NBA Star who pouted his way off team to separate from Michael Jordan brand
He’s only 27 years old, but is it possible Kawhi Leonard is going through a mid-life crisis?
After all, he’s already been through a divorce of sorts by forcing his way out of San Antonio.
He’s making what seem to be irrational decisions — by forgoing a potential “Super Max” contract, Leonard will cost himself tens of millions of dollars.
And now he’s leaving the most popular sneaker brand known to man.
Nike’s Jordan brand is walking away from the two-time defensive player of the year after the sides failed to reach agreement on a contract extension.
ESPN reported in March that talks between Nike and Leonard had stalled.
Michael C. Wright and Ramona Shelburne wrote that the two sides were “very close” to finalizing a four-year, $20 million deal, but “representatives” for Leonard didn’t feel that the deal was worthy of his two top-3 finishes in the MVP voting.
ESPN’s Nick DePaula now reports that the deal was four years for $22 million.
DePaula explains that most shoe deals expire on Sept. 30, a couple of weeks before the start of the season, but players can begin exploring other options about 60 days prior to that.
Leonard only played in nine games last season for the Spurs, but sneaker reps are reportedly more concerned about his inward nature than his physical health.
Leonard’s move from the tiny market of San Antonio to representing an entire nation in Toronto will be one of the NBA’s biggest stories this season.
Leonard’s father was killed when he was 16 years old, and his uncle, Dennis Robertson has assumed the male mentor role in his life. He’s also been Leonard’s business adviser.
Back in April, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich appeared to take a well-publicized dig at Robertson and Leonard’s inner circle regarding the player’s mysterious quadricep injury.
Pop, asked if Kawhi Leonard could receive clearance to return during his trip to New York: “When he and his group feel he’s ready, then he’ll be ready.”
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 1, 2018
Now, with Leonard (and stars like Joel Embiid, Gordon Hayward, DeMarcus Cousins and Andrew Wiggins) hitting sneaker free agency, it will be interesting to see how big a role Robertson plays in arranging potential meetings with companies like Adidas, Under Armour, Puma, New Balance And1, as well as companies in foreign markets.
Either way, it seems like Kawhi is-a-changin’ — from the guy who drove his ’97 Chevy Tahoe for nearly 20 years to someone who wants to headline his own sneaker company.
If these are the transitions the former NBA Finals MVP is going through at 27, we can only imagine what he’ll be like when he hits his “real” mid-life crisis.
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