Days before the start of the NBA season, Nike unveiled its 2023 Draft Class signees. The announcement was highlighted by the No.1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama, who will have a lot to prove this year as arguably the most highly-anticipated prospect in NBA history.
The basketball roster of NBA talent continues to grow for Nike with seven of the top 10 draft picks signing to the company.
Nike currently dominates the league with 70% of players wearing the signature swoosh, according to Kix Stats.
Nike Introduces Rookie Class of 2023
A total of 13 rookies signed with Nike, including Wembanyama, No. 2 pick Brandon Miller, and the Thompson twins, Amen and Ausar. The rest of the rookie class includes Anthony Black, Bilal Coulibaly, Cason Wallace, Derek Lively II, Jordan Hawkins, Keyonte George, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Julian Strawther, and Kobe Brown.
Before playing in the NBA, Wembanyama already signed a deal with Nike while playing in France. His deal is now carried over to his NBA career as he makes his debut for the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.
There are no details released on how much Wembanyama is earning from Nike but rumors have surfaced that the deal could eventually approach $100 million if he lives up to the hype.
BREAKING: Nike has signed 13 NBA rookies to shoe deals. 📄✍️
Full class includes:
• Victor Wembanyama – San Antonio Spurs
• Brandon Miller – Charlotte Hornets
• Amen Thompson – Houston Rockets
• Ausar Thompson – Detroit Pistons
• Anthony Black – Orlando Magic
• Kobe… pic.twitter.com/S6fqqXSQjP— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) October 23, 2023
A Dream Come True for Amen and Ausar Thompson
Twins Amen and Ausar Thompson have been dreaming of this moment since they were nine years old. Both of them were drafted in the first round and just one pick apart going fourth and fifth overall.
Amen Thompson will be a part of the Houston Rockets while Ausar will be playing in Detroit for the Pistons during his rookie campaign.
At the age of nine, they both wrote their dreams on a piece of paper. Aside from becoming the best NBA player ever, Amen and Ausar always dreamed of signing with a shoe company.
Shortly before the NBA debut, they made that dream come true signing with Nike for the 2023-2024 season.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
