Zion Williamson's Nike Deal: How Much Will The NBA Rookie Star Make Off Jordan Brand Endorsement?

The competition to land the NBA’s next big star to a shoe deal ended Tuesday when Jordan Brand announced it has signed Zion Williamson. The No.1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft agreed to a multi-year contract with Nike a little over a month after being selected by the New Orleans Pelicans.

“I feel incredibly blessed to be a part of the Jordan Brand family,” Williamson said in a statement. “Since I was a kid, I dreamed of making it to the league & having the type of impact on the game Michael Jordan had & continues to have today. He was one of those special athletes I looked up to.”

A historic freshman year at Duke has made Williamson one of the most popular draft picks the league has ever seen. The 19-year-old arguably enters the NBA with more hype than any rookie since LeBron James was drafted first overall in 2003.

Exact details of Williamson’s Nike deal have not been released, though there’s been speculation that his contract could compare to the one James signed 16 years ago. James inked a seven-year, $87 million deal with Nike as a rookie.

Sonny Vaccaro, who has spent time as an executive with Nike, Adidas and Reebok, suggested to ESPN in the spring that the bidding for Williamson could result in a shoe deal that approaches $100 million.

It’s unlikely that Williamson’s contract with Jordan Brand is worth nine figures, or even the kind of money that James was guaranteed when he was drafted. The basketball shoe industry has been on the decline in recent years.

Still, Williamson’s deal almost certainly dwarfs those signed by recent high draft picks.

Ben Simmons signed a five-year, $20 million contract with Nike, according to USA Today, when he was the No.1 overall pick in 2016. Simmons didn’t enter the NBA with nearly as much fanfare as Williamson after playing one season of college basketball at LSU.

Markelle Fultz signed a multi-year shoe deal with Nike as the No.1 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. The Vertical reported that Fultz received offers of more than $1.5 million per year. Some brands reportedly offered him a $500,000 signing bonus.

Williamson’s shoe deal might be closer to the one Kevin Durant signed as a rookie. In 2007, Durant received $60 million guaranteed over seven years from Nike.

Marvin Bagley III was the No.2 overall pick out of Duke in the 2018 NBA Draft. He reportedly agreed to the largest rookie shoe deal since Durant when he signed a five-year commitment with Puma.

Williamson will earn a $9.757 million salary in his first season with the Pelicans. His rookie contract could end up being worth more than $44 million over four years.