Since claiming the #1 spot in basketball footwear years ago, Nike has made a point to go after the #1 NBA Draft pick every summer. And they’re usually successful in their pursuit. Following the news of Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell’s signings with Nike, check out a history of the #1 draft picks’ footwear brand destinations over the past 10 years.<\/p>\n
Earlier this week, news broke of Nike signing the #1 and #2 NBA Draft picks, Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell, respectively. Both are great signings, considering most view the two as the best and most marketable players of this year’s draft.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
For the first time since 2008, adidas signed the #1 NBA Draft pick in the form of Canadian-bred standout Andrew Wiggins. The 2015 Rookie of the Year’s shoe contract – a reported five-year deal in the $12-$13 mill range – was the most for a rookie with adidas.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Fellow Canadian Anthony Bennett signed with Nike after a very impressive College Kicks On Court campaign during the 2012-2013 NCAA season in which he mostly wore Nikes and Jordans. He laced up a number of different Foamposites and Jordans during his rookie year with Cleveland.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
First reported by his hometown Chicago Tribune, Anthony Davis signed with Nike just three weeks after being picked #1 by the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2012 NBA Draft. A signature shoe might be on the horizon for him seeing that he is considered a top 5 player in the game right now.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kyrie Irving announced via Twitter that he signed an endorsement deal with Nike three weeks after the 2011 NBA Draft. A week before, Under Armour announced a deal with Kemba Walker, the draft’s ninth overall draft pick.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Determined to carve his own path, John Wall shunned both Nike and adidas and went with Reebok. He broke the news via Twitter exactly two weeks before the 2010 NBA Draft to the tune of 5-years, $25 million. The brand had plans of making Wall the face of Reebok Basketball and gave him a signature shoe right off the bat, but midway through the 2012-2013 NBA season, he left the adidas-owned Reebok for, well, adidas.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Blake Griffin signed a reported 2-year shoe endorsement deal with Nike for $400,000\/year after being drafted #1 by the Los Angeles Clippers. However due to a series of injuries, Griffin did not play until the 2010-2011 NBA season in which he undoubtedly lived up to his Nike contract – and then some – by becoming the first rookie to play in the All-Star game since Yao Ming in 2003 and winning the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest during the All-Star break. In 2012, Blake left Nike for Jordan Brand.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Exactly a month after being picked #1 by Chicago in the 2008 NBA Draft, news broke of Derrick Rose agreeing in principle with adidas over Nike to the tune of a deal worth about $1 million per year. The deal, constructed by his agent B.J. Armstrong, was reported while Rose was playing for the USA Basketball select team in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Nike looked at Greg Oden as a no-brainer and acted quickly seeing that he was destined to go #1 to the Portland Trail Blazers. News broke of Nike agreeing to a multi-year endorsement deal with Greg Oden six days before the 2007 NBA Draft. The Trail Blazers made another convincing move that week, as they hired then-former Nike Basketball VP & GM Larry Miller as President.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Nike got an \u00a0early look at Andrea Bargnani, 2006’s #1 NBA draft pick, as he competed on the World Select Team at the 2004 Nike Hoops Summit at the tender age of 18. Although there wasn’t much press in regards to this signing The Swoosh, he came out the gate wearing Nike during his rookie campaign in which he was a member of the NBA All-Rookie First Team.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Since claiming the #1 spot in basketball footwear years ago, Nike has made a point to go after the #1…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":149,"featured_media":458894,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,1219126],"tags":[1225236],"cultivate_rss":[],"class_list":{"2":"type-post"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n