'Gotta Be The Shoes!' Did Kyrie Irving & Klay Thompson Business Connection Help Mavs?
DALLAS - In past meetings with potential free agents, the Dallas Mavericks seldom, if ever, utilized players to seal the deal; Dirk Nowitzki, for instance, just wasn't comfortable in the role.
However, this time around, Kyrie Irving made the trip to California to solidify a message about how important Klay Thompson is to the Mavs' future. Ultimately, Thompson chose the Mavs over the Los Angeles Lakers. While having no state taxes and a chance to win a fifth ring (this time alongside Luka Doncic) played a role, we say one more aspect deserves being mentioned.
Irving made history by being the first signature athlete to sign his father to a signature shoe deal recently. Anta, the Chinese shoe brand, believes in the power of Irving's influence, evident in their five-year deal with the Mavs guard.
In addition to the five-year contract, Anta gifted Irving the "Chief Creative Officer" position. Such a financial influence could be helpful when other plays seek further opportunities.
Thompson, like Irving, is also an Anta signature athlete. However, unlike Irving, Thompson has been with the company since 2014. Despite 10 years with Anta, the now-former Warriors wing doesn't hold the same influence within the company as Irving does now.
“When it comes to Kai product, it’s absolutely electric right now,” Anta Sports head of U.S. marketing Christian Laursen said in an interview. “What we like to call "his tribe'' (Irving's fan base) have been supporting him through and through. They’ve shown up. We don’t have enough pairs in the United States and could probably do 10 times the amount to what we’re (currently) putting in the marketplace.”
Perhaps Irving's higher place within the Anta corporation was utilized in the California meeting. We can envision Irving possibly making a pledge to Thompson about further opportunities within the Anta company. ... all part of a triumph in which for the first time in recent memory, the Mavericks convinced a free agent not to sign with a Los Angeles team. ...
And to instead treat Dallas like an NBA "destination city.''
