Matt Bonner, the quirky star power forward/center for the San Antonio Spurs, became the first NBA player to get an endorsement deal via Twitter, but it wasn't with the brand he originally sought.
As Bonner told ESPN, for a while he believes he was the only player in the league to sport New Balance basketball shoes. Despite abuse from fans, he stuck with his choice even though he wasn't getting paid to endorse the brand. "I took a lot of flak for wearing them," he told ESPN. "I got heckled quite a bit. Things like, 'Hey, Bonner, nice New Balances.' Nothing really all that clever; 99.99% of heckles are not clever."
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Taking pity on Bonner, the sneaker blog NiceKicks let him run its account for an hour last October. In the process, Bonner trolled New Balance and Adidas for an endorsement deal:
.@newbalance @Adidas @peaksportsUSA I'm ready to sign the fist ever shoe deal via twitter. Any takers? #history— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) October 21, 2013
New Balance responded with alacrity, but didn't answer his question exactly:
.@newbalance @Adidas @peaksportsUSA I'm ready to sign the fist ever shoe deal via twitter. Any takers? #history— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) October 21, 2013
.@newbalance Now as the sole NB wearing NBA player for the last 4 years... I have tears in my eyes. I never thought this day would come.— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) October 21, 2013
.@newbalance I'm assuming by sending a shipment of NB product you are saying you want to sponsor me officially?Like with an actual contract?— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) October 21, 2013
.@newbalance I sure hope that's what you're saying... #miraclescanhappen #fairytaleending— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) October 21, 2013
Actually, that's not what New Balance was saying. As ESPN reports, though, Bonner got his fairy tale ending anyway when Adidas contacted him. Bonner wound up signing a contract with the sneaker brand earlier this year and no longer wears New Balance.
Reps from New Balance could not be reached about why the brand spurned its biggest advocate in the NBA. Bonner, who is known for his blog The Sandwich Hunter, which chronicles his quest to find the perfect sandwich, is known for other odd pursuits. For instance, in his first two years in the NBA playing for the Toronto Raptors he didn't own a car so he took the city's Red Rocket streetcars everywhere and earned the nickname the Red Rocket. (He's also known as Red Mamba, a nickname Kobe Bryant bestowed on him via Twitter.)