Kristaps Porzingis Contract: Formerly Hated NBA Rookie Signs Third Endorsement Deal

Another Kristaps Porzingis contract has been announced, and this time his endorsement deal is with BodyArmor sports drink, according to ESPN.

Much has changed since the 2015 NBA Draft was held at the Barclays Center back in June. On that night, Kristaps Porzingis was drafted with the fourth overall selection by the New York Knicks. He immediately became the most hated man of the downtrodden fan base. Since the Knicks had such a high draft pick, New York fans were hoping to get a bigger name such as Jahlil Okafor, D’Angelo Russell, or Karl Anthony-Towns. Instead they ended up with a little-known European player who was immediately compared to draft busts such as Nikoloz Tskitishvili and Andrea Bargnani.

NBA fans and critics alike were both extremely wrong about Kristaps Porzingis. Not only has the rookie center blossomed into the second best players for the New York Knicks, but he is also showing potential to someday be an All Star player. The rookie from Latvia routinely puts up double doubles. Porzingis has been an ESPN darling because of his highlight reel potential. Fans that booed him on draft night are now hypocritically claiming that they knew of his potential all along.

Since it is not all that difficult to spot the hype behind Kristaps Porzingis, BodyArmor knew that there was a great opportunity in place for them to get to the rookie forward before someone else does. One of the things that Mike Repole, the co-founder of the sports drink, likes is to paint a picture of his company as an upcoming brand that is trying to compete with the established names in the business. BodyArmor is touting Porzingis as an up-and-comer that is going up against established NBA players like Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki and Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard.

A lot of NBA players are warned to stay away from endorsement deals on products that they truly do not believe in. The feeling is that if consumers can sense that you are truly not a fan of the product, then the deal might backfire for all those involved. Fortunately for BodyArmor, Kristaps Porzingis is a big fan of their energy drink. The 7’3?, 240 pound forward stated that he started drinking the product right around the time that he was working out for NBA teams before the draft.

Kristaps Porzingis received a decent amount of money from the New York Knicks since he was the fourth overall selection during the NBA Draft. However, his financial portfolio is growing well beyond the basketball court. The new contract with BodyArmor is now his third endorsement deal. Porzingis has a deal with Delta Air Lines, one that he stated was necessary because his parents still live in Latvia. Kristaps is also an endorser of Shifman Mattress, a company that he likes because they promised to help create a bed that will alleviate the sleeping problems of a man his size.

Do not be shocked if you hear upcoming news about more endorsement deals for Kristaps Porzingis. His fame is rising by the day. In the previous month, sales of his jerseys showed that he was the sixth most popular on the official NBA Store website. He only trails Stephen Curry, a retiring Kobe Bryant, Nike lifetime endorser LeBron James, and Kevin Durant. The fifth person on that list is Michael Jordan, and everyone should know about his marketing potential by now. Potential advertisers know about things like this, so his agent can expect a flurry of phone calls over the next few weeks.

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