Trae Young went to Oklahoma City malls with his parents as a child and passed the storefronts of Foot Locker and Finish Line and saw Kevin Durant’s signature shoes prominently displayed near the entrances. In his ninth-grade year, his AAU team was fitted with KDs, and he wore those same shoes when went to Oklahoma City Thunder games with his dad, Ray, as they watched Durant’s career skyrocket to superstardom as he became one of Nike’s premier signature athletes.
Advertisement
Young dreamed that one day he, too, would have his own basketball shoes that would inspire the next generation of athletes. He played 2K and customized his character’s shoes in the video game, thought about what he would call his shoes one day and loved playing in Durant’s, Derrick Rose’s and Kyrie Irving’s shoes on the court.
Young revealed last week that his dreams of having his own shoe were coming true, as he announced Adidas would reveal the “Trae Young 1s” in early fall 2021. As part of the shoe deal with Adidas, Young signed a multi-year contract extension with the shoe company. Young originally signed a four-year deal with Adidas prior to the 2018 draft, which included a player option in Year 3 of his deal. Because Young’s star has risen on and off the court, as he was the starting point guard for the Eastern Conference in last season’s All-Star Game after averaging nearly 30 points and 10 assists per game, Young’s agent, Omar Wilkes of Klutch Sports and Adidas agreed to restructure his contract with Adidas.
When Adidas signed Young, the company made it clear to him that there was no guarantee he would get his own shoe one day. But through two seasons in the NBA, Adidas had seen enough to make Young one of its signature basketball athletes, joining James Harden, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell and Rose.
“Both sides agreed that he outplayed and outperformed his rookie deal with Adidas, as far as making the All-Star team and being one of the top guys in points and assists,” Ray Young said. “Every incentive that was in his deal, he hit. It was just a matter of what he ended up getting from Adidas. We were fine either way, but they called Omar and wanted to get it done.”
The agreement to have his own shoes was finalized two months ago, Ray Young said, as they waited to announce the deal when the season returned. Because Atlanta was not one of the 22 teams invited to the bubble to continue its season, Young had an extended offseason, which allowed him to individually work on his game and focus on his brand deals — his contract with Adidas being the biggest one. Wilkes expressed to Adidas Young’s camp didn’t want to wait until this offseason to negotiate a new deal because Young has enjoyed his partnership with the company and didn’t want to go into the offseason having to take pitches from Nike, Under Armour, Puma and overseas companies, who would all be vying for his services if he ended up becoming a shoe free agent.
NBA players with signature shoe deals
Puma offered the biggest contract to Young prior to the draft, and Nike offered a significant contract, too, but he decided against joining Nike because the path to having his own shoe seemed too distant in the future with its client list including Durant, Irving, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Paul George. Young’s best path to getting his own shoe came from Adidas. Getting your own shoe with one of the brand giants means you’ve cemented yourself as one of the preeminent stars. The monetary benefits of Young having his own shoe are substantial as opposed to just being a client on the roster because a shoe deal comes with a higher annual salary, royalties in perpetuity on all sales and unlimited merchandise for himself. Most shoe deal contracts are in the six figures, but a signature athlete makes millions. According to Forbes, Harden makes $14 million annually from Adidas, Rose $11 million and Lillard $10 million. Mitchell’s salary wasn’t available. Young’s rookie contract with the Hawks this season is for $6.57 million, so it’s very possible Adidas might be paying him more than the Hawks.
Advertisement
Talks of making Young one of Adidas’ signature athletes began in June. The company expressed how enamored it was with Young’s popularity with young kids and his star equity in a city filled with entertainers.
“I’ll also say one of the big factors is just the way he plays and how he plays at the size he does,” Ray Young said. “Trae, as a kid, related a lot to Steph Curry. When Steph got his shoe deal, he wanted to get his shoes because he related to him. I think more than being at the point guard position, I think him being relatable is something Adidas looked at and knowing that Trae has a different style of play — he has a style that a lot of people are wanting to play basketball like these days.
