%ALT_TXT%%

It's All in the Shoes

Published on 15-Apr-2014 by Bridgett Davis

Basketball - NBA    NBA Daily Update

Share this article


It's All in the Shoes

Damian Lillard has been having an exceptional year, and it seems his hard work has continued to pay off.

On  Monday, the second-year Portland Trail Blazer point guard wrapped up a new shoe contract with adidas.

It's lucrative, to say the least. In fact, it's thought to be among the most remunerative of any player in the NBA. Speculation swirls around what the precise numbers are, but it is rumored to be in the neighborhood of contracts like Bulls point guard Derrick Rose or LeBron James himself.

In a news release, the adidas head of global basketball sports marketing, Chris Grancio, called Lillard "one of the cornerstones of the adidas brand."

 
We do know that Lillard's previous deal had provisions stating he could opt out and renegotiate at this early juncture of his fast-tracking career. adidas had to act fast, and it did. Nike and the Jordan brand were known to be quite interested in enticing the budding star.

adidas Is obviously optimistic that Lillard will help catapult their sales. Recently, the German sportswear juggernaut has had to deal with the frustrating fortunes of their other top talents. Derrick Rose suffered a devastating injury for the second consecutive year, and Dwight Howard's image fizzled to zero. So, it's lucky for Lillard to be in line as the next big thing for adidas.

Lillard has been remarkable from the start, He won Rookie of the Year last season, became an All-Star, and led Portland to the playoffs.

So the shoes adidas wants him to fill seem to be a great fit.