Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant announces lifetime Nike deal
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Kevin Durant's endorsement deal with Nike goes all the way to 2007, when he was a rookie.
PHOTO: AFP
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NEW YORK – Two-time National Basketball Association (NBA) champion Kevin Durant and Nike announced on Friday they have agreed on the terms of a lifetime deal, joining legends Michael Jordan and LeBron James with such a contract.
Durant and American footwear giant Nike, whose endorsement deal dates to 2007 when he was an NBA rookie, announced the agreement on the Boardroom website.
“A true honour to be in the game for life with Nike,” Durant posted on social media.
Nike’s partnership with Durant has led to 15 signature shoe releases and another in the works with the apparel maker also backing the forward’s grassroots basketball initiatives through the Durant Family Foundation, including court refurbishment in needy neighborhoods worldwide.
The new deal will continue such works.
“When I first signed with Nike, I couldn’t have dreamt of how far we’d go in this partnership,” Durant added.
“We’ve done amazing work creatively and philanthropically. We’ve travelled the world together and built a business that will now last forever. I’m excited for the future and honoured to be in rare company with this deal.”
He also said that even as a rookie, he was confident that he would one day be in his position today.
“I did think that if I stay focused and stay locked in to what I know I can do, I could do some big things and I can (continue to) have a huge partner like Nike,” Durant said.
“It’s just a matter of staying focused and having that endurance to keep getting up and doing this every day. So yeah, I had confidence that I can do so. But I had to put in a lot of work to get here.”
The 34-year-old, who was traded from Brooklyn to Phoenix earlier this season, has averaged 29.1 points a game this season and helped the Suns reach the second round of the NBA play-offs.
They open a best-of-seven Western Conference semi-final series against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday (Sunday morning, Singapore time).
Durant won NBA titles with the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018, each time being named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, and the 13-time All-Star was named the NBA regular season MVP in 2014.
He has also been a member of the past three Olympic gold medal teams for the United States.
“As one of best basketball players in the world, Kevin Durant has been an important part of the Nike family for the past 16 years,” Nike executive vice-president of sports marketing John Slusher said.
“We look forward to continuing to serve the next generation of athletes together.” AFP, REUTERS
