Durant: Nike shoes re-signs KD

Kevin Durant will continue wearing Nike shoes, having signed a deal reportedly worth more than $265 million over the next 10 years.

Durant confirmed the news on his Twitter account late Sunday:

Excited and humbled to sign back with the swoosh!

— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) September 1, 2014

The deal, which could span as much as 20 years and $350 million depending on what news outlet you prefer, was signed as his 7-year contract came to a close on Sunday. So why did Nike outduel Under Armour and ink Durant to one of the richest shoe deals ever? Simple, his Nike KD was the company’s top seller next to LeBron James’ kicks, bringing in some $175 million to the company. It’s not the $300 million King James brings in, but it’s not bad, and amounts to about 4% of Nike’s publicly reported basketball shoe market.

Happy to have the homie @KDTrey5 stayin with the @Nike @nikebasketball family! Congrats my brother! Like Dj Khalid would say “We The Best”!!

— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 1, 2014

Who tops Nike’s list of sneaker sellers over the next year likely hinges on how James, Durant and their respective NBA teams perform next season.

Neither player is playing on the U.S. team this summer, and with James going back to Cleveland it’s unclear who is the favorite to not only win the MVP but also take home an NBA championship.

While James won back-to-back titles before falling short last season, Durant returns to a more experienced team that is hungry for its first title.

According to oddsmaker Sportsbook.ag, the defending champion Spurs are 13/5 favorites to win the title. The Thunder are 16/5 and Cleveland Cavaliers 21/20 because of all the late action following James’ signing.

Which begs the question, why isn’t Tim Duncan’s shoe contract worth more.

Last we checked, Duncan left Nike for Adidas in 2003 for a few million, but it was nothing like the 9-figure deal that KD landed recently.

But I guess the 5 rings on his shooting hand are worthwhile and help make up for that sneaker dough deficit.