The Ja 1 “We ain’t Ducking No Smoke,” a continuation of the “Midnight Series” inspired by a phrase by Ja Morant “We ain’t ducking no smoke,” has been unveiled by Nike recently. In his third season in the league, in reaction to Patrick Beverly’s insults to the Minnesota Timberwolves, he stated, “We ain’t ducking no smoke; we run up the chimney”.
The Zoom-assisted silhouette approaches in stealth and total darkness, echoing the smoky, burned surroundings of an interior chimney. With the exception of the mismatched yellow and grey tongue tabs and insole branding, the mesh upper is almost entirely covered in jet-black tones. Ja’s phrase is written in his handwriting on the lateral side of the nearly-white heel counter, and a foggy grey marbling takes hold of the TPU profile swooshes, enlivening the gloomy surroundings.
Ja Morant and Nike team up to release a pack inspired by his infamous press conference, titled “We Aint Ducking No Smoke.”https://t.co/mBQoEu7i9N
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 26, 2023
Additionally, the sole unit is treated with clad cream underfoot, much like the Nike KD 15 PEs inspired by Off-White. The player’s colored initials are displayed on the inner of the tag, while Morant’s number “12” is embroidered in yellow at the heel, with the same color. It embellishes his emblem on the tongue tag of the right shoe. On October 6, the pair by Ja Morant is anticipated to go on sale for $120 USD on Nike’s official website.
What are the most expensive shoe deals by Nike in the NBA?
The amount of money put up by shoe businesses in the pursuit of signing that once-in-a-lifetime marketable talent like Michael Jordan increased as sneaker culture evolved and became more widely accepted. Securing a shoe deal for a player is another indication that they have arrived as an NBA superstar.
Reportedly, Ja Morant has signed an undisclosed multi-year deal with Nike, valued at $12.1 million. Let’s go through some big-money shoe deals by Nike in the NBA in terms of their annual values.
LeBron James – $32,000,000
When James was a senior in high school, footwear companies saw him as the ‘next’ Jordan. A bidding war broke out to sign the ‘Chosen One’ to a contract with them. He declined Adidas’ offer of $115 million, choosing to negotiate a $90 million agreement with Nike instead. His business manager, Maverick Carter, claims he later secured a lifetime contract with the Swoosh in 2016. A deal that may be worth up to $1 billion.
Kevin Durant – $28,000,000
Durant started working for Nike in 2007. Adidas and Phil Knight both wanted to sign the Texas Longhorns standout. But KD, who has been associated with Nike since the ninth grade, placed his bet on himself. With a $10 million signing bonus, Durant accepted their $60 million, seven-year deal.
Giannis Antetokounmpo – $12,000,000
Nike has a multi-million-dollar contract with Giannis, like most elite superstars do. Nike trusted the Greek Freak before he became famous and signed him to a $20,000-a-year contract. The agreement was upgraded, though, in 2017 to around $12 million annually. Additionally, Giannis was promised a Nike signature sneaker. In June 2019, Giannis debuted his first pair of trademark shoes. Following the initial shoe’s popularity, Nike debuted the Nike Air Zoom Freak 2 in July 2020.
