Klay Thompson has agreed to a 10-year contract extension with Anta. The new deal, which will pay him $8 million each season, puts him in the upper echelon of the League’s signature sneaker endorsers.
Thompson’s KT2 received a stable of colorways and they sold well in China, where Anta’s from and does most of their business. Thompson just finished a 10-day tour of Chengdu, Shenyang, Guangzhou. He also visited China after the Warriors won the title in 2015.
Nice Kicks broke the news that Thompson will be advancing his signature sneaker and apparel line with the new deal.
“This partnership has been very successful, both on the brand side and business side,” Shawn Liu, Anta’s Sports Marketing Manager, told Nice Kicks. “Klay’s popularity has been growing with the success of the Warriors, which gives us a chance to elevate the Anta basketball brand positioning and product pricing.”
“I knew with the other brands in the States, whether it was Nike or adidas, it was going to be tough for me to get a signature shoe,” Klay said on the Nice Kicks Cast. “I knew with Anta, I would have so much input creatively. I was going to hopefully be the Michael Jordan one day of Anta. That really resonated with me, and knowing that I could be really big in China, that was really cool to me. The shoe market sometimes is overflooded in the States, and I thought, ‘Well, why not branch out and be global.’”
The KT3 will release just before the beginning of next season and so will more Thompson-inspired Anta gear.
On the Nice Kicks Cast, Thompson briefly spoke about his next sneaker.
“I want it to be a surprise,” he said. “But we got some knit coming out. They’re light. It’s going to be some knit. I’ve got some low-tops. They’re going to be sweet, man. It’s going to be a whole different ballgame with the KT3.”
h/t Nice Kicks
