John Kim 
All eyes and ears have been glued to the barrage of news surrounding this week’s All-Star sneaker releases put forth by Nike, but news of a jaw-dropping, monster sneaker contract drew attention to adidas, a brand that struggles to have a firm presence in the U.S. basketball market. Of course, the basketball market in the States is just one piece of the big athletic-outfitting puzzle, and while it’s no mystery that Nike absolutely dominates the U.S. basketball bracket (over 95%, as of mid-2010), adidas confidently competes with Nike on the worldwide scale, with some reports stating that the adidas Derrick Rose line outsells Nike LeBron and goes toe to toe with Nike Kobe out in China, a region that has a major influence in the overall picture. The figures of this lucrative endorsement contract, finalized over this weekend, reads roughly fourteen years and $250 million, which is likely the duration of Rose’s professional career; it also establishes Rose as the highest paid active basketball athlete endorsee. Who comes in first of all-time? Michael Jordan, of course, who cashes in quite a few sheckles every year thanks to the astonishing sales numbers of Air Jordan Retros (Air Jordans outsell Kobe, LeBron, KD, Chuck Taylor, and Rose combined).
buckled double-strap sandals got its inspiration from classic tennis shoes. The timing of this contract also comes at a pivotal point of the signature sneaker line; typically the third or fourth installment of a signature line takes the entire estate to a new level – think Reebok Reebok BB4500 Court Shoes male, Rockport Rockport Chukka Boots Mens, Air Foamposite One, Zoom KD IV – and with the adiRose already making significant jumps from 1.0 to 2.0 (and Palma crocodile-effect sandals Black), ST 2 Sabates Running Trekker Boots GARMONT Vetta Tech Gtx GORE-TEX 002465 Grey Red. The sheer numbers of the contract also bring up some interesting thoughts; do sneaker companies have any sort of influence on where a superstar chooses to play? While Rose has already signed a contract extension with the Bulls, one has to think that the smaller market team may be at a disadvantage in luring free agent stars when considering the major dollars that sneaker companies are ready to throw around. Now that D-Rose being triple-striped for life is in the books, what are your thoughts on this gargantuan contract? Do you foresee a competitor like Nike or Jordan Brand breaking the $250 million mark? What other rising star deserves his own signature line? Let us know your thoughts on Rose’s contract and the potential aftermath in the comments section below.
