Two basketball players have signed a lifetime deal with sneaker giant Nike: Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Now we can add a third—Phoenix Suns superstar and two-time NBA champ Kevin Durant has joined the club, according to NBA.com.
Durant, 34, who was traded from the Brooklyn Nets during the regular season, has been with the sporting apparel giant for over 16 years, inking an endorsement deal in 2007, his rookie. Durant entered the league in 2006 after one sensational year at the University of Texas.
Nike has released 15 different sets of shoes for Durant and a 16th release should be available soon.
“A true honor to be in the game for life with @Nike.”
“When I first signed with Nike, I couldn’t have dreamed of how far we’d go in this partnership,” Durant said, according to Boardroom. “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”
Nike’s executive vice president of Global Sports Marketing John Slusher added. “As one of the best basketball players in the world, Kevin Durant has been an important part of the Nike family for the past 16 years. We look forward to continuing to serve the next generation of athletes together.”
Included with the lifetime collaboration, Nike will continue supporting organizations led by Durant, such as Durant Family Foundation and Durant’s EYBL (Nike Elite Youth Basketball League) program, Team Durant. As the apparel company has in the past, it will assist Durant with his involvement in grassroots basketball, collaborating on court refurbishments in at-need communities worldwide.
Durant won the 2013-14 NBA Most Valuable Award with the Oklahoma City Thunder and won two more Finals MVPs with the Golden State Warriors.
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