Zion Williamson announced his signing with Jordan Brand on Tuesday, marking the richest annual rookie shoe deal in NBA history, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. And still, he reportedly left some money on the table in order to join the Jumpman family.
According to Woj, Williamson's deal checks in at five years, $75 million, which works out to $15M annually. LeBron James' rookie sneaker deal with Nike was for seven-years, $90 million, or an annual payout of $12.4M.
The Athletic's Darren Rovell reports that Zion actually had bigger offers on the table but ultimately chose Jordan Brand because of Michael Jordan's influence.
In his lone season at Duke, Zion averaged 22.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game while winning the Naismith Award, Wooden Award and AP Player of the Year, among other accolades.
Williamson joins fellow rookie Rui Hachimura, as well as fellow Duke alum Jayson Tatum, as the newest Jordan Brand signees.
“I feel incredibly blessed to be a part of the Jordan Brand family," says Williamson. "Since I was a kid, I dreamed of making it to the league and having the type of impact on the game Michael Jordan had and continues to have today. He was one of those special athletes I looked up to, and I really can’t express how happy and excited I am for this journey.”