Nike forever: NBA star Kevin Durant signs lifetime deal with shoe and apparel company
Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant has worn Nike basketball shoes his entire career. He will wear them well beyond his days as a professional basketball player, too.
On Friday, Durant announced he agreed to a lifetime deal with Nike.
"When I first signed with Nike, I couldn't have dreamed of how far we'd go in this partnership,” Durant said in a news release. “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."
Durant has partnered with Nike on 15 signature shoes, and the two sides have collaborated on philanthropic efforts through the Durant Family Foundation. His KD 16 sneaker is set for release in August.
PHOENIX: Suns, Mercury ink TV deal that gives fans chance to watch all games for free
NBA PLAYOFFS: Scores, schedules, matchups and predictions for first round
“The lifetime partnership will continue to include footwear, apparel, and a community and philanthropic collaboration focused on grassroots basketball,” according to the news release.
Michael Jordan and LeBron James are the other two Nike basketball players to have lifetime deals with the shoe and apparel company.
Said Nike executive vice president of global sports marketing John Slusher: "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. We look forward to continuing to serve the next generation of athletes together.”
In a recent USA TODAY op-ed about the movie “Air,” which tells the story of Nike’s pursuit of Michael Jordan in the mid-1980s, Wanda Durant, Kevin's mom, wrote, “Like Michael, LeBron James and the late Kobe Bryant, Nike believed in Kevin's potential before he played in his first NBA game."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kevin Durant, Nike agree to lifetime deal for NBA Phoenix Suns star
