Oh Wow: Nike Matches Under Armour’s Huge Offer For Kevin Durant

The tide has turned in the sneaker battle between Nike and Under Armour, as many perceived Durant to be headed to the Maryland-based brand, but Nike has swooped in at the 11th hour of their deadline to offer Durant an unprecedented sneaker contract.

It is being reported that Nike has countered Under Armour’s offer, which is between $265 million and $285 million for the next 10 years. Nike, whose seven-year deal that guaranteed Durant $60 million is expiring, made an initial offer of about $20 million a year that was far from what Durant was looking for. Under Armour’s huge pay for Durant had many believing that Nike would even let him go at that price. While Jay-Z was kicking off his latest Made In America festival in Philadelphia, Nike reached out to Roc Nation Sports to send the offer sheet.

While the numbers haven’t been officially released, it is rumored that Durant should make more — in base and royalties — than the Thunder will pay him over the next two seasons ($41.2 million). This might seem like a heavy price tag even for Durant, but Durant’s signature line generated 175 Million dollars for Nike last year, while the brand didn’t exhaust all retail possibilities.
 

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