The sneaker game has become a massive part of NBA culture, with fans eager to see what kicks their favorite players are rocking.
But for those who’ve truly made it, like Kevin Durant, earning a signature shoe is like reaching the pinnacle of success.
And for KD, he knows none of it would be possible without Michael Jordan paving the way.
So he opened up about the influence Jordan has had, and how other athletes trying to live up to it.
As of April 2024, the NBA witnessed a record-high 26 players with active signature shoe lines, 5 kicking off this year alone.
But untouchable on the list, both in sales and contract, of course, is Michael Jordan, playing in billions.
And just when you come to no.2, the number drops by well over a billion.
So it is a task to live up to the numbers MJ has set and Durant is aware of it.
Jordan’s sneaker journey started back in 1985 with the launch of the Air Jordan 1.
Marketed as the “banned sneaker,” it quickly became a cultural phenomenon, totaling $126 million in sales in the first year alone.
Fast forward to today, and MJ’s net worth has soared past $3.5 billion and his contribution to Nike through the Jordan brand has reached $6.59 billion in revenue this year.
Durant, following in Jordan’s footsteps, signed his own major deal with Nike in 2007, inking a $60 million contract across 7 years.
But that seems to have been the peak.
His yearly revenue with the brand remains unclear with $26 million reported in 2019, years before he would sign a lifetime deal with the brand.
Yet, a stark contrast to MJ’s estimated amount of $330 million from the brand each year.
