John Wall gets $25M endorsement deal with Reebok

[Bluedog]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Am4ld8Dvq9ZFbI9ox46AoLM5nYcB?slug=aw-wallreebok060910

Wow! That sounds ridiculous to me personally having never even played a game in the NBA...Not only $25 million over 5 years, but two guaranteed signature shoes for Wall.

[DevilHorns]

Honestly after watching him play last year, thats a great investment choice.

John Wall has the potential to be huge in the NBA, plus he will have the media drooling over him throughout draft time and anytime they are showcasing rookie talent. Obviously there is risk for reebok, but there is more than enough upside.

[WiJoe]

Nice little bump from whatever he was paid last year.

[Devil's Advocate]

Nice little bump from whatever he was paid last year.

Hilarious! Even Cal would have a laugh.

[Big Pappa]

Honestly after watching him play last year, thats a great investment choice.

John Wall has the potential to be huge in the NBA, plus he will have the media drooling over him throughout draft time and anytime they are showcasing rookie talent. Obviously there is risk for reebok, but there is more than enough upside.

I agree completely. I am surprised that he went with Reebok though, they haven't made a huge push like this with a pro basketball player since AI.

[billyj]

Interesting choice. I am surprised that Nike wouldn't pay more than $25 million.

[dukeballer2294]

the entire buisness of shoe deal is taking risks
nike got lebron and their on top of the game currently, the next year sebastion telfair was suppose to be a more marketable player and Adidas. landed him, didnt work out so well
it is mainly just taking risks on players and being willing to shove out large sums of money w/o much knowledge of their nba careers
im sure their investment in Mr. Wall will pay off however

[brevity]

Interesting choice. I am surprised that Nike wouldn't pay more than $25 million.

I'm just an observer, but recent Nike campaigns (in TV ads, at least) tend to showcase their collection of athletes rather than focusing on one. I don't know if this means they're spending more or less overall, but in this economy, I'd expect them to be less than eager about giving that much money to add one more person. (Unless it's Phil Mickelson.)

Reebok, on the other hand, does not have much of an NBA presence lately, and could use the John Wall endorsement deal to attract a generation that probably doesn't remember when they were a big deal in basketball.

[UrinalCake]

This is why I don't buy shoes from Nike or Reebok. This is an absurd amount of money that has to come from somewhere. The whole principle behind shoe endorsements doesn't make sense to me. We're supposed to believe these are good shoes because player X wears them. But he only wears them because company Y paid him the most money. Meanwhile, the shoes are made in Vietnam for pennies. No thanks, I'll stick to my New Balances which actually work the best for me.

(Sorry for the rant)

[oldnavy]

This is why I don't buy shoes from Nike or Reebok. This is an absurd amount of money that has to come from somewhere. The whole principle behind shoe endorsements doesn't make sense to me. We're supposed to believe these are good shoes because player X wears them. But he only wears them because company Y paid him the most money. Meanwhile, the shoes are made in Vietnam for pennies. No thanks, I'll stick to my New Balances which actually work the best for me.

(Sorry for the rant)

I have to agree. I have it from a very, very reliable source that asked Marion Jones one day in a private setting if she liked the Nike shoe... she said off the record... no. Despite her troubles, she was a world class athlete and to hear her say that just confirms my long held belief that Nike is over priced and really not a very good product. I prefer Asics for running but for basketball you really do not have many choices outside the three major brands, Nike, Reebok, Addias. Of those three I would have to go with Reebok... recognizing that this is truly a personal preference. I do not boycott Nike (I did at one time after a rather distasteful Christmas time ad that featured Dennis Rodman) but I do always look for alternative brands, except of course when it comes to buying official Duke logo products.

[cspan37421]

This is why I don't buy shoes from Nike or Reebok. This is an absurd amount of money that has to come from somewhere. The whole principle behind shoe endorsements doesn't make sense to me. We're supposed to believe these are good shoes because player X wears them. But he only wears them because company Y paid him the most money. Meanwhile, the shoes are made in Vietnam for pennies. No thanks, I'll stick to my New Balances which actually work the best for me.

