Spalding announced the signing of the top pick in the NBA draft, Greg
Oden, and Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas, to endorse its full
line of basketballs and backboards on a worldwide basis. Spalding said
it plans to leverage Oden and Arenas in worldwide advertising,
marketing communications and trade and consumer promotions.
Terms of
the multi-year deals were not disclosed.
The Portland Trailblazers have said they plan to take Oden with their first pick in the June 28 NBA draft.
“Greg is a rare player with unlimited talent and the very
real potential to shape the League for years to come and Gilbert is a
proven All-Star who has worked his way into a premier NBA player with
determination and passion,” stated Dan Touhey, vice president of
marketing for Spalding. “The combination of Greg and Gilbert
give Spalding an unbelievable 1-2 punch to reinforce our worldwide
basketball leadership and our partnership with the NBA.”
Oden, a 7-foot
center, led Ohio State Buckeyes to a 35-4 record, a Big Ten regular-season
and tournament title before advancing to their first national
championship game since 1962. Oden, a two-time national high school player of the year, led
the Buckeyes in scoring (15.7) and rebounding (9.6) per game and
topped the Big Ten in shooting percentage (.616). His best game may
have been his last one, when he scored 25 points and had 12 rebounds
while dominating the inside against Florida in the national
championship game.
Arenas, a 6-4 guard, reached NBA stardom with three consecutive selections as an NBA
All-Star (2005,
2006, 2007), as the Wizards all-time leader in three-point field goals
(529) and the league's third leading scorer for 2006-2007 with a 28.4
clip. He was the first player from the 2001 NBA Draft class to earn All-Star
recognition.
