RealGM

After receiving offers from several footwear companies over the last month, including a huge dark horse bid from Chinese brand ANTA said to be in the neighborhood of $7 Million per year, LA Clippers star forward Blake Griffin has decided to return to Nike Basketball.

Griffin missed his entire true rookie year with a knee injury, but his marketing potential soared almost immediately once he hit the court for a Rookie of the Year campaign during his second season in the NBA. The marquee sneaker free agent this year is due a healthy raise on his sneaker endorsement deal, considering his original deal was worth just a rumored $400,000 per season.

Earlier this summer, he signed a maximum contract extension with the Clippers that could be worth as much as $95 Million over five years with incentives met. With that in mind, money was said to not be a key factor in Griffin's decision making process when it came to deciding on a new footwear deal.

He'll begin the season wearing Nike Basketball's statement level Lunar Hyperdunk 2012 and we can expect to see their partnership continue to grow for years to come.

Nick DePaula, Sole Collector