# Kobe to sign with Nike? (merged Kobe's Shoes threads)



## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

*Kobe to sign with Nike?*

Not like it really matters, but I remember a thread a few months ago wondering who Kobe will sign with (shoe-wise).

I saw this in an ESPN article about LeBron James' shoe status.

_"...and the company (Nike) also is expected to announce a deal soon with Kobe Bryant, once a penalty clause expires in Bryant's existing deal with adidas in June."_


----------



## Ben1 (May 20, 2003)

i think he's gonna sign for nike too.. 'coz he's like always wearin' nike kicks for da games...


----------



## aznbusyboy (Apr 7, 2003)

absolutely, James is signing with Reebrek for sure, that's not rumor, its been done already


----------



## aznbusyboy (Apr 7, 2003)

this is getting crazy about who's signing shoe contract with which company. who cares? Kobe don't even have time for these crazp


----------



## Sean (Jun 7, 2002)

lebron just signed with nike for $90 million.


----------



## Ben1 (May 20, 2003)

Nike signed Bron, Melo n Kobe.


----------



## beautifulkobe (Jun 24, 2002)

They arent announcing kobes deal yet but kobes deal sucks and it isnt with nike its with jordans line or so I heard.


----------



## SLiM9287 (Jul 2, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>aznbusyboy</b>!
> absolutely, James is signing with Reebrek for sure, that's not rumor, its been done already


R u sure its been done? cuz umm he signed with nike.


----------



## Sean (Jun 7, 2002)

*LeBron James Chooses Nike in Megamillion Deal*

http://sports.iwon.com/news/05222003/v1239.html

May 22, 12:19 PM (ET)
By TOM WITHERS
CLEVELAND (AP) - LeBron James always idolized Michael Jordan, right down to his shoes. Now the high school star will begin his NBA career just like Mike. 

Only with a lot more money. 

James will go into the league with a swoosh after signing a multiyear endorsement deal on Thursday with Nike, which outbid Reebok and Adidas for the 18-year-old star, who is expected to be the No. 1 pick in next month's draft. 

"Nike is the right fit and has the right product for me at the right time," James said in a statement. "They are a good company that has committed to supporting me throughout my professional career, on and off the court." 

Terms of the deal negotiated were not released, but a source close to James, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press the deal was worth more than $90 million.


----------



## 3PeatComplete (Jul 11, 2002)

<b>Anyone know where I could find a bigger pic of Sean's avatar?


----------



## Sean (Jun 7, 2002)

I got it last year in September or October but I don't know from where. This one is a little bigger.


----------



## Ghiman (May 19, 2003)

Just curious to know what happened with Kobe's deal with Addidas?  

Was it because his line of shoes were not selling or just because his contracted ended? 

Gary


----------



## Lakers-14xChampions (Jan 17, 2003)

I heard Adidas and Kobe had problems with the designs of the shoes. The first shoes put out by Adidas for Kobe sold very well. Then Kobe wanted to design his own shoe, the Kobe II, but they looked terrible and had a bad time selling! B/C of their disputes, Adidas dropped Kobe, and now Kobe is looking for someone to sign him. I heard all of this from a Portland Trailblazer fan, though, so I don't know how much truth there is to it? The only shoe I want Kobe to sport is Nike's, b/c they have much better shoe designers, and better advertising, than Adidas or Reebok IMO! Lakers will start another 3-Peat in 2004!


----------



## Ben1 (May 20, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Lakers-14xChampions</b>!
> I heard Adidas and Kobe had problems with the designs of the shoes. The first shoes put out by Adidas for Kobe sold very well. Then Kobe wanted to design his own shoe, the Kobe II, but they looked terrible and had a bad time selling! B/C of their disputes, Adidas dropped Kobe, and now Kobe is looking for someone to sign him. I heard all of this from a Portland Trailblazer fan, though, so I don't know how much truth there is to it? The only shoe I want Kobe to sport is Nike's, b/c they have much better shoe designers, and better advertising, than Adidas or Reebok IMO! Lakers will start another 3-Peat in 2004!


And also Kobe wanted a life contract wth adidas, like what Iverson has with Reebok.. But it came @ da wrong time, as adidas was also considerin' signin' t-mac to a life contract too... In the end, adidas decided that t-mac would sell 'em more shoes n decided to part with Kobe (BIG decision!!!)...


