What seemed like a harmless oversight last May apparently cost Terry Rozier hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The Boston Celtics point guard had his shoe deal with Adidas terminated the day after his team lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals, Sports Illustrated’s L. Jon Wertheim revealed in a recent article detailing Derrick Rose’s current agreement with Adidas.
Why, you ask?
“During the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals, Rozier wore Nikes during a pregame shootaround,” Wertheim wrote. “He changed into Adidas shoes for the game, but his public appearance in a rival brand did not escape notice.
“In a letter delivered by FedEx last May 26, Adidas’s legal counsel Monique Hawthorne notified Rozier, ‘Adidas is terminating your Agreement effective immediately.’ ”
Seems a bit harsh, no?
Wertheim added Rozier’s representatives plan to seek a settlement with Adidas over the contract, which guaranteed the 23-year-old $300,000 over three years, according to documents provided to SI.
Rozier, who wore Adidas at the University of Louisville as part of the school’s deal with the apparel company, has been wearing Nikes since the beginning of the 2017-18 season.
The switch in kicks certainly hasn’t hurt his play, though: He’s averaging career highs in points (9.8), rebounds (4.6) and assists (2.3) per game while serving as a valuable role player for the East-leading Celtics.
And coincidentally, Slam Magazine on Wednesday profiled Rozier, noting that he has been “balling in a collection of fire kicks this season,” so he’s got that going for him, too.
