The NBA’s changing of the guard is becoming evident every night on the court, with young stars leading some of the league’s best teams to championship contention. The rise of this new generation is also increasingly materializing in boardrooms across the country.
Nike finalized its decision to end its partnership with Kyrie Irving this week, after a year of turmoil between the sneaker brand and the faces of one of its most popular lines. While Nike retains lucrative deals with legends like Kevin Durant and LeBron James, whose shoes are among the most popular among both current players and everyday hoopers around the world, parting ways with Irving created a chance for some of the league’s best young athletes to step up in the sneaker game.
It soon came out that the main beneficiaries would be two 2022 All-NBA guards from out West. Nick DePaula of ESPN and the Boardroom reported that Ja Morant and Devin Booker will both be getting signature shoe lines in time for the start of the 2023-24 season.
This move gives Nike several great options to collaborate with two of the most popular, marketable stars in the league, and will certainly help boost the two athletes’ impact on the basketball community to even greater heights. Morant has 8.5 million Instagram followers while Booker has 5.4 million. Both were in the top 13 among the NBA’s most popular jerseys last season. They were next in line and starting to hit their primes as players, so Nike’s choice makes sense.
Moving forward, new projects with Booker and Morant will help give Nike faces for its brand for the rest of this decade. Booker has already released multiple well-received sneakers in conjunction with Bryant’s Proto line, particularly the Protro 5 “Devin Booker” in orange and white, which Booker frequently wears on the court. Booker also put out a sleek-looking Air Force 1 colorway dedicated to his high school, Moss Point, in Mississippi.
Morant, meanwhile, is also fond of Kobes, though it’s expected Nike might prefer a wholly new model for Morant, including a potential “Air Ja” concept. A recent Nike ad campaign called “Says Who?” centered on Morant’s high-flying style and played off his roots in small towns across the South in high school, college, and the NBA.
Jordan Brand, a subsidiary of Nike, had been snatching up most of the other up-and-comers. Jayson Tatum, perhaps the front-runner for the 2023 MVP right now, will get a signature line with Jordan Brand next summer. Zion Williamson got a Jordan Brand deal worth a reported $2 million before playing a single NBA game. Luka Doncic released the Jordan Luka 1 last summer.
Nike is still in a good position as well. James has a lifetime deal and it’s unlikely his sneakers ever become irrelevant (though fewer current players are wearing them), while Bryant’s Protros remain among the most popular lines in the world. The brand recently gave Bulls star DeMar DeRozan a four-year deal to keep him as the “face” of Bryant’s line. Durant makes a reported $35 million annually through his Nike deal, which runs through 2024, and he’s still playing at an elite level in his mid-30s. And in 2019, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Freak 1s gave Nike the biggest sneaker launch in the history of the company.
The Morant and Booker deals will allow Nike to carry on the legacy of its Protro brand and begin to reinvent itself post-Irving, Durant, and Paul George. Nike can use these new deals to further establish their dominance over the NBA, particularly as adidas struggles with its business strategy after cutting ties on its Yeezy brand. For Morant and Booker individually, it solidifies their place in the NBA even further, on top of their massive contracts, consistent on-court brilliance, and standing atop the Western Conference.
The role of companies like Nike is only strengthening in the NBA over time, and Booker and Morant will be the latest to cash in during this period of transition atop the sneaker pecking order.