The projected No. 1 overall pick in June’s NBA draft is poised to cash in long before he ever steps on the court as a professional player.
Zion Williamson, who was unable to lead his Duke Blue Devils into the Final Four, is expected to sign a shoe contract worth more than $100 million.
If that ends up happening, Williams will make more from his first endorsement deal than he will from his first pro contract.
Industry experts anticipate Williamson will have a shoe deal inked before this year’s draft lottery as he is expected to be a superstar no matter which team ends up drafting him.
As many as six brands, including Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, New Balance, Puma and Anta, are expected to try and sign him and the bidding war should be intense, according to former Nike marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro.
“If Zion doesn’t change, I predict that he will be the first basketball athlete at 18 years old that the world is rooting for to become a billionaire. I say billionaire, very easily,” Vaccaro said. “He is going to have an opportunity to be the face of every company and every major corporation. He is the most marketable person I’ve seen, for a lot of different reasons.”
In 1984, Vaccaro pushed to allot Nike’s entire athlete budget toward signing Michael Jordan to a deal which paid him $500,000 per year.
Williamson endured an injury earlier this year when his Nike sneaker came apart during a game.
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