This really should not be a surprise, with Anthony Davis coming out of John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcat program, arguably Nike’s flagship college hoops program.
Davis, the No. 1 overall pick of the Hornets, has signed an endorsement deal with Nike, reports the Chicago Tribune. No financial figures were released.
There is already a Nike/Davis unibrow shirt for sale — and Davis will get a piece of that money because he trademarked the unibrow phrase. Smart man.
Also smart signing by Nike, Davis is the biggest star and best player to come out of college in years, having won a national title and national player of the year honors. We’ll see how Nike uses him. The reality is that big men don’t really sell shoes like guards and attacking wings. Dwight Howard is the best center in the game today but adidas gets a lot more sales out of Derrick Rose, not because he’s necessarily a better player but because we can relate to him in a way we don’t relate to a 6’11” guy.
But look for Davis to start showing up in Nike ads and wearing Nike gear. Lots of Nike gear.
