OKC Thunder: Josh Giddey inks shoe deal with Nike, bodes well for OKC

The OKC Thunder shocked the world when they selected Josh Giddey with the sixth overall pick. Giddey, who figured his range was from picks 7-15, was pleasantly surprised as well, after informing his agent he only wanted to go to Bricktown.

The Thunder rookie is also a self-proclaimed sneakerhead. In the NBL, “the league handled rent, and stuff, so I had all this money and nothing to spend it on, so I just spent it on shoes.” the 18-year-old said on his Tik Tok.

His favorite shoes are referred to as “dunk’s” made by Nike (can you tell that I am not a sneakerhead?) before the top ten pick even steps on the NBA hardwood, he has already inked a sneaker deal.

OKC Thunder guard Josh Giddey signs with Nike

The Oklahoma City Thunder young core is lining up quite the shoe deals. Darius Bazley, famously a former New Balance intern, turned NB athlete, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is set to release his first player exclusive kicks next week with Converse, and now Giddey joins Nike.

Other 2021 Rookies to join the check: Davion Mitchell, Josh Primo, Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga, Chris Duarte, and Cade Cunningham.

Josh Giddey made this move official with a post on Twitter, confirming Nick DePaula’s report.

While Nike has more money than they know what to do with and this by no means guarantees anything about Giddey’s NBA future, they are still a business at the end of the day, taking calculated risks on each player hoping for a big return on investment.

If Josh Giddey splashes onto the scene it is a huge benefit for the swoosh to already have him under their control. For Giddey, it is a dream come true and he can continue buying up his favorite style of shoe.

Will Nike’s investment turn into a star? Well, he walks into the NBA with an elite trait from day one, So he is off to a good start. Maybe one day, we will see Giddey release a P.E. like his backcourt mate.