Reebok has signed a multi-year endorsement agreement with Sacramento Kings' phenom Predrag “Peja” Stojakovic. Widely considered one of the best shooters in the league, Stojakovic is the reigning “NBA All-Star 3 Point Shoot-Out” champion for 2003 and 2002. The 6'9, 26-year-old native of Belgrade, Serbia-Montenegro will wear Reebok's NBA Mad Talent II on-court.
Stojakovic will also play an integral part in basketball marketing campaigns leading up to the 2004 Summer Games in Athens.
Stojakovic's strong performance as a starting forward for the Kings earned him a spot on the Western Conference team in the 2003 and 2002 NBA All-Star Games. Prior to becoming the Kings' first-round draft pick on June 15, 1998, Stojakovic played professionally for three seasons in Greece. His sure shot from the perimeter has helped establish the Kings as a Western Conference powerhouse, and Stojakovic has been recognized by the NBA's general managers as the third-best international player in the league, following Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets and Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks.
“We are very excited to work with an international basketball icon such as Peja,” said John Lynch, vice president of Reebok sports marketing. “He will be a tremendous global endorsee for Reebok's co-branded NBA footwear, helping to drive home our position as a major force in authentic performance sports around the world.”
In the current 2003 season, Stojakovic ranks fourth in the NBA in points per game, averaging 25.3, and averages 5.20 rebounds per game and 2.5 assists per game. Stojakovic finished second in voting for the 2001 NBA's Most Improved Player Award, and was named MVP of the Greek League in 1997-98 after averaging 23.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.5 apg in 24 games.
