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Kawhi Leonard has reportedly signed an endorsement deal with the newly resurgent New Balance Basketball division, according to Chris Haynes at Yahoo Sports.
Where to buy Kawhi Leonard New Balance shoes
Yahoo Sources: Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard has agreed to a multiyear shoe endorsement deal with New Balance. https://t.co/FdgnrCnTrg
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) November 28, 2018
The multiyear deal will make Kawhi the face of New Balance Basketball. Leonard, 27, was said to have turned down an extension of his current Jordan Brand contract. The Toronto Raptors wing and two-time Defensive Player of the Year also met with adidas and other major brands before reportedly landing on New Balance.
While very few details of the multiyear deal are known, it’s widely assumed that Leonard is the first of many New Balance signees. Boston Celtics guard Gordon Hayward was reportedly in talks to sign with New Balance before inking a deal with ANTA.
New Balance did sign Darius Bazley, a high school phenom, to a $1 million deal with the potential to earn $14 million. Bazley will also work with the company as an intern at their budding corporate office in Lawerence, Massachusetts.
The New Balance hoops division is set to launch sometime in 2019.
Update 12/4: Kawhi Leonard, on the heels of new surrounding a budding endorsement deal with New Balance, walked into the most recent Raptors game in a full New Balance kit, including Ronnie Fieg’s KITH x nonnative x New Balance 997S. An official announcement of Leonard’s New Balance deal is expected soon.
