words // Nick DePaula
After receiving offers from several footwear companies over the last month, including a huge dark horse bid from Chinese brand ANTA said to be in the neighborhood of $7 Million per year, sources say that LA Clippers star forward Blake Griffin has decided to return to Nike Inc.
Griffin missed his entire true rookie year with a knee injury, but his marketing potential soared almost immediately once he hit the court for a Rookie of the Year campaign during his second season in the NBA. The marquee sneaker free agent this year is due a healthy raise on his sneaker endorsement deal, considering his original deal was worth just a rumored $400,000 per season.
Earlier this summer, he signed a maximum contract extension with the Clippers that could be worth as much as $95 Million over five years with incentives met. With that in mind, money was said to not be a key factor in Griffin's decision making process when it came to deciding on a new footwear deal.
He was recently spotted wearing Nike Basketball's Lunar Hyperdunk 2012 at Clippers Media Day, and we'll keep you posted as more details arise.
