Money Makers

When most people think of NBA stars the first thing that comes to mind is their success on the court, but what most people don’t pay attention to is their success off the court. Having always been a sports fanatic, ESPN has taught me a lot over the years. Michael Jordan was my biggest role model growing up.  Having wanted nothing more than to be “like Mike” I had to have all of his new apparel, and accessories whenever they were released.  While personally having seen the biggest names in the game advertise for multiple brands, two questions arise. What do successful companies look for in a public icon before signing a contract deal with them to promote their items? Why do these famous athletes help the company make a tremendous amount of revenue?  Multiple NBA stars bring in a lot of money through endorsement deals. As stated in the article The NBA’s Endorsement All-Stars 2014 Badenhausen states “The NBA’s top 10 endorsers pulled down $155 million last year by our count” (Forbes).  Through different forms of endorsements we hear big names such as Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. A majority of the revenue made by these popular athletes comes from signed contracts with different athletic brands.  For example, every athlete listed except Stephen Curry has a signed endorsement deal with Nike.  Curry is in a contract with Under Armour.