{"id":543884,"date":"2017-06-30T14:27:27","date_gmt":"2017-06-30T18:27:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/?p=543884"},"modified":"2022-09-12T15:46:38","modified_gmt":"2022-09-12T20:46:38","slug":"inside-story-klay-thompsons-10-year-extension-anta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/inside-story-klay-thompsons-10-year-extension-anta\/","title":{"rendered":"The Inside Story Of Klay Thompson’s 10-Year Extension With Anta"},"content":{"rendered":"

words \/\/ Nick DePaula:<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

After initially signing a shoe deal with Chinese brand Anta in 2014, Golden State Warriors star forward Klay Thompson has signed a new 10-year renegotiation extension with the company, Snkrs Day has exclusively learned, locking him in with Anta until 2026.<\/p>\n

The long-term footwear and apparel endorsement deal, struck by Thompson’s Wasserman agent Greg Lawrence, Senior Vice President of Basketball, along with his business manager Joe McLean, will land the explosive sharpshooter among the top 10 highest earning sneaker endorsers among all NBA players. The deal could reach 10 years and $80 Million, with a variety of incentives incorporated into the contract, and will continue to grow his brand throughout both China and the US. An initial 6-year iteration of the contract<\/a> was originally negotiated by Thompson’s prior agent, Bill Duffy of BDA Sports. Thompson then switched representation this past February, with his new agency Wasserman continuing talks with Anta and finalizing the 10-year length.<\/p>\n

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Klay Thompson greets fans at his first tour stop in Chengdu, China.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For Klay, the extension represents a continued growth for both himself and the Anta brand together, after he first signed on three seasons ago, unsure of what to expect. “I didn’t know much about Anta,” Thompson told Snkrs Day earlier this week in Shenzen, China on the newest episode of the Snkrs Day Cast. “One of my agent’s clients, Rajon [Rondo] was with them, and he said this brand had incredible potential and that the Chinese market, as well, was something that I could really dive into.”<\/p>\n

Dive into it he has, as Thompson has been to China four times in total, twice for a multi-city summer tour throughout the country with Anta, after each of his NBA championships. This past week, Klay embarked on his latest tour, a 10-day trek throughout the region’s hoops-frenzied cities of Chengdu, Shenyang, Guangzhou, after hitting Beijing and other major cities on his 2015 tour.<\/p>\n

From the onset, having his own signature shoe and individual player tours with the brand was an admittedly major sticking point of the deal, and something that Thompson particularly gravitated to.<\/p>\n

“I knew with the other brands in the States, whether it was Nike or adidas, it was going to be tough for me to get a signature shoe,” admits Klay. “I knew with Anta, I would have so much input creatively. I was going to hopefully be the Michael Jordan one day of Anta. That really resonated with me, and knowing that I could be really big in China, that was really cool to me. The shoe market sometimes is overflooded in the States, and I thought, ‘Well, why not branch out and be global.'”<\/p>\n

Since signing with Anta, the trajectory of Thompson’s rise in the league has been dramatic, now landing him among the league’s most popular players both domestically and in China.<\/p>\n

“The last three years, my career just exploded, in the NBA and internationally,” continues Klay. “I was able to win two Gold Medals, two NBA titles, played in a few All-Star games and get to be on the world stage all the time. I don’t think Anta saw that, and I didn’t even see that. They were really excited about it, and I think I surpassed their expectations.”<\/p>\n