Why does he have to "seperate" himself from MJ? When were they together? The only people who made them "together" was the media, and all the Kobe haters who call him an MJ wannabe. FILA? Aren't they like on the verge of bankruptcy? Kobe should go to wherever he wants to go. He shouldn't go around making financial decisions based on not looking like MJ. How will his marketability and salesmanship skyrocket with FILA? Isn't that what was supposed to happen with Grant "Next MJ" Hill? Or Stackhouse? Another "next Jordan"? I don't even know if Fila is endorsed by any player worth a damn.
Lebron James is allready with Adidas. They sponsored his hs unis and gave him shoes. I think he's allready signed with them.
He isnt with them. Adidas sponsored his high school, but not James. LeBron still hasnt decided who he is going to sign with.
I'm pretty sure he's not signed. First of all he's still in HS so he would be ineligible to play. Second of all, just because Adidas GAVE HIM SHOES does not mean he's signed. Adidas spending a few thousand on Lebron giving his team jerseys and shoes is just part of the courtship so they can make millions off him later. All the all-americans and such get hooked up with free crap, but I'm pretty sure the bidding battle on Lebron is still pretty crazy, which IMO is pretty ridiculous. I don't think he's overrated, but the attention and media hype came too early...
What rezdawg said. If adidas is giving him free stuff, then it's not supposed to be leaked to the public yet, unless James has plans on going to Europe for 1 year. High school teams are always wearing Nike/adidas unis and shoes, it doesn't come close to meaning that they endorse each player who wears them, because then Nike and adidas would be broke if they endorsed millions of HS kids.
I know most teams are sponsored by a nike or adidas but they went overboard with Lebron's team. He even designed the jerseys and they got shoes that weren't released or were released in very minimal quantities such as the american flag kobe two's. He may not have actually signed with them yet but I'm pretty sure Adidas has made it's intentions of signing James known. I also believe he's said somewhere when asked if he'll sign with nike because Michael Jordan has been somewhat of a mentor to him that he's allready chosen adidas.
Nike and Adidas are doing everything they can to get him. They are both giving him the royal treatment.
Bottom line is that he will go to the highest bidder. However, if somehow adidas and Nike do bid the same amount, I'd say that James would lean to adidas. Many times HS players who are involved with adidas or Nike during HS, stay loyal as far as into the NBA. Eddie Griffin played for an adidas AAU team, played at the adidas ABCD camp, and wears adidas right now. Ditto for T-Mac and Kobe until this point. I will say that adidas seems to be marketing their products in the high school game much more than in the college game. I can't think of one top college bball program, other than UCLA, who adidas supplies shoes, and apparel to. In high school, the ABCD is arguably a better camp than the Nike All-American camp. As well as the fact that adidas may sponsor more AAU teams than Nike.
Man you love T-Mac don't you. That's great you look past his non-exist personality. Guy looks like he's half asleep all the time. I'm sure Madison Avenue is fighting for his endorsement. lol. Marketable doesn't necesarily mean just being a good player. It's a shame such a young player has back problems already. Not good.
I like the KOBE but hated the look of the newer KOBETWO. What's up with everyone kissing Lebron's ass from the media and Adidas and Nike? I havent seen one article saying that he maybe not ready for the NBA (unlike Yao Ming). Everyone is saying how he will make a difference at once even when the track record for immediate success from a high schooler going to the nba is not good (it will take at least 3 years until the player becomes a solid/star player). The hype on him is so huge taht the pressure for him to perform well or at least decent at the get-go will be outrageous. I mean, come on, hes still in hs and we're already talking if he will be signing with Adidas or Nike. <---that is called huge hype. What if he'll suck?
It's a shame about T-Mac's back. He's an awesome player. If he and Grant Hill were healthy? If the Magic had a decent power forward? #1 seed in the East. Bad luck, that team. If T-Mac were 100% healthy, then I'd make TMac-Kobe comparisons.
Y'know, it's a shame you don't know all of the facts, nor probably follow McGrady on a regular basis like I do. His back problem is not going to be something that hinders him from developing into one of (if not the) best player in the league. As long as he completes his exercises - very minor things - he will be fine. It's nothing major nor something that will limit him in any way. Don't believe me? Just look at what he's done already with it. If McGrady wasn't marketable, why wouldn't adidas lock him into a LIFETIME deal? He's certainly appeared in a lot more ads than Kobe has recently - I haven't seen a Spadling or adidas ad featuring Kobe in a long time, and his McDonald's ad gets limited play. But, I still see McGrady adidas ads on occasionally plus his spot with CWebb for Mountain Dew: Code Red. And no, that's not a product of the market on national TV. The only thing that makes Kobe marketable is his market - LA. Shaq left Orlando to do movies and that career flopped, not for endorsements. If a player is good enough and marketable enough, they'll get the endorsements, as McGrady has proven.
Poor Fila, the only big guy they've had over the years is Grant Hill. Definitely doesn't look good on the shoes, having a guy that's misses a couple of years do to knee and ankle injuies.
I don't know what people see in Kobe Bryant, because I sure don't see it. At this point, I would say that he's the second most popular player in the league next to Vince Carter. I think it's the winning, combined with being on the Lakers, along with his so called "charisma". Just thinking about that makes me sick. But business-wise, as of right now, if I had to choose either Bryant or T-Mac to endorse my product, I'd go with Bryant.
Kobe Ocho dumped addidas to follow in Hakeem's footsteps and sign with Spaulding...because of course he doesn't care about the money he cares about the kids
Digging this back up from the depths of the BBS - how often can a shoe company sign a player in one of the top 3 markets to a cheap deal for a player of his stature? Well, adidas nabbed Jay Williams fairly cheaply, still leaving them money to pursue other players. Makes losing Kobe look better, and potentially like nothing if they can sign someone else, like LeBron James. ---- Chicago Bulls rookie guard Jay Williams signed a sponsorship deal with Adidas on Thursday. Williams was the second overall pick in the draft out of Duke, where he won the Naismith and Wooden awards in 2002. ``Williams is an exciting young player that will have a great impact on the game, our basketball business and our brand,'' said Kip Meyer, director of sports marketing for Adidas America. Adidas lost one of its biggest stars this month when the company decided not to exercise a two-year extension with the Lakers' Kobe Bryant. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news/ap/20020725/ap-williams-adidas.html