----------



## hOnDo (Jun 26, 2002)

I've heard that Kobe's shoes are going to be the next "Jumpmans".


----------



## JerryWest (Jun 24, 2002)

I heard Kobe is getting a huge contract with nike that will be signed sometime this week


----------



## beautifulkobe (Jun 24, 2002)

Unfortunatley kobe is not even getting half the money lebron is getting or tmac or ai.I thought he was looking for a lifetime contract but I dont know.Little bits are slipping out lately and first I heard last year he was expected to get a massive contract and get 10-15 million a year of ofourse that was right after he fled with adidas and won his 3rd title.This year he was bouncing between reebok and nike.Reebok backed off after the all star game cause kobe wanted too much money and so kobe was left with nike.He has no leverage with nike.I keep reading different things some reports say he is expected to get 10-15 million a year others are saying 5-6 million.His deal will be revealed soon.Settling on that kinda money(5-6) is a big mistake especially for someone of the caliber of kobe.


----------



## Dynasty Raider (Nov 15, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>beautifulkobe</b>!
> ... Settling on that kinda money(5-6) is a big mistake especially for someone of the caliber of kobe.


Hmmmm, interesting. You call it "settling". At this point, it's a "take-it-or-leave-it" proposition. Where else does he have to go: Dada? 

The league is being flooded with new marketable talent that is not looking for their own shoe. Kobe has been labeled as a marketing liability. Unfortuantely for him, it is hard to change his reputation of being cocky and arrogant. He comes off as being "better than thou." His commercials have all been about HIM when he should be promoting the product. 

He's been given numerous opportunities to prove his marketability (Addidas, Spaulding, McDonalds, Nutella) and it has all failed. Haven't you noticed that even SPRITE has new endorsers for its new line of Sprite?

I'd say, he'd better take what is offered from Nike and prove that he CAN make them. If the Nike "team" promotion is good enough for VC, Kidd, Payton, RJ, O'Neal, Pierce, Nash, etc. I'd say, he'd better get with the program and in this instance, forget about trying to "be like Mike". Even Reebok, has "team" promotions that are good enough for Baron Davis, Kenyon Martin, Steve Francis AND Iverson (who has a lifetime contract).

Re: The next "Jumpman", pleeeeze. That's MJ's line and it will exists as long as MJ wants it to exist and as long as there is a market. If Kobe wants to be part of "Jumpman" TEAM, MJ might consider him and I'm not so sure about that. If there IS a next "Jumpman", it won't be Kobe.

To be fair to Kobe, the McDonalds commercial of him and the kids was the best he's ever done because it wasn't about HIM, it was about the kids and McDonalds. But, that was when he was listening to his Dad. 

One thing I'm certain of --- he's a better PERSON after this loss, and HE WILL GO TO HIS DAD FOR RECONCILIATION. And, maybe, just maybe --- he can develop a new image and THEN get the contracts he believes he deserves.


----------



## JerryWest (Jun 24, 2002)

I'm pretty sure Kobe is making a lot more 5-6 M.

More people list Kobe as their favorite player than anyone else, he doesn't have to change at all


----------



## NaS (Feb 21, 2003)

methinks kobe is gonna join up team jordan actually... cuz all he rocks now are retro jordans... so team jordan is a possibility
lol and lebron... its gonna be jordan brand part 2. melo is already in nike ads (the new dunking supremacy ad... he does the dancing... chekc hte socks cuz u cant see his face


----------



## soulson11 (Sep 8, 2002)

3peat:


----------



## 3PeatComplete (Jul 11, 2002)

http://www.latimes.com/sports/baske...268.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-nba-lakers

"Industry insiders expect Bryant's endorsement deal with Nike to be worth about $40 million over five years. It will be announced in mid-June Laker assistant Jim Cleamons is expected to draw some interest from the NBA's many coaching vacancies. "


----------



## Sean (Jun 7, 2002)

*Bryant will wear the Nike, not Jordan, brand*

------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Darren Rovell
ESPN.com

In a season of unprecedented shoe deal free agency, the world's number one athletic shoe maker is signing the most coveted available athletes.

