Kris Stone, the lucky guy who signed Curry, even said, "We didn't set out to build an NBA starting five, we wanted to build a team of passionate little men." With that in mind, it's no wonder that the biggest names in the sneaker industry are going to great lengths to sign NBA guards

As an industry leader for the past 20 years, NIKE has signed 305 players in the NBA today — 68 percent of the players in the league. Adi followed suit with 70 signings. Thanks to Curry's presence, UA's upward momentum is accelerating. The remaining 5 percent is roughly divided between Chinese brand Anta and Li Ning Peak. We've seen a statistic chart of the distribution of sneakers on the NBA court, and the question is: how do non-star role players work on their shoe contracts?

Even for those players who have been taking care of the water cooler for a long time, they can help to build the overall identity and presence of the brand. But in the vast majority of cases, brands will sign these players to short-term, one-year contracts.

The so-called "Merch" contract can be roughly understood as the provision of $5,000 to $10,000 for these fringe players (even those who failed to enter the minor league in the draft and the fringe players of small-ball city teams). These pieces of equipment are what we commonly call "team shoes", and most of the team shoes are presented in a basic black and white color scheme with elements of the team color.

Just as young players will fight for a chance to play in the team, they also value this "Merch" contract, which is real money.

Most players in the league have cash contracts in hand. As you can see, there is a lot of difference between contracts and contracts. Typically, rookie players sign contracts with brands for at least three to four years, and most of them are limited and prioritized by the brand owners.

In addition, while most players have contracts with teams that start on July 1st, most of them have a deadline of September 30th, which is before the start of preseason. As a way to protect the interests of brands, brands usually start signing players after the draft. This ensures that brands are informed of a player's draft pick, their team's market and how they perform in Summer League before signing.

For example, Anglo Russell and Winslow benefited from being drafted by the Lakers and the Heat, and their shoe contracts rose accordingly.

The current "market" is that if you're an NBA lottery rookie, your cash contract is roughly between $200,000 and $700,000. However, of course, there are exceptions, such as this year's superstar Andrew Wiggins, who signed a five-year contract worth $11 million with Adi, and he will also take over the banner of Adi's Crazy Light series spokesperson in the future.

Of course, if you perform well during the season and even end up on the stage of the All-Star Game, you will most likely receive a one-time reward of up to $50,000 from the brand. In addition, it makes sense for all shoe manufacturers to offer some additional perks to rookie players who are Rookie of the Year or make the All-Star and playoff rounds.

For example, an interesting principle is called the "18" principle. If you're a rookie player, you'd better make sure you score or more than 18 points and rebounds each night, or your shoe contract may be compromised at the end of the season.

For all players with cash contracts, they usually get real money and equipment sponsorship combos. Some may receive $50,000 plus $30,000 in brand vouchers, while star players will receive $500,000 plus $100,000 in equipment sponsorship. As you can imagine, there must be friends and relatives of the players who log into their Nike accounts and squander thousands of dollars on Nike's website. (It's cool)

Stars at the top of the NBA food chain can get cash returns every quarter, as well as special equipment in their own team colors, such as their personal logos on their sneakers and even their favorite motto (PE). These details are also written into the contract, and in some cases, they are also a reward for the brand to perform well. Most sneaker brands have a "trigger clause" for their players: if their players make the All-Star team, they get a pair of sneakers with their own "custom" elements. In 2010, Chris Carman was named an All-Star, so he couldn't wait for Nike to write the words "AIR Sasquatch" on his sneakers.

Signature sneakers

Finally, it's time to talk about signature shoes.

Signature shoes are always the most painstaking sneakers created by major brands, and it is the signature shoes that connect consumers with their favorite stars. Due to the limited number of signature shoes, few players will have their own signature shoes in their rookie year, the last being Wall's Reebok ZIG SLASH in 2010 and LeBron James' Air Zoom Generation in 2003.

In today's market environment, such examples are even rarer.

Looking at the league, there are a total of 11 players with signature shoes, namely:

Nike: Kobe, James, Durant, Irving;

Jordan Brand: Paul, Westbrook, Anthony;

Adidas: Rose, Lillard, Harden;

UA: Curry.

Most of them started at the stage of owning PE sneakers and eventually achieved the supreme glory of signing sneakers through their own efforts.

The rest of the players, including Clay, Wade and Parker, also have their own Chinese brand signature shoes. However, it may not be easy to buy the signed shoes of these players in the United States.

However, despite being a player with a personal signature shoe, their shoe contracts are strict. If they don't get some of the match requirements set out in their contracts, the contracts of these top stars will be compromised. For example, many contracts stipulate that players must play at least 60 to 82 games, and if they fail to do so, they will be deducted from the prize money. Conversely, if you end up winning the regular season MVP, you could be rewarded with millions of dollars. In addition to this, for every pair of signature shoes sold, the owner of the signature shoe receives a 5% cash prize.

For all athletes with signature shoes, the brand's designers have done everything they can to make the shoes functional and fit the player's style of play, and to connect the look and style of the shoes with the player's personal story.

To sum up, for all players who enter the league, they are guaranteed to have a shoe contract at the same time as a job contract offered by the team, but this contract is more variable and motivating. For top players, a lucrative shoe contract can help them attract attention, gain their own brand, and ultimately have their own personal brand.