2019 prospect Bazley signs deal with New Balance worth up to $14M
One of the top amateur basketball prospects appears to be locking in some future earnings. Darius Bazley, a likely lottery pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, has signed an endorsement deal with New Balance that's guaranteed for at least $1 million, his agent, Rich Paul, confirmed to The New York Times' Marc Stein.
If certain performance benchmarks are reached, the deal could be worth up to $14 million.
Bazley, a McDonald's All-American and a unanimous five-star recruit, eschewed the collegiate ranks in order to focus on making the jump to the NBA. The 6-foot-9 forward originally announced he would join the G League right out of high school before ultimately deciding to spend the year training. He's currently living with former NBA player and current Memphis assistant coach Mike Miller.
As part of the agreement, the 18-year-old will also intern at New Balance next year from January through March.
The deal is the latest in a flurry of recent moves by mid-to-lower tier apparel companies looking to compete with longtime industry heavyweights Nike and Adidas. In the past several months, Under Armor reached an agreement with Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Joel Embiid - which was expected to make him the highest-paid player at his position - while Puma made a splash with the signings of DeMarcus Cousins and April's top two draft picks, Deandre Ayton and Marvin Bagley III.
New Balance, too, has been attempting to re-launch its basketball brand, which at one point counted Hall of Famer James Worthy among its notable endorsers. Earlier this summer, the Boston-based footwear and apparel manufacturer was reportedly making a push to make Gordon Hayward the face of the line, though the Boston Celtics forward signed an endorsement deal with Chinese brand Anta instead.