RealGM

So this is something that has been running through my head:

Kawhi basically had 48 mil given to him under the table. He has been with the Clippers for five years. I contend that this was a LOW RIZZ MISTAKE with zero vision because I believe that he would have made at least 50 Million over the next five years in Canada if he had just signed with us and let his brand grow organically.

I recall, for instance, that his Board Man Gets Paid shirts literally flew off the shelves.
https://ca.style.yahoo.com/kawhi-leonard-board-man-shirt-164053042.html

His New Balance shoes sold out very quickly in Canada (probably not the case in the US!)
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/kawhi-leonard-new-balance-raptors-shoes-sell-out

I believe that if Kawhi resigned a three-year contract and won another championship here he'd be regarded as the biggest Canadian sports icon (and an honourary Canadian, while we're at it) of the last 50 years. Alas he did not have the vision. Hell, we have LEGITIMATE tree-planting companies that would have loved to work with him and his big-ass hands.

One can say that his jersey sales were only middling-average here compared to other superstar level players, but I think it's because no one knew how long he'd stay and most jersey-buyers tend to be casual fans. The same is not true of t-shirts, which people will buy with less thought because they're much cheaper, and shoes, which are items that enthusiasts/people enmeshed in the culture are interested in.

This is my belief. Thank you for your time in reading my post. We can start with the scenario where he signs a three year contract in 2019, meaning we have him for the 2019-2020 season (where we'd have been the favourites to win it all), 2020-2021, and 2021-2022.

All my money

I spent $300 that summer alone.

All that to say, if Kawhi and his camp had better foresight, if he stayed in Toronto and got a second ring here (and maybe a third), he would be a legend in CANADA for the rest of his life. He would have made much more than $28 mil lifetime in endorsements and perks. We were already giving him free food and housing for life. His profile blew up internationally. Such a poor poor decision on his part. I don’t care how much he wanted to go home. He coulda stuck it out for two or three more years in a country that revered him. He would have truly been the king in the north.

I was ready to. There's a New Balance store just a block away from me (on the Danforth).

The funny thing is six months later, for Xmas, my wife got me a compete New Balance gym outfit head to toe. When I opened it, I looked at her incredulously and she lamely said "Well, you had been talking about New Balance months ago." I just responded "OK, thanks." It was pretty cool looking, I wasn't going to burn it.

tecumseh18 wrote:I was ready to. There's a New Balance store just a block away from me (on the Danforth).

The funny thing is six months later, for Xmas, my wife got me a compete New Balance gym outfit head to toe. When I opened it, I looked at her incredulously and she lamely said "Well, you had been talking about New Balance months ago." I just responded "OK, thanks." It was pretty cool looking, I wasn't going to burn it.

Personally I think that NB gear is higher quality than both Nike and Adidas.

Also, I believe that Canadians are predisposed to like NB more than Nike and Adidas. It's efficient, kinda nerdy, but also shows focus. Dedication. The balance... of our rizz... ... ... new...

Sadly, he didn't care about being a legend in Canada. He came, he played hard, got us a title, and went home. I just wish he signed for one more year, got that back to back, never mind 3 years. Give us one more chip then go ahead home to LA.

Still shocks me he's been a Clipper 6 seasons already, going on 7 barring penalty.

New Balance Basketball gear would have absolutely exploded here.

Honest question: how much do athletes get from their merchandise?

Is it just a case of getting a bigger endorsement deal the next time, or do they actually get a cut?

I’ve been under the impression that NBA-related merchandise sales is shared revenue, but that could be old information or it may never have been correct.

Personally branded stuff like “Board Man Gets Paid” and shoes… probably case to case, but I’d imagine the endorsement contract itself is the big prize.

Our household probably spent $500 or more on New Balance gear during the 2019 playoff run. If Kawhi stayed, we would have spent more.

just to echo what everyone else said Kawhi's endorsement deals would obviously have exploded in Canada, he would have been bigger in Canada than prime Gretzky/Crosby or than Michael Jordan or Lebron James ever were in the US.

Some of that hype would have trickled to the US as well.

What does a full back tattoo of the entire aftermath of "the shot" cost in 2020 dollars?

Morris_Shatford wrote:What does a full back tattoo of the entire aftermath of "the shot" cost in 2020 dollars?

If it includes an image of Embiid crying on Marc's shoulder ... then priceless.

[edit] And it's got to have the crying kid from the distraught Philly household.

I spent about 500 bucks on Raptors championship merchandise. I probably would have brought some Kawhi merch for about a few hundred bucks for sure lol

WaltFrazier wrote:Sadly, he didn't care about being a legend in Canada. He came, he played hard, got us a title, and went home. I just wish he signed for one more year, got that back to back, never mind 3 years. Give us one more chip then go ahead home to LA.

Still shocks me he's been a Clipper 6 seasons already, going on 7 barring penalty.

1 year plus a 1 year player option (for the security in case he had an injury) was the play for him. Stay healthy, get that one more ring, decline the option and go home.

If Kawhi resigned here he would have become the most endorsed star in Canadian history.

Also, I think he would have been even more popular in the US...how dumb is it to go to LA when you already had Lebron and AD in LA? Why wouldn't you want to create your own unique mark in the league.

In 2020 Kawhi didn't even make the list for top 15 jersey sales in the NBA...I guarantee you he is top 5 if he stayed in Toronto.

$0. I'm an adult.

ItsDanger wrote:$0. I'm an adult.

Some guys just aren't fun.

Yallbecrazy wrote:

ItsDanger wrote:$0. I'm an adult.

Some guys just aren't fun.

Is the definition of fun to buy plastic replica clothing that is outdated by next season to prop up the bread and circus of an unsustainable capitalistic economy?

I already have over a 1000 dollars worth of Kawhi merchandise. I have a BGS 9.5 of his Raptors downtown card. One earlier this year sold for 1025 dollars in auction.

Hard to put a number on it, but I’d definitely be on the hunt for some gear that was cheap, and good quality