Did Nike know well in advance that Kevin Durant would be signing with the Golden State Warriors this summer? According to Durant, he didn't give his sneaker sponsor much of a notice about the move.
"I didn’t let them know what I was doing until I did it," Durant told CBS Sports' Bill Reiter when asked about the brand's influence on his decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Kevin Durant, on Nike's influence on his decision to join Warriors: "I didn’t let them know what I was doing until I did it."
Nike's rollout of Warriors-themed Durant sneakers reflects this. The brand didn't have already-designed colorways ready to go when Durant made his big announcement, and instead quickly introduced his Nike KD 9 shoes to its custom site, NIKEiD, in Golden State colors.
