Cameroon's NBA star signs shoe deal with Under Armour
In this photo taken on October 5, 2018, Joel Embiid (left) of the Philadelphia 76ers is defended by Salah Mejri (centre) and JJ Barea (right) of the Dallas Mavericks during their preseason NBA basketball game in Shanghai. PHOTO | STR |
What you need to know:
- Embiid's contract with adidas ended on September 30.
- He confirmed the deal with a Twitter post and penned a first-person announcement released by Under Armour recalling his relatively late introduction to organised basketball in Cameroon.
WASHINGTON
The Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid has signed a shoe deal with Under Armour that will reportedly make the Cameroonian the highest paid centre in the NBA.
Embiid, whose contract with adidas ended on September 30, confirmed the deal with a Twitter post and penned a first-person announcement released by Under Armour recalling his relatively late introduction to organised basketball in Cameroon.
He wrote about his younger brother, Arthur, who was killed in a car accident in Cameroon months after Embiid was drafted into the NBA, saying he wants "to do something that would make my brother proud."
"Basketball has given me everything, but it has to be bigger than basketball, that was the first thing I said to Under Armour," Embiid wrote. "I want to use this partnership to do something real."
ESPN reported that the footwear and apparel endorsement deal is for five years, and said unnamed industry sources had told them the average annual value of the deal will make the 24-year-old the highest-paid centre in the league.
According to ESPN Embiid was swayed by Under Armour's commitment to contributing to charitable causes in the Philadelphia area and in Cameroon.
