All of the Warriors star players have massive shoe contracts — Kevin Durant and Draymond Green with Nike; Steph Curry with Under Armour. Shoe brands help shape a players’ identity in the modern NBA.
Klay Thompson went against the grain by signing with Anta in 2014, a Chinese sportswear brand established in 1994. Despite the lower profile, Anta still releases quite the array of shoes for Thompson. And that continued on Tuesday, two days before Thompson’s third straight NBA Finals appearance.
In honor of @KlayThompson and the Warriors reaching the NBA Finals, @AntaAmerica unveils the KT2 "Chase" available now pic.twitter.com/alvDCnW6yn
— B/R Kicks (@brkicks) May 30, 2017
In December, Anta reportedly offered Thompson a multi-year extension on his current deal that lasts through the 2019-20 season. The deal would place him among one of the highest earning footwear endorsers in the league, according to Nick DePaula of Nice Kicks.
The Thompson camp has yet to accept the deal that would pay around $9 million annually, due in large part to the fact that the Golden State shooting guard recently switched his marketing representation, hiring Wasserman Media Group to handle all of his off-court endorsement opportunities.
Thompson left Nike for Anta in 2014, signing what was considered an above market deal, just before he became one of the elite players in the league, making consecutive NBA Finals and All-Star appearances. He’s launched two “KT” signature shoes since signing the original deal.
