Gilbert Arenas spoke on his show about Cooper Flagg‘s new deal with New Balance. He noted that Cooper Flagg would have been approached by Nike, and likely signed with them had they made the approach. Arenas added that Nike placed him in the same category as Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid and that they don’t sign big men.
“People were like ‘I’m surprised he [Cooper Flagg] didn’t sign with Nike. Nike must have seen something that they [New Balance] didn’t. When Nike’s coming, Nike’s coming. If they wanted Cooper Flagg, there was nothing New Balance was going to do to keep Cooper Flagg from signing.”
“They would throw a bag at you that’s unreal if they think you are going to be a part of their future. Unfortunately, he feels under the same category that Jokic fell under, that Embiid fell under, that any big man falls under – Nike doesn’t touch those big guys like that.”
While Gilbert Arenas brought up some good examples in Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid, his statement that Nike doesn’t sign big men is not true. Giannis Antetokounmpo, undoubtedly one of the best players in the NBA, is a big man who is signed to Nike.
Furthermore, if you look at players like Paolo Banchero and Zion Williamson, who are bigs in the NBA signed to Jordan Brand, which is a subsidiary of Nike, it just goes to show that Nike will make the time for a star player regardless of their size. These things usually come down to marketability and star power rather than their size.
Perhaps Nike felt that they couldn’t market Cooper Flagg the way they could some other stars, and chose to not pursue him, allowing New Balance to come in and swoop Flagg up, perhaps to take over the mantle of Kawhi Leonard as the future face of the brand.
Nike Has A Lot Of Power In Basketball
In the last 40 years, Nike has emerged as the true powerhouse in the sport of basketball. They have been the dominant brand in the NBA, after rising to popularity off the back of Michael Jordan. In the years after Jordan, Nike was able to lure megastars like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant into the fold.
On top of that, Nike has been the official gear sponsor of the NBA since 2017, providing the jerseys for all the teams in the league. They are also the official partner of USA Basketball, providing jerseys to Team USA at every international tournament, including the 2024 Paris Olympics.
However, if certain people are to be believed, Nike has a lot more power within the sphere of basketball than once thought of. This past summer, Jaylen Brown, who is signed to Adidas, was left off the Team USA roster, despite coming off an NBA championship and Finals MVP run.
His teammates, Jayson Tatum, and subsequently Derrick White, were selected in his place. Brown made the assertion that Nike had something to do with his omission, due to his affiliation with Adidas.
No one officially confirmed Nike’s involvement in the squad selection for Team USA. However, if this is true, then it would show just how much of a power player Nike has become in basketball, far more than any other brand in any other sport.
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