Back in 2003, LeBron James was without a doubt the most hyped High School basketball star ever, netting a $90 million sneaker contract with Nike before he even played his first NBA game. 13 years later, LSU freshman Ben Simmons is primed to be the number one overall pick in the forthcoming NBA draft, and it looks like he will be cashing out when he makes the jump from college to the pros.
Adam Zagoria of SportsNet New York, says Simmons is set to receive a sneaker deal worth $100 million once as soon as he goes pro. Citing an industry source, Zagoria shared that the 19-year-old Australian import might be going with Nike but adidas and Under Armour might throw their hats in the bidding as well.
Fame marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro, who was instrumental in high profile sneaker deals including Michael Jordan’s gave his thoughts on the matter.
The number doesn’t astonish me, the number’s been stagnant since LeBron. It would be the new precedent because LeBron was the last and [Simmons] has the makings in the mind of the NBA that he could be a great, great player. So that’s basically what they’re saying, he’s going to get a $100 million deal. I would understand that.
