Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo announces Nike deal
By Adam McGee
In the middle of a busy day for the Milwaukee Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo announced he would be remaining with Nike for his next sneaker deal.
Milwaukee Bucks’ star Giannis Antetokounmpo has gone through free agency for the first time in his career, and Bucks fans will be pleased to hear he’s decided loyalty is among his top priorities.
Having spent the past couple of months exploring his options on the NBA’s sneaker free agency market, Antetokounmpo made the decision to remain with Nike for what’s thought to be at least the next five years.
The Greek Freak announced the news via a special themed video that he shared on social media.
Family. Loyalty. Legacy. Excited to announce my long-term partnership with @NikeBasketball #FamilyOverEverything @Thanasis_ante43 pic.twitter.com/remyaTVuhZ
— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) November 7, 2017
The 22-year-old spent much of his summer being pursued by major brands, before taking some extra time to make his decision privately following the unfortunate and sudden passing of his father last month.
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Previous reports had listed Adidas and Li-Ning as the brands who were most aggressively competing with Nike for the right to have their shoes worn by the NBA’s brightest rising star.
If Antetokounmpo would have agreed to sign with either of those brands, Nick De Paula of ESPN had previously reported that the American sports giant would have had the option to match. There’s no indication that Antetokounmpo forced Nike into that situation at the time of posting, though.
As a result, Giannis is set to join the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Kobe Bryant as NBA luminaries who have been lucky enough to have their own signature Nike shoe.
Giannis has spent most of the last two seasons or so wearing Nike’s Kobe X Low sneakers. That’s likely to continue while Nike and Antetokounmpo put plans together for his own release, and they go through the often lengthy production process.
The young Greek’s decision to stay with Nike is somewhat unsurprising considering just how much he values and appreciates those who have been there to support him on his journey up until this point, and also with his reputation as something of a creature of habit.
When rumors emerged earlier in the summer questioning Giannis’ long-term future with the Bucks, the All-Star forward dismissed them with one simple Kendrick Lamar inspired tweet.
https://twitter.com/Giannis_An34/status/883118398695239680
Next: Milwaukee Bucks: Grades and reactions for the Eric Bledsoe trade
Nike will be grateful that Giannis seems to have loyalty in his feet as well as his DNA.