NBA superstar, business mogul, fashion icon - when all is said and done, Kevin Durant hopes that his name becomes synonymous with all these titles.
There is little question that during his nine years in the league, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant has established himself as one of the NBA's most recognizable brands, both on and off the hardwood. Among the most talented players of his generation, Durant has parlayed his basketball prowess, charm and cultural aptitude to connect with millennials in a way that is rivaled only by fellow superstar Lebron James. With more than 12.8 million followers on Twitter, and 6.8 million on Instagram, Durant's ability to reach the masses via social media ranks among the highest in the world when it comes to celebrities, athletes and other influencers.
Not surprisingly, Durant has combined his massive reach with a monetization strategy that has elevated him to one of the highest earning athletes in the world. A newly formed partnership with media mogul turned sports agent Jay Z and his firm
Chief among these is Durant's new venture with Neff, a Camarillo, California based company that brands itself upon snowboarding, skating, surfing and lifestyle products. Part of the partnership includes the launch of Durant's own line of signature men's underwear, the first of what is expected to be a series of apparel and lifestyle products that reflects Durant's own personalized designs, combined with Neff’s focus on youth culture.
According to Durant, "I had a lot of input in the design. Shaun [Neff] didn’t put a limit on me and it was great working with them. He was somebody that started a brand and definitely has more experience than me but never once treated me as I was lower than him or less intelligent when we collaborated. He was easy to work with and it was an incredibly fun process. Because we can all relate to this space as men, I felt that it was something different to do and we both were jumping to it at the same time."
Durant joins Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman as the only team sport athlete on Neff’s endorsements roster, but the brand also features ambassadors like Snoop Dog, Jaden Smith and Deadmau5. That being said, unlike the other endorsers, Durant also takes on the title of co-owner of Neff Wear alongside founder Shaun Neff. The practice of professional athletes and celebrities taking on equity instead of (or in addition to) cash for endorsements is becoming common practice, and creates lower risk for the company while generating greater upside for the athlete in the event that their association helps elevate the brand's sales as intended.
"Neff is a youth driven brand and teenagers today look up to unique individuals to influence their style.," explains Shaun Neff. "We have rooted our brand by partnering up with some of the biggest action sports athletes and pop culture icons in the world. The traditional sports market was an area we wanted to enter into but only with carefully chosen athlete partners. Kevin Durant is one of the most likable athletes with such unique style that I knew he would be a perfect partner to get us into the market. Launching Neffwear has been a long calculated process but now we are in retailers all over the US with KD driving consumers to buy. At Neff we really try to choose our influencers based on how they can positively influence our youth consumer," he adds.
Neff is a valuable addition to Durant's growing endorsement portfolio, which now includes beverage company Sparking ICE, fast-food restaurant chain Sonic, and Orange Leaf Yogurt, the latter of which also includes an equity stake in the company. While some industry pundits question whether the addition of any more brands to his portfolio may dilute the very value of the endorsement he is giving, it appears as though Durant is not yet finished aligning with corporate partners. As for who's next, Durant had only this to say, "a brand that is authentic, has great values, knows what they believe in and [has] great people. That is simple enough for me and we can work from there."
Jason Belzer, Esq. is Founder of GAME, Inc. and a Professor of Organizational Behavior and Sports Law at Rutgers University. Follow him on Twitter @JasonBelzer.
