Nike dominates the NBA.
Not only are they the official merchandise partner of the league, but they also feature front-and-center among the league's players when it comes to on-court wear.
When Nike targets a player, they usually end up signing them based on the fact that they are Nike and most young players dream of signing with the brand. Not every player that the Swoosh signs is on the same deal, though, and only a select few graduate to elite status within the brand.
Here's everything you need to know about Nike's various tiers of shoe deals and which of their athletes has a signature deal.
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Considering that Nike is the biggest sporting brand in the world - the combined share of Nike and Jordan Brand takes up 86 percent of the performance market and 96 percent of the lifestyle basketball category - it's only natural that a large number of the league's players wear the brand's products.
It is estimated that over two-thirds of the NBA wear Nike shoes on court, but we have to point out at this stage that not all Nike shoe contracts are created equal. Only a very small percentage have a signature shoe deal (we'll get into that in detail below), and there are three tiers to Nike contracts around the league.
After all, even a conglomerate like the Swoosh can't pay everyone to endorse their product.
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As mentioned earlier, a signature deal with the Swoosh is reserved for the elite few.
As we approach the beginning of the 2022-23 NBA season, only five active players will have a signature shoe with Nike, with LeBron James leading the way with the 20th iteration of his LeBron line releasing this fall.
Incidentally, LeBron's line is the second-longest running signature line with the same company behind only a guy called Michael Jordan. You may have heard of his shoes.
Giannis Antetokounmpo became the first European player to have his own signature shoe when Nike debuted the Zoom Freak 1 in Athens, Greece. Kyrie Irving, who is onto the ninth iteration of his hugely popular line, is in doubt as to whether he will see a 10th with the brand after he publicly criticized the Kyrie 8, calling it "trash."
Irving later walked those comments back, but his Nike deal is up at the end of the season and the company may feel like it can't continue working with the Nets' guard. It has been reported that Nike is unwilling to extend Irving's deal beyond the end of the 2022-23 season.