LSU freshman and presumptive 2016 No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons will not get a $100 million sneaker deal. Let’s get that out of the way right now. Yes, Nike gave LeBron James a $90 million deal straight out of high school, but Ben Simmons is not LeBron James. Playing-wise? Sure, the versatile 6-10 Simmons could be that transcendent, generational talent, and he could become the next big star. Key word being “become.” James was a household name when he was a high school junior. Simmons isn’t there quite yet. That’s fine, though. Most rookies don’t make that kind of impact right away. Quick, what sneaker brand does Myles Turner wear? Exactly.
Recent speculation puts a Simmons deal somewhere in the range of what adidas paid 2014 No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins (around $11 million over five years) and what Reebok paid 2010 No. 1 pick John Wall (around $25 million over five years including incentives). Both of those guys went on to win Rookie of the Year, but as of now only Wall has gotten a signature shoe—and he’s currently looking for a new sneaker deal himself. Like Simmons, Wall is signed to Rich Paul’s Klutch Sports—who also represents LeBron James.
With Simmons scheduled to meet with adidas today and Nike this weekend according to Yahoo!’s Nick de Paula, this seemed like a good a time as any to handicap the race. And while it sounds like Simmons’s choice will be limited to those two companies (three, if Jordan is a factor), we figured we’d include the other major options—Under Armour and the plethora of Chinese brands—as well.
Nike
adidas
Odds: 2/5
Pros: adidas is the underdog, yet still has a massive budget and infrastructure and is definitely on the upswing. The brand’s off-court presence is huge thanks to the likes of Kanye West and Pharrell. Their biggest basketball names are James Harden, Derrick Rose, Damian Lillard, and Andrew Wiggins, all of whom Simmons could reasonably eclipse—in terms of basketball AND name recognition—in short order. Did we mention free Yeezys, because free Yeezys.
Cons: Basketball isn’t really adidas’s main focus, despite the lavish deal they gave Harden. Rightly, given the market, the brand’s making a bigger push through adidas Originals and Boost running silhouettes. And considering the signature sneaker debacles they’ve endured over the years, from Kobe Bryant to Gilbert Arenas to John Wall, it’s understandable that they’d be hesitant to give one to an unproven rookie. Harden doesn’t even have a signature model yet.
Reality: adidas will likely have to make a huge offer in order to beat out Nike, and honestly Simmons probably wouldn’t be the best investment for them right now, especially given how much they have invested in Harden. That said, Simmons did go to LSU, which certainly wasn’t the predictable college choice. THAT said, Simmons doesn’t strike one as a Harden type who will be swayed by the chance to enter the fashion realm via his sneaker deal. The top search for “ben simmons kanye” on Google is, well, this.
Jordan Brand
Under Armour
Chinese Brands
