NBA Rumors: Gordon Hayward Agrees To Sneaker Contract With This Company

Gordon Hayward likely will return to the NBA court with a new look.

The Boston Celtics forward agreed to a four-year sneaker and apparel contract with Anta, ESPN’s Nick DePaula reported Wednesday via Twitter. Hayward’s previous sneaker deal was with Nike, which now must decide whether to match Anta’s offer or cut business ties with the 28-year-old All-Star.

If DePaula’s report proves to be correct, Anta will have won the race for Hayward’s signature over Nike, New Balance and at least one other apparel company.

Hayward feels “basically 100 percent” having recovered from the catastrophic ankle injury that ruined his debut season with the Celtics. We don’t yet know what impact he’ll have on the team’s fortunes, but he’ll apparently set out to return with a bang while wearing new kicks.