Ahead of the 2023 NBA Draft, Victor Wimpanyama is already the consensus No. 1 overall pick. He will take his talents to San Antonio to play for Gregg Popovich and the Spurs. On Thursday, Wembanyama will have his name selected by Adam Silver in the draft. For the 19-year-old French sensation, money will not be an issue. Recent reports have it that his start-up shoe deal is set to exceed $100 million.
ESPN’s Nick DiPaola reports that Victor Wimpanyama has already signed a deal with Nike. He signed with them since he was a professional playing in France. His current contract is set to carry over into his NBA career. On top of all this, his $100 million-plus deal would beat LeBron James’ record of $87 million set back in 2003.
Wimpanyama has the potential to be one of the next greatest players in the NBA. There’s no question why a powerful company like Nike wouldn’t want to keep him around for the long haul.
He thinks @vicw_32 Will he change basketball? Think larger. 🌍
The wait is almost over. pic.twitter.com/FFQfZd71R6
– Nike Basketball (nikebasketball) May 17, 2023
$100m rookie shoe deal for Victor Wimpanyama set to smash 20-year-old’s record
It’s not every day that you see a rookie entering the league with a shoe deal, let alone Nike. For Victor Wenbaniyama, it was clear that his potential and star power would command a huge contract. Nike already has Wembanyama on its roster, but rival companies could throw huge contracts at it.
Currently, only a select number of players have shoe deals north of $100 million. These are the best like LeBron James, Steve Curry and Kevin Durant. Wembanyama was set to join the elite group of players even before he stepped onto the NBA court in a uniform.
Interestingly enough, LeBron James turned down $115 million from Reebok as a rookie. He earned $87 million from Nike and the rest is history. In 2015, James signed a lifetime contract worth almost $1 billion. Victor Wimpanyama would like to have this kind of financial stability and relationship with Nike after twenty years.