Zion Williamson Deserves $100 Million Sneaker Deal, Says Sonny Vaccaro

BYAlexander Cole2.9K Views
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Zion Williamson
The man who helped bring Michael Jordan to Nike has strong opinions on young Zion.

Zion Williamson has become known to every basketball fan in the world thanks to his play with the Duke Blue Devils this year. At 6'7" and 285 pounds, Zion has shown freakishly good athleticism and has been known for his posterizing dunks and blocks. With all of this in mind, it's no surprise that pretty well every pundit on the planet has Williamson going number one in the NBA Entry Draft this summer. Zion is also due for a pretty big payday when it comes to sneakers. Reports say there is currently a bidding war when it comes to the star player, with Nike leading the charge. 

TMZ Sports spoke to Sonny Vaccaro who was instrumental in bringing Michael Jordan to Nike back in 1984. Of course, Jordan ended up creating his own shoe brand within Nike and the rest is history. Vaccaro believes in Zion so much that he'd give him a $100 million deal.

"There are particular, singular athletes that can move the needle," Sonny explained. "Zion Williamson has moved the needle before he even became a professional."

If Zion were to be signed for nine figures, he would break LeBron James' record for largest sneaker deal before playing an NBA game. Coming out of high school in 2003, James made $90 million with Nike. Vaccaro explained why Williamson is actually worth more than the King.

"Zion Williamson is known to 14-, 15-, 13-, 60-, 70-, 80-year-old people because of his brilliance, his charismatic presence. That's why he's different," Vaccaro exclaimed.

Do you agree? How much do you think Zion will get?


About The Author
Alexander Cole is the current editor-in-chief of HotNewHipHop. He started at HotNewHipHop back in 2018 where he began as a Sports and Sneakers writer. It was here where he began to hone his craft, putting his journalism degree from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, to good use. Since that time, he has documented some of the biggest stories in the hip-hop world. From the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef to the disturbing allegations against Diddy, Alex has helped HotNewHipHop navigate large-scale stories as they happen. In 2021, he went to the Bahamas for the Big 3's Championship Game. It was here where he got to interview legendary figures like Ice Cube, Clyde Drexler, and Stephen Jackson. He has also interviewed other superstar athletes such as Antonio Brown, Damian Lillard, and Paul Pierce. This is in addition to conversations with social media provocateurs like Jake Paul, and younger respected artists like Kaycyy, Lil Tecca, and Jeleel!
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