'Shoe-In': Mavs Star Luka Doncic is Marketing Gold - And is About To Cash In With A Sneakers Deal

Dallas Mavericks Star Luka Doncic is Proving to Be "Marketing Gold,'' as Sports Illustrated Details Here. One Way He'll Cash In? With A Lucrative Shoe Deal

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic is, in strictly basketball terms, a legit MVP candidate. And in marketing terms? As a "sneaker free agent,'' his ceiling might even be higher.

Doncic is already an international celebrity; his star turn tonight in Mexico City as the Mavs play the Detroit Pistons in an NBA regular-season game (8 p.m. tip) only figures to speed that climb ... a climb that will soon come with new shoes.

From SI.com's Jarrel Harris: "Doncic, who was recently named SI’s Breakout Player of the Year, is in position to capitalize on a new sneaker deal after his two-year deal with Nike expired before the season. He is currently flirting with averaging a triple-double with 30.0 points, 9.8 rebounds and 9.2 assists per game. He ran away with last year’s Rookie of the Year award and at just 20 years old his marketability provides a ton of upside for brands. The European product finished second in All-Star voting among Western Conference forwards to LeBron James last season and has 3.4 million followers on Instagram.''

As Harris points out, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Zion Williamson recently received big pay days from Nike and Jordan Brand, respectively, Luka, who wears different shoes and brands most every game night, is, according to Harris, "definitely next in line to capitalize on a lucrative deal.''

Photo via DallasMavericks and MavsCar

I don't know much about how this works. Nike? Under Armour? Adidas? Jordan Brand? Puma? More candidates? Here, SI.com's breakdown of how The Shoe Game is going to work for the gold-level marketability of Luka Doncic.