Giannis Antetokounmpo chose to sign with Nike over Adidas mostly due to the influence of his family.

Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks explains why he selected Nike over Adidas on an emotional level.

Considering that Giannis Antetokounmpo has five different shoe types made only for him, it is hard to see him wearing anything except Nike trainers. This was not always the case, though. The NBA Champion and forward for the Milwaukee Bucks recently revealed an interesting account of his shoe history.

The podcast Thanalysis Show recently released a live episode, which was produced by Giannis and his brother Thanasis. They had an extensive conversation about a range of subjects, including their endorsement deals for sports shoes, in front of an excited audience.

Before becoming a household name and being well-known in the US, Giannis participated in the second tier of the Greek basketball league. He also had a great deal of respect for the German athletic company adidas.

Giannis said that up until he was about 17.5 years old, he always wore adidas. All of that came to an end in 2011 after he attended a basketball camp in Europe.

Giannis was offered a deal to endorse trainers by Adidas, while Thanasis was not given the same opportunity. Giannis was notified by Adidas that they would not be signing a contract with his brother just yet. After you sign yours, your brother will sign his when we bring him around in a week. Giannis firmly said, “No,” making a hand gesture to pull the contract away from him on the table. “No, I’m not interested.”

Regarding the two siblings’ accounts, the executive in charge of footwear is no longer working for adidas. Still, they were quick to tell him how much they liked him. They said that adidas knew they were in a precarious financial situation and took advantage of them by offering them a bad deal.

Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks is wearing grey and white Nike trainers.

In 2019, Giannis Antetokounmpo wore a Nike Zoom Freak 1. 

Then, Thanasis asked Giannis to explain what happened before they became associated with Nike. Giannis expressed his trepidation about joining the company at the beginning of the narrative, saying, “I have always worn adidas.” I felt as though my moral compass was off.

Nevertheless, Giannis’ worries were allayed at that same moment by a teleconference with Susan Mulders of Nike Basketball. Giannis mentioned during their conversation that his mother and brother were also part of his family, making it an important part of his life. In 2013, Nike signed Antetokounmpo to his first shoe contract with ease.

Nike and Antetokounmpo came to an agreement in 2017 to continue their partnership, which included the development of a shoe line featuring his signature. Since its launch in June 2019, the Nike Zoom Freak line has shown steady growth with no signs of slowing.

Perhaps a picture of two individuals, a basketball jersey, and the words “sportskeeda BUCKS 34 BUCKS 43”

Mulders is currently employed at Nike Basketball as Senior Director of Sports Marketing in North America. The 11-year partnership between Nike and Antetokounmpo has clearly been profitable for both companies.

Fans may anticipate seeing the Antetokounmpo brothers wear Giannis’ fifth signature Nike sneaker during the NBA Playoffs this spring. Stay tuned to Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Kicks for the most recent updates on stories about footwear in the sports industry.