The Antetokounmpo family had a significant impact on Giannis’s decision to join Nike instead of Adidas.

There are five different Nike sneaker types made for Giannis Antetokounmpo, so it’s hard to see him wearing anything else. But it wasn’t always the case. An fascinating account of his footwear chronicles was just given by the Milwaukee Bucks player and NBA Champion.

The Thanalysis Show, a podcast that Giannis and Thanasis co-host, just had a live episode. They had an in-depth conversation in front of an enthusiastic audience about a wide range of subjects, including their endorsement deals for athletic shoes.

Even before he became a household name in America, Giannis played in Greece’s second tier of professional basketball. Furthermore, he held the German sportswear company adidas in high esteem.

Up until he was about 17.5 years old, Giannis said he always worn adidas. After attending a basketball camp in Europe in 2011, that was it.

Thanasis was not offered the same footwear endorsement deal by Adidas as Giannis. The athletic shoe company has already told Giannis that they will not be signing his brother to a contract. First, you’ll sign yours. Your brother will be brought over in a week to do the same. Giannis firmly said, “No,” while gesturing for the contract to be moved away from him on the table. “No, I am opposed.”

The shoe executive is no longer working at adidas, according to the two siblings’ accounts. But they were quick to tell him how much they liked him. They said adidas knew they were in a financial bind and took advantage of them by offering a bad bargain.

This is the 2019 Nike Zoom Freak 1 that Giannis Antetokounmpo is wearing.

Afterwards, Thanasis asked Giannis to explain how they were associated with Nike. Giannis started the story by saying, “I have always worn adidas.” This was his way of conveying his reservations about signing with the brand. A feeling of moral dissonance washed over me.

Still, Giannis’ worries were allayed after a teleconference with Nike Basketball’s Susan Mulders. While they were talking, Giannis made it clear that his mother and brother were very important parts of his family. When Nike signed Antetokounmpo to his first shoe contract in 2013, they didn’t have any trouble doing it.

Antetokounmpo and Nike extended their partnership in 2017 with the launch of a footwear line featuring his signature. Ever since its launch in June 2019, the Nike Zoom Freak line has shown no signs of slowing down.

At Nike Basketball, Mulders is the senior director of sports marketing for the North American market. Without a question, Antetokounmpo and Nike have reaped substantial benefits from their eleven-year partnership.

Both of the Antetokounmpo brothers will be sporting Giannis’ fifth signature Nike sneaker throughout the upcoming NBA Playoffs in the spring. For up-to-the-minute information on footwear news in the sports world, be sure to follow Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Kicks.