“Just like with any athlete, Adidas wanted to see how he performed, how he commanded people on social media and wanted to see what type of fanbase you have and what type of following you have. I’m sure like a lot of people, they didn’t think he would be a starter in the All-Star Game in his second year. They hoped this would happen. He finished second in the Rookie of the Year, and that’s still a big accomplishment. To come in second behind Luka (Doncic), and then do what he did in his second year, combined with the marketability he has, that all plays into it.”
Young has had several conference calls with Adidas during the past several months discussing the particulars he wants his shoes to have. He already has received prototypes and has provided his feedback on the look, feel and pricing of the shoe. The shoes for Lillard, Mitchell and Harden all cost around $110.
“I want it to be something that I play really good in,” Young said. “I think that’s something that represents me. If my shoes are the way they need to be, I can play my best. I want people to feel the same way I feel when they put on those shoes. It’s kind of silly, but kind of how like in ‘Space Jam’ when it says ‘Mike’s Secret Stuff.’ You took a little sip and everyone got big powers. That’s kind of how I want people to feel that same way when they put on those shoes.”
Advertisement
There was some discussion on calling his signature shoe the “Ice Trae,” his nickname, but Young and Adidas decided against it because he wants to remembered as “Trae Young” instead of “Ice Trae” when his career is over, and “Ice Trae might not sound as cool 20 years from now,” his dad said. His dad, however, did hint that there might be an “Ice Trae” version of the shoe.
Expect to see unique designs with his shoes that appeal to younger kids, much like what Irving and Nike have done. Irving’s SpongeBob and cereal lines were mega hits. Young’s 10-year-old brother, Timothy, has given his feedback to his older brother on what he wants to see with his shoes, and Young said that a lot of what he has told Adidas he wants in his shoes has come from Timothy.
“He’s very involved because a lot of the people who will be buying them are my little brother’s age — 10, 11 years old,” Young said. “That’s that next generation. I have motivation in making the shoe even better because I do have a little brother who will be representing them, too.”
Trae Young 1. Coming in 2021. 🙏🏽👟💯 pic.twitter.com/uimaPrVmfI
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) December 9, 2020
Young also hopes to sponsor some basketball programs within Atlanta Public Schools as well as the Hawks’ efforts in the community with their own programs so kids in this city can wear his shoes. The plan is to also have a number of collaborations with entertainers and other athletes in other sports. With the rap community being as strong as it is in Atlanta, the potential for this shoe to boom in popularity is high.
The hope from Adidas’ side is Young helps push the company forward in its quest to close the gap with Nike in sales. In the third quarter, Nike’s net revenue was $10.6 billion, and Adidas’ was $7.01 billion.
“Their hope is for Trae to carry on that name with Adidas with their basketball shoes like Tracy McGrady who did a great job selling a lot of shoes,” Ray Young said. “Derrick Rose still sells a ton of shoes. Damian Lillard and James Harden are two of the top guys in the league. Their thing was getting guys who are going to continue pushing their name forward and try to compete with the other brands and be No. 1. They think he’s one of the young and up-and-coming guys who can do that. There aren’t many signature shoes out there. We are blessed they chose Trae to be one of those few.
“It’s always been a dream. It’s one of those dreams that seems crazy, so you don’t like sharing it with a lot of people because you don’t know people will react. There aren’t many people who I would walk up to and say, ‘Hey, my kid is going to be a top-five draft pick and have his own shoe and be an All-Star in his second year.’ It’s one of those things that you keep to yourself because people will laugh at you when you saw his stature when he was younger. It still hasn’t hit me yet. Sometimes, I sit back and look at it and think all of this is truly a blessing.”
Advertisement
There isn’t a guarantee for a second version of Young’s shoes just yet, but with his contract being a multi-year deal, there’s a high likelihood of that being the case. And if Young’s aspirations come true, that will happen.
“He wants to be the No. 1 shoe seller in the league,” Ray Young said. “He wants to outperform everyone at Nike. Trae wants to appeal to kids because they are the ones who are buying shoes, but he wants to appeal to the masses and not only be one of the top guys at Adidas but also outsell the Nike guys worldwide.”
(Photo: Scott Cunningham / NBAE via Getty Images)
ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57kWtsb21hbXxzfJFpZmpqX2aBcMDRmpxmsZ%2Bqu6h5wJ2gnZmjYq61uMCnq5plmJbErL%2BO