NBA sneaker endorsements have become a bigger topic of conversation than normal lately. After Jordan Brand lost one of their marquee players, no time was wasted in filling the position by calling up Russell Westbrook from the Oklahoma City Thunder, who’s deal with Nike expired this year, to the Michael Jordan brand.
Jordan Brand head Michael Jordan had this to say about the Russell Westbrook endorsement:
“We are very excited to welcome Russell to the Jordan family…Russell’s style, both on and off the court, combined with his love and dedication to the game make him a perfect fit for the Jordan Brand. We love the drive and passion for basketball that Russell brings.”
Even though we are still in the preseason, Jordan wasted no time breaking Russy off with a PE for the Thunder game against the Rockets. For his first Player Exclusive with a Jumpman logo, Westbrook was given an exclusive pair of the performance powerhouse Jordan Super.Fly yesterday.
There was a lot of speculation on where Russell Westbrook would land when his Nike deal ran out this year with adidas rumored to become the new home of the Thunder point guard. That was dispelled however when NBA Media Day came around and Westbrook was seen in a Nike iD pair of the Air Jordan Alpha 1. News of this deal came literally hours after Dwayne Wade officially announced his deal with Li-Ning so I can’t help but wonder how long ago Russell was tapped to seemingly be Wade’s replacement on the Jordan Brand roster.
Paired with Rajon Rondo, Russell Westbrook was the face of the Nike Hyperfuse since the sneaker’s inception and was always laced with special editions. No word on any plans on a Westbrook signature with a Jumpman on it but as a player used to PEs he should be comfortable in the position he’s in.
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