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Who has the best-selling signature shoes in the NBA? It's Kevin Durant and LeBron James of course. Forbes ran a piece this week, revealing that the pair have the best-selling signature sneakers among their peers... but it's James who remains on top.
Forbes.com says Nike raked up $300 million in sales of James' signature sneakers in 2013, as the NBA star himself earned an estimated $20 million off the deal.
Durant, on the other hand, saw sales of his signature sneakers jump 400% last year from $35 million to $175 million in the U.S. with his KD VI sneaker leading the way. "The KD VI is an outstanding shoe and did really well last year, particularly at Christmas," SportsOneSource analyst Matt Powell tells Forbes. "Durant has really come into his own as a player and a personality."
Forbes notes that Durant signed a seven-year deal, $60 million deal with Nike in 2007 as a rookie, but it took some time before the deal began to pay off. "Nike sold only $15 million at retail of KD's shoes in 2011 and some blamed OKC's small market size. But the Thunder made the NBA Finals in 2012 and Durant's Nike sales more than doubled before skyrocketing again in 2013," the publication wrote.
James and Durant leads the rest of the pack by a large margin. Kobe Bryant comes in at #3, moving $50 million in retails sales in the U.S. last year, while Derrick Rose lands at #4 with $40 million in sales of his Adidas' signature sneakers.
Forbes.com says Nike raked up $300 million in sales of James' signature sneakers in 2013, as the NBA star himself earned an estimated $20 million off the deal.
Durant, on the other hand, saw sales of his signature sneakers jump 400% last year from $35 million to $175 million in the U.S. with his KD VI sneaker leading the way. "The KD VI is an outstanding shoe and did really well last year, particularly at Christmas," SportsOneSource analyst Matt Powell tells Forbes. "Durant has really come into his own as a player and a personality."
Forbes notes that Durant signed a seven-year deal, $60 million deal with Nike in 2007 as a rookie, but it took some time before the deal began to pay off. "Nike sold only $15 million at retail of KD's shoes in 2011 and some blamed OKC's small market size. But the Thunder made the NBA Finals in 2012 and Durant's Nike sales more than doubled before skyrocketing again in 2013," the publication wrote.
James and Durant leads the rest of the pack by a large margin. Kobe Bryant comes in at #3, moving $50 million in retails sales in the U.S. last year, while Derrick Rose lands at #4 with $40 million in sales of his Adidas' signature sneakers.