Wiggins already a $180 million man?
Let's start your obligatory weekly reminder that Andrew Wiggins has not yet played in a collegiate or professional basketball game. But somebody is already valuing the Kansas freshman as (at least) a $140 million product pitch man.
According to Bleacher Report, adidas is prepared to offer Wiggins a shoe contract worth between $140 million and $180 million, as soon as Wiggins is released from the clutches of the NCAA rule book, which prevents him from using his name or likeness to endorse products.
Bleacher Report cited an anonymous source.
"I'm hearing from people at Kansas that he's got a $180 million offer supposedly coming from Adidas," the source said. "But I also heard that Nike is going to match anything."
That number is just as astronomical as it sounds. Ten years ago, Lebron James signed with Nike for $93 million as an NBA rookie.
Of course, LeBron and Wiggins share more than just lofty expectations and high-dollar endorsements deals (or at least pending ones).
Wiggins is one of the most hyped high school basketball players of his generation, his level of expectation often compared to those of Kevin Durant, Michael Beasley and Derrick Rose. He is the unanimous front-runner to go No. 1 in next June's NBA draft, and most analysts think he would have gone No. 1 this year, had he been allowed to.