After forays in football, Ye’s new athletic enterprise has picked up one of the marquee players of the 2022 NBA Finals.
Following in the footsteps of NFL champion Aaron Donald, Boston Celtics wing Jaylen Brown has become the first active NBA player to sign with Donda Sports.
The timing is interesting for Brown as he enters the 2022 NBA Finals. As a footwear free agent formerly endorsed by Yeezy’s parent company of adidas, he has been rotating Protro pairs from the Nike Kobe collection for the majority of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. It is unclear yet whether the Cal product will lace adidas Yeezy footwear upon tunnel arrivals or on court for this week’s NBA Finals games.
The news, which TMZ first reported, suggests that Brown’s business venture with Ye dates back to March 16 when West met with the Celtic star at a game. Funny enough, that matchup was between Boston and Golden State, foreshadowing this year’s finals. Aside from Donald, former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown is also a member of Donda Sports.
Over the weekend when Donald announced his alliance with West on the I Am Athlete podcast, the All-Pro defensive tackle talked about opportunities “outside of football” as a member of Donda Sports. Additionally, Donald stated that he, his wife, and Kanye are in talks around a possible cleat. Over the course of his career, Donald has played in Nike cleats.
Because Donda Sports is so new, it’s unclear what exactly it means to sign with them. Though West has a strong position in the sportswear world, his aspirations across categories of culture and business have always been bigger than what meets the eye.
In turn, what this venture means for Brown is yet to be revealed. Before making waves through signings in the pro ranks, Donda Sports’ associated Donda Academy made headlines by building a high school basketball team that travels the nation and has covered SLAM Magazine.
Where Brown fits into this puzzle and plan is interesting. Currently, the Donda Sports website does not have information on the growing athlete roster, but does list socks, shorts, and sweatshirts for sale ranging from $60 to $200.
Keep your eyes on Brown both on the court and in NBA Finals media as more details around this deal arise.
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