Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant might have sparked a shoe endorsement war with teammate Stephen Curry after he took a swipe at the latter’s brand during a podcast interview with Bill Simmons of The Ringer. Durant, an endorser of Nike, told Simmons that nobody wants to play in Under Armour, the brand endorsed by Curry, and the top kids all want Nike. In 2014, Durant almost signed a 10-year contract worth $250 million with the brand that he criticized. However, Nike pulled off a last-minute move to sign Durant to a contract worth $300 million.
Curry, for his part, is signed with Under Armour through 2024.
Nike unveils Durant’s cupcake shoes
In honor of Durant and his recent victory in the NBA Finals, Nike released Durant’s KDX Red Velvet sneakers, which was compared by the shoe company to a cupcake. The Oklahoma City Thunder used the word “cupcake” to taunt their former superstar, who joined the Warriors last season. Initially, Thunder superstar Russell Westbrook posted a photo of cupcakes on Instagram to celebrate Independence Day but it was later revealed that Durant and Westbrook used “cupcake” as a reference to being “soft."
Now, Nike has capitalized on the “cupcake” word in describing Durant’s latest shoe line. “With a style of play as smooth as velvet, KD is known for having the most fluid game in the game today.
Effortlessly making defenders look helpless, always ready to cook his next victim,” Nike said in a press release. Nike added that Durant “dominates the game with unrivaled versatility, forever motivated by the sweet taste of victory. At the end of the day, winning is all that matters and anything else is just icing on the cake.” Durant’s shoes will cost $150.
Durant embraced cupcake tag
After winning his first NBA title with the Warriors, Durant got back at his critics by wearing a hat with a ring sitting atop a cupcake during a charity softball game organized by teammate Javale McGee at Oakland-Alameda Coliseum. Recently, Durant accepted a $9 million pay cut, signing a two-year, $53 million deal to help the Warriors keep some of their key players who turned free agents in the summer.
Through Durant’s generosity, the Warriors were able to sign sixth man Andre Iguodala to a three-year, $48 million deal and backup playmaker Shaun Livingston to a three-year, $24 million pact. The Warriors also retained starting center Zaza Pachulia via a $3.5 million contract while veterans David West and JaVale McGee returned on a veteran’s minimum contract. The Warriors also signed free agent shooting guard Nick Young, who signed a $5.2 million exception.
