Zion Williamson has signed a multi-year deal with Jordan Brand, it was announced Tuesday.
One industry source said it is a 7-year, $75-million deal. Sources said CAA, which represented Williamson in his contract with the Pelicans, also negotiated the sneaker deal.
“I feel incredibly blessed to be a part of the Jordan Brand family,” the 6-foot-7 Williamson said in a statement via ESPN. “Since I was a kid, I dreamed of making it to the league and having the type of impact on the game Michael Jordan had and continues to have today. He was one of those special athletes I looked up to.”
Said Jordan: “Zion’s incredible determination, character and play are inspiring. He’s an essential part of the new talent that will help lead the brand into the future. He told us he would ‘shock the world,’ and asked us to believe him. We do.”
Williamson suffered a sneaker malfunction in February while wearing Nike shoes and missed the remainder of the regular season, but returned to help lead Duke to the ACC Tournament title and the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. The Pelicans made him the No. 1 overall pick out of Duke, when he became just the second freshman ever to win the Naismith Award and become the No. 1 pick.
Grassroots sneaker guru Sonny Vaccaro said Williamson’s sneaker contract may have been impacted by him landing in New Orleans as opposed to a larger market.
“I would’ve guaranteed it [$100 million] if he would’ve been in New York or Los Angeles,” he said. “There is a difference in cities, there’s no question about that.”
Meantime, Williamson could eventually earn $1 billion — with a ‘B’ — in his career.
“Zion Williamson’s going to make $1 billion playing basketball effortlessly,” longtime ESPN college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla told me in November.
Only three athletes are in the $1 billion club — Jordan, Tiger Woods and Floyd Mayweather — according to reports, with LeBron James seemingly on his way there.
Of course, that projection not only includes the money Williamson stands to earn on the court, but the amount he could earn with endorsement deals off the court.
Williamson is a unique player who has already amassed 3.9 million Instagram followers and more than 391,000 Twitter followers.
Williamson is also highly charismatic and appealing, all of which should help him with endorsement deals. All told, the $1 billion figure appears plausible, experts say.
“Over the course of his career, it’s certainly possible if everything falls perfectly,” said Bob Dorfman, a sports marketing expert at Baker Street Advertising. “We know he’s got the game. His head seems screwed on right. He’s poised on camera, articulate, and intelligent. He has the potential for LeBron-esque domination on the court; if he has LeBron-esque ambition in marketing endeavors, $1 billion is within reach.”