Long before he steps on an NBA court, the projected No. 1 overall pick in June's NBA draft is expected to land a sneaker endorsement deal that will make him far richer than his first NBA contract will.
在锡安踏入NBA球场之前,这位状元大热就很有可能签下一份价值远超他的NBA新秀合同的球鞋代言合同。
In fact, many in the sneaker industry expect that Williamson's eventual deal will make him one of the three highest-paid rookie sneaker endorsers ever, joining the likes of LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
事实上,很多球鞋行业内部人士认为,威廉姆森最终可能签下与詹姆斯和杜兰特一样的天价新秀代言合同。
Like James, whose deal was done before the draft lottery that would eventually land him in Cleveland, Williamson is expected by industry insiders to have a deal inked before this year's May 14 draft lottery, as the major sneaker companies see Williamson as a potential marketing superstar regardless of which market he lands in.
就像詹姆斯在被克利夫兰骑士选中之气就签完球鞋代言合同一样,球鞋行业的内部人士认为在今年5月14日的选秀日之前威廉姆斯会获得一份签名球鞋的合同,因为主要的球鞋厂商都一致认为他有着成为超巨的潜力,会给公司带来巨大的经济收入。
For Williamson, the inclusion of a signature sneaker could be necessary to seal the deal. Only nine players in league history have had a signature shoe for their rookie season.
对威廉姆森而言,代言合同中需要要包含推出个人签名球鞋的条款,他才会签下来。而在联盟历史上只有9名球员在新秀年就获得了推出个人签名球鞋的待遇。
Sonny Vaccaro,a forefather of the sports marketing world who originally worked for Nike decades ago, Vaccaro famously pushed to allot the brand's entire athlete budget toward signing Michael Jordan in 1984, for $500,000 per year.
Sonny Vaccaro,作为体育市场的一位前辈,曾在耐克工作了10年之久。他最著名的操作就是推动耐克在1984年将所有用于其他代言球员的预算全部用在了签下迈克尔乔丹上,合同的价格是每年50万美金。
He then left for Adidas in the early 1990s, shifting his focus to the new landscape of prep-to-pro phenoms, signing Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady to deals with the Three Stripes before they'd ever played an NBA game.
随后他在90年代早期前往阿迪达斯工作,并把注意力转向了那些具有潜力的新秀身上。例如,在科比和麦迪一场NBA球赛都没打的时候,他就代表阿迪达斯把他们钱了下来。
"In my lifetime, I think it's going to be the biggest bidding war ever done," said Sonny Vaccaro, "Sitting here at this age and watching 50 years of it, Zion has made me feel like it's 1984," said the 79-year-old Vaccaro. "I'm serious."
“在我的一生中,恐怕这将是我从为有过的最大的竞标战争。”Sonny Vaccaro说,“以他现在这个年龄来预测他50年后的样子,锡安让我觉得这就是1984年签乔丹的样子”79岁的Vaccaro说。“我是认真的。”
Though James had three serious suitors and Durant had a battle between Nike and Adidas, Williamson could receive offers from as many as six brands, including Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, New Balance, Puma and Anta.
尽管当年勒布朗有多达三个品牌设法签下他,杜兰特也有耐克与阿迪两家公司加以争夺,但是现在,威廉姆森有多达6个品牌的出价,包括耐克,阿迪,安德玛,新百伦,彪马和安踏。
"What Michael did for Nike, Zion could do for somebody new," Vaccaro said. "What Steph Curry did for Under Armour — they weren't new, but they weren't there ... I would find a new way to make him America's child. I just think America loves Zion Williamson."
“迈克尔为耐克做到的那些,锡安也同样能为别的新品牌做到,”Vaccaro说“就像史蒂芬库里为安德玛所做的——尽管当时安德玛不算是个新牌子,但也不是大牌子。。。我会找到一个新的方式让他成为美国宠儿,我认为美国会爱上这个孩子的。"
In China, sportswear brand Anta has been enjoying a great run with Curry's All-Star teammate Klay Thompson. Currently under a 10-year extension that could be worth up to $80 million, Thompson has been thrilled with the partnership. It has not only been lucrative, but also expanded his profile abroad.
在中国,著名体育品牌安踏成功运作了与库里的全明星队友克莱汤普森的商业合作。最近安踏与汤普森签下了一份10年价值8千万的新合同价值,这让汤普森对他的商业伙伴感到十分激动。这份合同不但价格合算,还有效地扩展了他的海外形象。
Signing Williamson would be a sharp departure from Anta's longstanding China-focused athlete strategy.
签约威廉姆森将会与安踏长期以来关注国内球员的策略背道而驰。
Chinese brands have typically signed older players who have already achieved All-Star or championship status in the league, veterans whom fans are familiar with and follow.
中国的品牌通常会签一些在联盟已经获得全明星地位或者总冠军的老球员,那些被粉丝们熟悉并拥有大量拥趸的老兵。
According to sources, Williamson would be the exact player they'd love to sign for an opposite, new strategy: breaking through in the U.S.
消息源透露,威廉姆森是安踏非常想签下的球员,为了不同于以往的全新战略:向美国进军。
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