Michael Jordan Is a Role Model, Not Sole Model: Scott Soshnick
By Scott Soshnick
June 29 (Bloomberg) -- Kevin Durant, all six feet nine inches of him, was surrounded. There was no way out, nowhere to hide. The queries came from all angles, rat-a-tat-tat.
Cameras to left of him, microphones to the right and Durant stuck in the middle.
Disconcerting? Heck no.
``I'm loving it,'' Durant told the assembled media horde earlier this week, before the Seattle SuperSonics last night made him the No. 2 pick in the National Basketball Association draft. ``All you guys looking at me like I'm Michael.''
Jordan, that is.
``I'm loving it, man,'' the 18-year-old Durant said, beaming.
With Durant spreading so much love this seems like a good time to issue a warning. So here it goes:
Nike, Adidas or whichever sneaker and apparel behemoth forks over tens of millions to secure Durant's services had better beware. You might not feel the love from this kid. You should know that he has memories of modest means. He has a conscience.
Durant remembers what it was like growing up as one of the have-nots. Money was tight. There were no expensive sneakers on his feet. Or in his closet. There was no Sony PlayStation in the living room, either.
``Growing up as a kid I couldn't afford the $120 shoes -- all the little gadgets I didn't have,'' Durant told me the other day. ``I guess now I can have them.''
There's career understatement No. 1.
Getting There
The really cool part of this tale isn't where Durant comes from. It's where he's going and what he intends to do when he gets there.
Durant does, indeed, wish to mimic the marketing might of Jordan, who helped make Nike's Swoosh as ubiquitous as the Golden Arches. Durant does not, however, want his signature shoe to become a status symbol with a price tag that induces sticker shock. He doesn't want one kid hurting another for leather and laces.
Hold on.
Is Durant actually saying that he intends to tell his future employer, whichever company it might be, that he'll demand a modest price point for any shoe that bears his name and likeness?
``Most definitely,'' said Durant, who is, according to the NBA's labor contract, guaranteed about $13 million over his first three seasons.
Paycheck No. 1
Ask Durant what he intends to do with his first NBA paycheck. If you guessed a high-end timepiece with a diamond bezel you would be wrong. A Maybach, perhaps? Wrong again.
``I'm going to buy my grandmother a new house,'' he says. ``She's been there for me since Day One, taking me under her wing.''
You know what: If Durant isn't careful, talk like that just might kill the image of NBA players as thugs, punks and creeps.
Predictably, more than half of the questions tossed at Durant the other day had to do with his draft position. Prior to last night, you see, there was some debate as to whether the Portland Trail Blazers would use the top pick on Durant or 7- foot center Greg Oden.
For the record, Durant said he didn't care. One or two.
Speaking of Oden, he's already part of the Nike family.
When asked about his shoe contract Oden, a likeable chap in his own right, didn't mention price points or mothers struggling with the bills. There were no recollections of hardship.
``The deal is really good for a big man,'' the 19-year-old Oden said. ``The biggest rookie big-man deal. I'm very proud of that.''
More Marbury
When it comes to shoe contracts Durant is more Stephon Marbury than Jordan.
Marbury endorses a line of sneakers, none of which cost more than $15. The concept has mothers lining up in malls to load up their shopping carts.
``I respect him a lot,'' Durant said of Marbury. ``He's trying to make a shoe that's affordable. I've seen a lot of young kids wearing them.''
If Durant is as good as advertised we'll be seeing a lot of kids wearing his signature shoe, too.
Then, after paying the bills, of course, there might even be enough left over for a PlayStation.