In the wake of having is footwear and apparel contract with Adidas terminated after freshman mens basketball player Marcus Jordan, the son of hall of famer Michael Jordan, refused to wear team issued footwear in favor of his fathers Air Jordans, UCF has reached a five-year agreement with Nike to provide all Golden Knight athletic teams with footwear and apparel, according to a report in the Orlando Sentinel.
“We had explored a number of different options with a number of different manufacturers and equipment providers, and ultimately we have reached an agreement with Nike,” said UCF Executive Associate Athletic Director, David Chambers.
As the universitys exclusive contract with Adidas will expire on June 30, its deal with Nike will commence on July 1. UCF was rumored to also have engaged in talks with Russell Athletic and Under Armour while seeking a new provider for its athletic program.
Officials from Nike are expected to visit with UCF administrators next week to assess the full needs of the athletic department and have assured the school that it will be provided with all necessary equipment in time for the beginning of the fall sports season. Providing new uniform designs for each sport is expected to be one of the first goals for Nike.
UCF is looking into a number of options for disposing of excess Adidas footwear and apparel, in order to comply with all NCAA regulations.
