With so many superstar athletes acting as pivotal brand ambassadors for the industry’s major players, the signature basketball business has never been this competitive — particularly between Nike and adidas. For the Swoosh, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Zoom Freak series has been moving the needle since it debuted in 2019, but did you know — it almost could have been the adidas Freak line?
MVP and NBA Champion Giannis Antetokounmpo was the most recent guest in his older brother Thanasis’ podcast, Thanalysis. A portion of this show focused on how Nike earned the allegiance of the Antetokounmpo family, a result of a chain of events that started with adidas unknowingly fumbling a player that would eventually win a league MVP award, an NBA Championship, and one of the more successful signature shoe lines on the market.
Giannis was one of the more exciting prospects coming up the ranks in the European youth circuit (comparable to EYBL, Nike Hoops Summit, adidas 3 Stripes Select, etc); during this period, adidas approached him and his family to explore future opportunities. These meetings ended up with the Antetokounmpo camp and adidas agreeing to contracts for both Giannis and Thanasis; the type of contract involved mostly free footwear and apparel and, according to Giannis, $3,000-5,000.
The day to sign the contracts came and Giannis, Thanasis, and their mother went to the adidas headquarters in Greece. According to the brothers, the representative that put the deal in place “switched up on them” as they sensed a clear change in energy. Ultimately, adidas did not offer a contract to Thanasis at that moment, promising they’d sign him later. Giannis immediately declined, Nike eventually came into the picture, and the rest is history. Giannis also mentions that the adidas representative eventually got fired from the brand a couple of years later.
Watch the clip below to get the full story straight from the Antetokounmpo brothers.