(Sorry for the rant)

I think most of us adults know that, but they are targeting kids. Its all about magic association with a star. And it works, even when the shoes are inferior. The latest stuff I've seen runs $160, seems to be made of vinyl with a thin strip of rubber at the bottom, and has no ventilation. It's all about status, esp. with kids, and they drive a wedge between kids and the parents who have the wallets. May the flies of a thousand camels nest in their armpits.

[moonpie23]

i haven't purchased a nike product since they used the beatles' REVOLUTION for an ad in the mid 80's....

[dukelifer]

Honestly after watching him play last year, that's a great investment choice.

John Wall has the potential to be huge in the NBA, plus he will have the media drooling over him throughout draft time and anytime they are showcasing rookie talent. Obviously there is risk for reebok, but there is more than enough upside.

I was not a big Wall fan going into the season as I thought his jumper was suspect. It still is but he could be a bigger and more explosive version of Rondo is now the darling of the NBA analysts. So Wall will be a good to great pro- but a lot depends on the talent around him. Rondo has played on a great team- Wall will not. So we shall see.

[airowe]

I thought The Pumps worked with KU's recruits, not UK's?

Reebok is an interesting choice for Wall. With all the Lebron/WWW connections, it looks like Brian Clifton and Fegan have done an impressive job of steering John in a different direction. It will be interesting to see how it works out for him.

[miramar]

I have no doubt that (if he sticks around) Coach Cal will be telling recruits about the $25 million deal that John Wall signed only two months after the end of UK's basketball season. While Kentucky has the top two players in the class of 2011, I wonder if he will be able to get the top five for 2012.

[UrinalCake]

I have it from a very, very reliable source that asked Marion Jones one day in a private setting if she liked the Nike shoe... she said off the record... no.

I read another story about Pete Sampras - apparently his shoes (I think they were Diadoras) were giving him blisters and he wanted to use a different brand. But he couldn't because he was under contract with them. So he offered to wear a different brand of shoe and have the Diadora logo stitched onto them for appearance, but the company refused to let him do this.

It makes sense that shoe companies are targeting kids, but still, there have to be a lot of adults buying these things. I actually had a guy at a shoe store (not an expert by any means) tell me it was a real shame how many people come in and assume that Nikes are the best, just because of all the advertising they've been exposed to.

[Bluedog]

I read another story about Pete Sampras - apparently his shoes (I think they were Diadoras) were giving him blisters and he wanted to use a different brand. But he couldn't because he was under contract with them. So he offered to wear a different brand of shoe and have the Diadora logo stitched onto them for appearance, but the company refused to let him do this.

Professional tennis players RARELY use the tennis racquet that it appears they are using. They customize it so much to their liking (shape, weight, grip, etc.) that it's not even close to the same racquet it began as. Agassi, for example, was sponsored by Head, but supposedly had a Prince racquet essentially. A lot of players use one racquet and have it painted to match a different model. Sampras' racquet was ridiculous. It definitely was a Wilson Pro Staff 6.0, but he increased the weight, changed the balance, the grip was more cylindrical, had insane string tension...essentially, nobody in the world could buy Sampras' racquet even if they wanted to (not that they would because it's as stiff as a brick and would only work for you if you're Sampras). So, while it's base was a Wilson Pro Staff 6.0, it turned into something unique. Most men's players have heavier racquets with smaller frames than standard and perhaps a different string pattern of 18x20 instead of 16x18. The Williams sisters racquets ARE actually quite light, though. Not sure if basketball players are like that with their shoes as it's probably not as personal as a tennis racquet, but it wouldn't surprise me if some are. And that's probably way more information about tennis racquets than any of you wanted to know. :)

[oldnavy]

I read another story about Pete Sampras - apparently his shoes (I think they were Diadoras) were giving him blisters and he wanted to use a different brand. But he couldn't because he was under contract with them. So he offered to wear a different brand of shoe and have the Diadora logo stitched onto them for appearance, but the company refused to let him do this.

