Kevin Durant joined forces with Nike the same year he entered the NBA, 2007. In 2023, he became the only third NBA player to have a lifetime deal with the brand, and he boasts 19 signature basketball shoes. However, when it comes to NFL cleats, the brand hasn’t been as generous.
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For years, players like Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ running back Bucky Irving have customized the KD4 Classics into NFL cleats for the gridiron. In fact, a recent image of Irving wearing customized cleats pushed Durant to call the brand out publicly.
“Yo @nike can yall make me some cleats?” Durant wrote in an Instagram story featuring and tagging Irving, who was seen wearing custom KD4 cleats in a recent game. “Im tired of my dogs having to customize the classics. WAKE UP.”
It’s possible that him and his team reached out to Nike over the issue or that the brand took notice of his message because soon after, Durant posted yet another story.
“Nike told their lifetime athlete that I’m not allowed to make cleats,” he wrote in the next story, which seems to have been deleted quickly after it went live to his 13.4 million followers.
Nike’s decision has not been publicized in a press conference or a report. It was just what Durant noted in his story, but this may come as a shock to the player given the brand’s history with cleats.
Durant was Nike’s 3rd lifetime player. Before him, the brand had signed LeBron James and, of course, Michael Jordan. Both players have dedicated NFL cleats. In fact, the brand also has NFL cleats in collaboration with the legendary Kobe Bryant.
So in a way, Durant is currently the only lifetime athlete and NBA legend among the four who doesn’t have his own cleats which can be frustrating. Interestingly, this isn’t the only time Durant’s financial deals have made headlines recently.
Kevin Durant Responds to Victor Wembanyama’s Gambling Sponsorship Comments
Kevin Durant has been in a business relationship with the betting platform, FanDuel, since 2022. His sponsorship came into a spotlight recently after the San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama said that it’s “very sad to see some players promote it.”
Wembanyama was speaking of gambling websites during this conversation with San Antonio Express-News columnist Mike Finger. He said that he would personally “never” do it, placing morals over financial gain.
However, Durant’s approach isn’t nearly the same. “That’s Wemby. He’s going to do what he does. That has nothing to do with me. I really don’t think about that question at all,” Durant told the press.
“It’s not really on my mind as much as his. But people are going to do what they want to do.” He further elaborated. Durant has been invested in FanDuel in various capacities.
Durant’s business and media company, Boardroom, and his manager, Rich Kleiman, first signed the multi-year deal with FanDuel back in 2022. Later on, Durant went ahead and signed a personal deal with the platform in 2024.
He isn’t the only NBA player who endorses or has a deal with betting platforms. The NBA lists DraftKings and FanDuel as its official betting partners. Giannis Antetokounmpo endorses Kalshi, Serbian star Nikola Jokic promotes SuperBet, and LeBron James is associated with both DraftKings and Polymarket.
Their popularity lends credibility to the betting websites, which makes up for some of the most substantial betting platform partnerships in the NBA. While this seems like a financial decision, it can also land the organization in tricky positions.
For instance, Jontay Porter was banned for life by the league in 2024 after it was discovered that he revealed confidential information to bettors and participated in betting himself after limiting his participation in games.