Adidas has reportedly signed Kristaps Porzingis of the New York Knicks to the most lucrative NBA deal signed by a European player.
According to The Vertical, the 21-year-old forward will get between $3 million and $6 million annually, depending on incentive bonuses.
In 2012, Porzingis, then a 17-year-old playing in Spain, signed a four-year deal with Nike for an annual sum of $25,000. That was well before Porzingis was drafted by the Knicks with the fourth pick in the 2015 NBA draft and finished second in the Rookie Of The Year Award running behind Minnesota Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns. Last year, he averaged 14.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.9 blocks (eighth most in the NBA) and 1.3 assists.
Nike has until mid-October to match the terms but is not expected to, according to the report.
Porzingis will join James Harden, Damian Lillard, Dwight Howard, John Wall and new Knick teammates Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah as the newest member of the Adidas family.
Adidas has stepped up its signing of young NBA talent just as the brand will be replaced as the NBA’s official uniform outfitter by Nike starting in the 2017/18 season. In the recent 2016 NBA Draft, Adidas signed 13 draftees. The rookie signings were led by Brandon Ingram of the Los Angeles Lakers, Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, Dragan Bender of the Phoenix Suns, Kris Dunn of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets.
Photo courtesy New York Knicks.
