Andrew Wiggins is already the consensus first overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft before playing a regular season game for the Kansas Jayhawks, and adidas looks to be all-in early as well. The company is prepared to offer Wiggins a $180 million contract once he declares for the draft, according to Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report:
adidas to offer $180 million to Andrew Wiggins, according to report
Andrew Wiggins has yet to play a game for the Jayhawks but companies are already preparing to sign the ultra-hyped prospect once he declares for the NBA.
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
“From what I’m hearing, (Adidas) is really high on him,” an industry source said. “I’ve heard a range for sure, from like $140 to $180 million for like 10 years. That’s a big deal for a kid coming out of school because most rookie deals are probably like four years.”
“I’m hearing from people at Kansas that he’s got a $180 million offer supposedly coming from Adidas,” a source close to Wiggins’ inner circle said. “But I also heard that Nike is going to match anything.”
It’s worth noting that Wiggins cannot sign a contract with any company until he ends his NCAA career to move up to the NBA, so this is still a few months away.
More on Wiggins: Wiggins era begins at Kansas
It’s also not surprising that Nike is likely willing to “match anything” when it comes to Wiggins. It signed LeBron James to a seven-year, $93 million contract when he declared for the NBA straight out of high school and Wiggins will have much more exposure as the nation’s top player at a high-profile college.
Moral of the story? One shoe company is going to pony up over $100 million to sign one of the most hyped basketball prospects in years, which should help Wiggins forget about the NBA’s rookie scale salary structure.
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