) and failed to reach the success of his peers. 

7. Harold Miner

Brand: Jordan Brand

“Baby Jordan” was supposed to be the heir apparent to His Airness — yeah that didn’t work out too well. Nonetheless, Miner showed us he could fly like Mike, winning two Dunk Contests, but it stopped shortly after that. We understand why Jordan Brand got hype over the high-flying guard but he didn't exactly do justice to the nickname or the kicks. 

6. Michael Sweetney

Brand: Converse 

It is never funny to see someone lose out on their dream and millions due to weight issues, but that is exactly what happened to Michael Sweetney. He left Georgetown as a force in the lane and was drafted ninth overall by the Knicks in 2003. adidas scooped him up immediately and, well, maybe they shouldn't have. The only sneaker he could have endorsed during his stint in the league was Shape-Ups. 

5. J.R. Rider 

Brand: And 1 

One of the most electrifying dunkers in the NBA and Slam Dunk Contest history, Rider held it down in Minnesota and Portland for years. And 1 put him on after his initial Converse deal ran out, but Rider's time as a relevant basketball player was already over.

4. Yi Jianlian 

Brand: Nike 

Yi Jianlian famously wowed GMs during his pre-draft workout creating moves around a chair. Nike should have signed the chair.

3. Jared Jeffries

Brand: Jordan Brand 

Jared Jeffries might have gotten Knicks fans heated with his play at times, but you have to admit his sneaker game is proper. His player edition Is are some of the best exclusive Jordans to date but the Hoosier alum has to be blackmailing Mike to get kicks like these — it definitely isn't his game. 

2. Eddy Curry

Brand: Nike 

Another case where a player had so much upside and let his weight get the best of him. Hailing from the South Side of Chicago, Eddy Curry had a weekly spot on a WGN high school basketball show and there was a lot of speculation that the Bulls would keep him in the Windy City. They chose him fourth overall (two picks after  nabbing another 7-foot high schooler, Tyson Chandler). You know where Chandler is with his career but even with kudos from Nike and Michael hooking the youngster up with IXs, Curry could never stay in shape long enough to turn his potential into reality.

1. Kwame Brown

Brand: adidas

What's that you say? Kwame Brown was the No. 1 overall pick? Yes, we know. By Michael Jordan when he was in charge of the Wizards. The fact that he wasn't immediately signed to Jordan as well probably should have been a sign, huh? Kwame wore adidas in high school and went to ABCD camp, but still. Come on, guys.