No longer a background character of a major shoe dealer, Philadelphia 76ers‘ star Joel Embiid is nearing an agreement to a star as the face of Sketchers’ new basketball division, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Following his first MVP season, Joel Embiid has parlayed his regular-season success into a new featured deal with the fourth-largest shoe company around. Until a deal is formally struck, Embiid will be resigned to wearing the brand’s shoe at practice, but once the dotted line has been signed, he will make the switch in live game action.
Embiid signed a five-year deal with Under Armour back in October of 2018, which was accompanied by the release of the Joel Embiid 1. It’s quite the leap from a company as notable as Under Armour to Sketchers, but it does afford the reigning MVP to be the face of an entire NBA shoe division.
Alongside the addition of Embiid, Skechers is expected to add New York Knicks All-Star Julius Randle, who recently split from Nike, and Los Angeles Clippers guard and James Harden trade holdup Terance Mann.
According to The Athletic, Skechers is continuing to hunt for even more NBA talent to bring into their new list of partnering athletes.