It makes sense that shoe companies are targeting kids, but still, there have to be a lot of adults buying these things. I actually had a guy at a shoe store (not an expert by any means) tell me it was a real shame how many people come in and assume that Nikes are the best, just because of all the advertising they've been exposed to.

Remember the PF Flyers shoes, and the ad with the kid being able to jump really high? We are talking late 60's... anyway I got a pair and took off to my front yard to jump over the split rail fence. Didn't make it! I was crushed... my first experience with the world of false advertising and a skinned up shin. :(

[Kdogg]

I prefer Asics for running but for basketball you really do not have many choices outside the three major brands, Nike, Reebok, Addias.

Reebok is now owned by Addias so there are two major brands. It's Addias' big pockets funding this.

[cspan37421]

It makes sense that shoe companies are targeting kids, but still, there have to be a lot of adults buying these things. I actually had a guy at a shoe store (not an expert by any means) tell me it was a real shame how many people come in and assume that Nikes are the best, just because of all the advertising they've been exposed to.


I believe you. But I think a good many of the adults you're referring to have the reasoning power of children, which is to say, not much.

Advertising changes perceptions and for many, it's a substitute for thinking for yourself.

[cspan37421]

Professional tennis players RARELY use the tennis racquet that it appears they are using. They customize it so much to their liking (shape, weight, grip, etc.) that it's not even close to the same racquet it began as. Agassi, for example, was sponsored by Head, but supposedly had a Prince racquet essentially. A lot of players use one racquet and have it painted to match a different model. Sampras' racquet was ridiculous. It definitely was a Wilson Pro Staff 6.0, but he increased the weight, changed the balance, the grip was more cylindrical, had insane string tension...essentially, nobody in the world could buy Sampras' racquet even if they wanted to (not that they would because it's as stiff as a brick and would only work for you if you're Sampras). So, while it's base was a Wilson Pro Staff 6.0, it turned into something unique. Most men's players have heavier racquets with smaller frames than standard and perhaps a different string pattern of 18x20 instead of 16x18. The Williams sisters racquets ARE actually quite light, though. Not sure if basketball players are like that with their shoes as it's probably not as personal as a tennis racquet, but it wouldn't surprise me if some are. And that's probably way more information about tennis racquets than any of you wanted to know. :)

Sounds like stock car racing. I think someone once told me that the only things left stock on the car are the hood and ... I can't recall. (trunk lid?)

[miramar]

Remember the PF Flyers shoes, and the ad with the kid being able to jump really high? We are talking late 60's... anyway I got a pair and took off to my front yard to jump over the split rail fence. Didn't make it! I was crushed... my first experience with the world of false advertising and a skinned up shin. :(

Are you suggesting that the magic wedge was bogus?

[striker219]

Remember the PF Flyers shoes, and the ad with the kid being able to jump really high? We are talking late 60's... anyway I got a pair and took off to my front yard to jump over the split rail fence. Didn't make it! I was crushed... my first experience with the world of false advertising and a skinned up shin. :(

You should have waited a couple decades and picked up a pair of moon shoes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaMY8XakxQ8). Those things were the real deal.

[oldnavy]

Are you suggesting that the magic wedge was bogus?

All I know is that the kid in the commercial could leap over all sorts of things, so when I couldn't clear that 3 foot fence I was very disappointment and disillusioned, so I went inside and popped some Jiffy Pop and watched Flipper. Life was much simpler back then...

[allenmurray]

Remember the PF Flyers shoes, and the ad with the kid being able to jump really high? We are talking late 60's... anyway I got a pair and took off to my front yard to jump over the split rail fence. Didn't make it! I was crushed... my first experience with the world of false advertising and a skinned up shin. :(

http://www.pfflyers.com/mens/number-5.html

You mean these? I'm sporting a pair right now (blue stripe on white). Currently made by New Balance and avaialbe for a mere $50. I can't really "run faster and jump higher", but I do love my PF Flyers. When I wear these out I'm buying me some ProKeds.