On May 20, Nike signed former Syracuse standout Carmelo Anthony to a six-year deal worth roughly $3 million per year. The next day, future No. 1 pick LeBron James was paid $90 million to wear the Swoosh for seven years. 

On Wednesday, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher that the shoe giant, which owns roughly 40 percent of the U.S. shoe market, is close to signing Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant. Bryant's SFX agent Rob Pelinka could not immediately be reached for comment.

Terms of the deal were not available and a Nike official said that company executives do not comment on rumor and speculation.

Sources told ESPN.com that Bryant will wear the Nike, not Jordan, brand and he is expected to receive a percentage of royalties from products associated with him

http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2003/0618/1570090.html


----------



## Dynasty Raider (Nov 15, 2002)

*Re: Bryant will wear the Nike, not Jordan, brand*



> Originally posted by <b>Sean</b>!
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Sources told ESPN.com that Bryant will wear the Nike, not Jordan, brand and he is expected to receive a percentage of royalties from products associated with him
> 
> http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2003/0618/1570090.html


That sounds about right, especially, since Kobe has proven to be a liability more than an asset. So, if he can change his image and bring in some money for Nike, they both benefit.

Also, I don't expect any dollar amount to be made a big deal of, since it will not come even close to LBJ's and to Kobe, that is an insult. He will spend all of next year trying to showoff LBJ and prove to Nike that they made a mistake. In my opinion, he would have been better off joing Dada or some lesser known line to prove that he could carry it.

After what Kobe did during MJ's retirment run, did anyone really expect for MJ to sign him? Really?


----------



## steadyeddy (Jan 2, 2003)

Since all of us really know nothing for sure where Kobe is concerned (or any other basketball player for that matter) and are willing to just speculate wildly, I will throw in that on the local news here in LA last night they said that Kobes deal will actually end being a bigger comittment on Nikes part than Lebrons 90 million because it will include his own clothing line. 

Granted, the announcers in LA could be just as devoid of any REAL knowledge as the people who love to speculate on these boards are.....but if it's correct, then Nike surely doesn't think Kobe is an unbankable commodity as was just espoused in the previous post.


----------



## Lakers_32_4ever (Dec 30, 2002)

yea. steadyeddy... i saw that on espnnews.. that it was might exceed the lebron deal....


----------



## U reach. I teach (May 24, 2003)

I keep hearing about Kobe's image; how cocky and arrogent he is. Even if he was, which he isn't, that's not why his shoes didn't sell. Kobe is one of the most beloved players in this league (not just be me). The reason they didn't sell was simple. THE SHOES WERE UGLY!!! Come on, the Tmac's, the AI's, they all had (have) a nice look to them AND they were (are) worn by those players, why not by them? People love kobe, but not enough to buy those shoes. They are too dang ugly for that kind of money.


----------



## Sean (Jun 7, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>steadyeddy</b>!
> Granted, the announcers in LA could be just as devoid of any REAL knowledge as the people who love to speculate on these boards are.....


:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: 

Very well put. Nice post.


----------



## Sean (Jun 7, 2002)

*Don't sell Kobe short on marketing power*

------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Ric Bucher
ESPN The Magazine

While non-disclosure provisions prohibit either side from providing details, the agreement has been described as a partnership, different than most, if not all, previous shoe company-athlete deals. Most athletes -- including recent Nike signees LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony -- sign a contract to be spokesmen and representatives. The company essentially buys the rights to the athlete's image. The athletes don't carry any financial risk, but they also have limited input on what their shoes actually look like or how they're marketed.

Bryant, apparently in exchange for carrying part of the fiscal burden, gets to be involved in every aspect of the business -- marketing, design, production. Reebok, a shoe-business source says, offered a similar deal.

http://espn.go.com/nba/columns/bucher_ric/1571567.html


----------



## steadyeddy (Jan 2, 2003)

It's pretty evident that Kobe has alot on the ball. He is not just a "dumb basketball player" as the cliche goes.

I don't know where he's gonna find the time to be as "hands on" as he would like to be though.


----------



## Lakers-14xChampions (Jan 17, 2003)

*Kobe Shoes?*

I know he just signed with Nike! Does anyone know when the shoes are going to be released? I can't wait! I bought the Kobe's first shoes from Adidas. I liked those a lot. I did not like the Kobe II, and am glad to see he signed with a real company!


----------

