Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren Inks Shoe Deal with Nike
Chet Holmgren, the second overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft, has signed a shoe deal with Nike, amongst 13 other NBA rookies, Nick DePaula reports. He joins his Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Josh Giddey with Nike. Giddey signed with them just before last season.
Lottery picks in every year's drafts, and more particularly top-5 picks, are heavily sought after from shoe and clothing companies, as they project to become stars and bring plenty of eyes on themselves. Holmgren, though, is no stranger to the spotlight.
He went through high school as a very, very popular player in the national spotlight with his teammate and now NBA player, Jalen Suggs. He also went to Gonzaga, where he was able to showcase his skill in the NCAA tournament.
Even in Summer League, the 7-foot-1 bigman was the star of headlines as he showed great potential early on. It’s promising to see Nike willing to sign Holmgren despite him missing his entire rookie season.
If Holmgren is able to fill into his potential, he could be able to be like a former second pick and household name that spent plenty of time with the Thunder and receive his own personal shoe.
For the Thunder, this is a positive thing. The signing proves that the Thunder could easily become a team with many, many eyes on them as they rise back into contention in future years.
When Holmgren is able to make his NBA debut, expect many fans not of the Thunder, but of the NBA in general, tuned in to the game. And again, Chet isn’t new to being in the bright lights.
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