Giannis Antetokounmpo Explains Why He Signed With Nike Over Adidas

Giannis Antetokounmpo's family played a major role in why he signed with Nike instead of adidas.

Giannis Antetokounmpo' wears the Nike Zoom Freak 5. / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

After five signature sneakers, it is hard to imagine Giannis Antetokounmpo wearing anything other than Nike. But that was not always the case. The Milwaukee Bucks forward and NBA Champion recently provided a fascinating account of his sneaker history.

Giannis and his brother, Thanasis, recently recorded a live episode of the podcast Thanalysis Show. In front of an auditorium full of fans, they discussed a wide range of issues, including their sneaker deals.

Long before Giannis was a superstar player and household name in the United States, he was playing in Greece's second division. He was also a huge fan of the German sportswear company adidas.

Giannis explained that he always wore adidas until he was roughly 17.5 years old. That all came to an end after an appearance at a European basketball camp in 2011.

Adidas offered Giannis a sneaker deal, but not Thanasis. Adidas told Giannis, "We are not going to sign your brother today. You are going to sign yours first, and then we are going to bring your brother in a week to sign his." Giannis gestured pushing the contract away from him on the table, and said, "Nuh-uh. No, thank you."

According to the two brothers, the sneaker executive no longer works for adidas. But they were quick to add they liked him. They believed adidas was aware of their dire financial straits and used that to offer an underwhelming contract.

Giannis Antetokounmpo wears the Nike Zoom Freak 1 in 2019. / Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

From there, Thanasis asked Giannis to explain how they ended up with Nike. Giannis prefaced the story by expressing his apprehension about signing with the brand, "I wore adidas my whole life. I felt like it wasn't right."

However, a conference call with Susan Mulders of Nike Basketball assuaged Giannis' misgivings at the time. During their conversation, Giannis said it was a "family thing" for him, and that meant including his brother and mom. That was not a problem for Nike, which signed Antetokounmpo to his first sneaker deal in 2013.

Nike and Antetokounmpo later agreed to a contract extension in 2017, which included a signature sneaker line. The Nike Zoom Freak line launched in June 2019 and shows no signs of slowing down.

Meanwhile, Mulders is now Nike Basketball's Sr. Director of Sports Marketing in North America. It is safe to say the 11-year partnership for Antetokounmpo and Nike has been profitable for both parties.

Fans can look for both Antetokounmpo brothers to wear Giannis' fifth signature Nike sneaker throughout the NBA Playoffs this spring. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's FanNation Kicks for all your footwear news from the sports world.

---

Further Reading: Building USA's Sneakers Dream Team for the 2024 Summer Olympics.