Despite a known college rivalry between Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball and his Sacramento Kings counterpart De'Aaron Fox, the former ended up indirectly helping the man that ended his college dreams of snatching the NCAA title earlier this year.
As draftees looked for sneaker companies to sign them to a deal, it was Ball's maverick-like approach to building his own sneaker brand that spun the bottle Fox's way.
Even if Markelle Fultz was the one talent the Philadelphia 76ers notably traded for to acquire from the Boston Celtics, it was the UCLA standout's passing talents that caught the eyes of sneaker companies, and after refusal from his father LaVar to come to an agreement, Fox became “the guy” to aim for, according to ESPN's Nick DePaula.
“He's getting buzz as the guy,” an Adidas source said at the time the company was pitching Fox.
“Fox is the guy!” an Under Armour source texted just before their pitch meeting, perfectly on cue.
Fox was courted by all the major players, getting offers from Adidas, Nike, and Under Armour, ultimately opting for Nike due to his familiarity with the brand and the endless line of Kobe Bryant-inspired shoes available to him.
“With Nike, I felt like it was an easy choice for me,” Fox said. “I've been wearing them for a long time, and they have my favorite shoes.”
While other teams were hesitant to offer a boon for Fox's future, the swoosh brought a much more straight forward approach to negotiations.
“Nike was very straight,” said Happy Walters, Fox's agent. “[Nike] said, ‘Hey, we do have other big athletes here, and if you become a great athlete, maybe you'll get your own shoe. But that doesn't mean you will.' That wasn't as important to him.”
Fox has gotten off to a decent start to the season under George Hill, posting 11.1 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.1 rebounds per game through 18 games into his rookie season.
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