Nike Signs Cade Cunningham To Signature Shoe Deal, Unveils New Logo
Cade will have his own sneaker.
For all the preseason buzz attached to the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers as Eastern Conference kings in a Jayson Tatum-less NBA season, the Detroit Pistons might be the true front-runners in the East. It certainly looks like it so far. Detroit has the NBA’s second-best record (11-2), and the Pistons have a legitimate superstar in Cade Cunningham, who is averaging 27.5 points, 9.9 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game.
To be clear, Cunningham’s stardom became apparent when he made a leap last season, during which he made his first All-Star team, was selected to Third Team All-NBA, and finished No. 7 in MVP voting.
But now with the Pistons running the East, and with Cunningham’s numbers looking gaudier than ever, his status as a superstar is beyond cemented.
Nike has certainly noticed. The iconic brand just announced that they’re signing Cunningham to a six-year endorsement deal that will come with a signature shoe (debuting next season). Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, Cunningham will become the “sixth active NBA player to have a signature shoe deal with Nike, joining LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Ja Morant, Devin Booker and Giannis Antetokounmo.”
Nike unveiled a new logo for Cunningham as part of the announcement. Cunningham, 24, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft, and he’s definitely proven to be a far better pro than No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green. Evan Mobley (No. 3 overall) and Alperen Sengun (No. 16 overall) have also turned into stars from that draft.
Nike’s decision to give Cunningham a signature shoe is an interesting one. Cunningham isn’t known for having a unique or marketable personality, although the basketball production and stardom is obviously there. In this way, Cunningham is kind of similar to Devin Booker, among the other guys Nike has given signature deals to recently.
LeBron, KD, and Giannis were all massive wins for Nike, obviously, although Morant’s recent decline hasn’t been great for his brand.
Cunningham is a safe bet for Nike.
