Andrew Wiggins’ first shoe deal could be worth $180 million.
So says a couple of sneaker industry experts who spoke to Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report.
“From what I’m hearing, (Adidas) is really high on him,” an industry source told Zwerling. “I’ve heard a range for sure, from like $140 to $180 million for like 10 years. That’s a big deal for a kid coming out of school because most rookie deals are probably like four years.”
“I’m hearing from people at Kansas that he’s got a $180 million offer supposedly coming from Adidas,” a source close to Wiggins’ inner circle said. “But I also heard that Nike is going to match anything.”
Wiggins chose to play for Kansas, the only adidas school on a list that also included Kentucky, Florida State and North Carolina. He’s now projected as the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft and has even gotten advice from LeBron James.
Nike, Under Armour and possibly even Li Ning are also expected to vie for Wiggins’ first sneaker deal next spring.
“Andrew will force a three-team bidding,” grassroots sneaker legend Sonny Vaccaro told SNY.tv in May. “Under Armour will be in there. There hasn’t been a three-team bidding in years, since I went to Reebok a long time ago.”
James signed a $90 million deal with Nike in May 2003 while Vaccaro was with Adidas. But at that point, only two companies were in the mix for his services. Vaccaro said Wiggins could be a modern-day equivalent.
“I’m talking about LeBron-esque money, I mean that sincerely,” he said. “I don’t how you can avoid it.”
Zwerling’s story also suggests that James’ agent, Rich Paul, could end up repping Wiggins next spring.
Mike George, Wiggins’s former AAU coach with CIA Bounce, recently became an agent and reps Anthony Bennett, the Canadian chosen No. 1 in the 2013 Draft.
**For previous articles on Andrew Wiggins, click here.
