Is Damian Lillard Leaving Adidas?

Is Damian Lillard, the rising star of the Portland Trail Blazers, about to opt out? No, this isn’t about his contract with the Portland Trail Blazers when he was drafted in 2012. It’s about his shoe deal with Adidas. Damian Lillard signed a shoe endorsement deal during his rookie year with Adidas and it has incentives which allows him to opt out of his contract. 

NBA Sneaker Sales: Who is number one?

As I’ve stated in previous posts, there are not too many more lucrative ventures for NBA players than the world of high-priced sneakers. The sales numbers for 2012 are in from SportsOneSource and the top sellers are not much of a shock to be really honest. Michael Jordan still leads by a wide margin with a $2 BILLION dollar sales figure (read my old post about Air Jordan’s continued dominance if you do not believe me), followed by Mr. Chuck Taylor and his Converse line. But those are givens, how did the current crop of NBA stars stack up? Who was in the top 3 for currently active hoopers? (Hint: Derrick Rose and Kevin Durant missed the cut)

Let’s see:

How To Lose $16 Million With One Racist Phrase: The Sergio Garcia Edition

Athletes and endorsements go hand and hand. I mean, we have: LeBron James and Nike, RGIII and Adidas, and even Jimmy Johnson and Extenze (yes, that was an attempt at humor). These companies want to market their products by using the best of the best in various fields to make average Joes want to go out and buy their ridiculous overpriced products. However, the athletes also have an obligation to represent the company properly at all times by not acting like an uneducated imbecile. This is where PGA golfer Sergio Garcia screwed up…big time Tuesday night.

Will He or Won't He Play?: Adidas’ $250 Million Problem

Back in 2012, Adidas decided to invest a big-time shoe deal in Chicago Bulls star point guard Derrick Rose, which was valued by numerous sources at over $200 million dollars. Adidas has been number two in the athletic wear industry behind Nike (and Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Carmelo Anthony) for decades and they see Rose as the X-Factor that could potentially close the gap on their rivals from Oregon.

It Must Be The Shoes

(Air Jordan 11 Retro Bred)

Michael Jordan retired nine years ago. His last championship with the Bulls came in 1998. He is 50 years old and unfortunately, he owns the Charlotte Bobcats. Yikes.