NBA star Kevin Durant and Nike announced on Friday that they have signed a lifetime contract, the Suns winger following in the footsteps of Michael Jordan and LeBron James, beneficiaries of a similar partnership with the equipment manufacturer.
“It’s a real honor to be in the game for life with Nike,” the 34-year-old tweeted on social media.
Durant and the comma mark is a business that has been running since 2007, when he started in the league, with the Seattle SuperSonics, who moved the following year to Oklahoma City to be renamed the Thunder.
The winger wore this jersey until 2016 and his departure to Golden State. With the Warriors, he won two championship rings (2017, 2018) each time being named Finals MVP. After his rupture of an Achilles tendon, during the one lost against Toronto in 2019, he settled down in Brooklyn, which he left this winter after four unsuccessful years, to try to bounce back in Phoenix.
During this time, its partnership with Nike has resulted in the commercialization of 15 models of sneakers, the equipment manufacturer supporting its philanthropic initiatives, such as the renovation of land in disadvantaged neighborhoods around the world.
“When I first signed with Nike, I could never have imagined how far this partnership would go (…) I am excited for the future and honored to be in rare company with this agreement” , he wrote again.
With the Suns, Durant is preparing to face the Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals. Selected 13 times in the All-Star Game, he was named the MVP of the regular season in 2014. He also won three Olympic gold medals with Team USA.
