NBA History: 10 Biggest shoe deals signed by rookies

#8 John Wall (2010) – Reebok, 5 years/$25 million

John Wall with the Reebok ZigSlash shoes that he wore during the Rookie Game on NBA All-Star Weekend 2011 (Image: kicksologists.com)

Value in 2019: $29,366,653.52 or $5.9 million/year

John Wall went from an unknown sophomore in high school to the consensus top pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. He became the face of Reebok's ZigTech cushioning, the tech typically used for the brand's running shoes.

However, even the "John Wall Dance" couldn't save the brand's poor sales as the shoes were just not meant for basketball. Wall's feet reportedly hurt so much that he stopped wearing his own signature shoes.

On top of that, details on his rookie deal showed that the deal actually only guaranteed $2.5 million in his rookie year, with the rest tied up to performance incentives. The guard then left the brand in 2013 just after the release of his third signature shoe to move to Reebok's parent company, Adidas.

After Wall's Reebok and Adidas signature shoes reportedly “underperformed at retail”, Adidas still offered him an eight-year, $66 million contract extension, to which the Washington guard turned down. However, after two seasons of being a sneaker free agent, John Wall then went back to Adidas in 2018.

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#7 Vince Carter (1998) – PUMA, 5 years/$25 million

Vince Carter soaring high for a dunk in his Puma sneakers

Value in 2019: $39,285,736.20 or $7.96 million/year

Puma was in on the Vince Carter hype way before the athletic forward played his first ever game in the NBA. The brand signed Carter to a massive deal and hoped for the young Raptor star to be the new face of Puma.

However, things between Puma and Carter soon turned sour. "Air Canada", as he was nicknamed, terminated his contract with the brand just after a year. The company and the young star eventually reached a settlement where Carter had to pay around $13.5 million in damages for breach of contract and an additional $1 million in lawyer fees.

As a sneaker free agent, Carter donned the AND1 Tai Chi for his legendary 2000 Dunk Contest, a sneaker that eventually sold for a million pairs.

Vinsanity then signed with Nike and has since been rocking the same brand at 42 years old.