NBA History: 10 Biggest shoe deals signed by rookies

#4 Grant Hill (1994) – Fila, 5 years/~$30 million

Hill wearing the FILA Grant Hill, the first of his signature line released in 1995 (Image: The Hoop Doctors)

Value in 2019: $51,850,809.72 or $10.3 million per year

After a successful college career at Duke, including winning back-to-back titles in 1991 and 1992, Hill entered the 1994 NBA Draft and was selected 3rd overall by the Pistons. The forward then shocked everyone when he chose a then-unknown brand in the basketball world, Fila.

The co-Rookie of the Year immediately took the industry by storm as he sold 1.5 million pairs in just the 1994-95 season. The GH1's debut had the highest volume of sneakers sold since Air Jordan 1. The following year, Fila announced that its $8 billion market share had doubled in the footwear marketplace, crediting Hill for establishing the fashion brand then only known for high-end tennis shoes in the basketball and pop culture world.

Fila Holdings S.p.A. and Grant Hill (who had been an All-Star since his rookie year), then renegotiated in 1997, re-upping the deal to 7-year, $80 million. At the time, this was the second most lucrative shoe deal in the league, only behind Jordan's Nike deal of around $20 million a year.

To this day, Grant Hill is still sporting the Italian brand, even signing a lifetime deal with Fila in 2018.

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#3 Kevin Durant – Nike, 7 years/$60 million plus $10 million signing bonus

Rookie KD in a game vs the Denver Nuggets

Value in 2019: $86,620,028.74 or $12.374 million/year

After an impressive freshman year as a Texas Longhorn, Durant declared for the 2007 NBA Draft and was selected second-overall. Before signing with Nike, the 7-foot sharpshooter (yes, he did in fact admit that he was 7'0 with shoes) also received other lucrative offers, including a $70 million deal + $12 million signing bonus from Adidas. However, Durant ultimately signed with Nike, a brand that he had been wearing dating as far back as the eight grade.

After Durant's contract with the Swoosh expired in 2014, the 10x All-Star received an extremely lucrative offer from Under Armour which hoped to snatch him from Nike. However, Nike matched the offer and the forward ultimately chose to stay with the brand. He signed a 10-year deal through 2024 that has the potential to reach $300 million, plus a $50 million retirement package. With him now playing in Brooklyn, the potential for the KD line and other endorsements just got much higher.