Kevin Love ditching 361°, expected to sign with Nike

Could the Cleveland Cavaliers soon have three signature athletes on the same roster? While odds of Kevin Love getting his own shoe appear slim at this stage, the Cavs power forward is said to be heading to Nike. NiceKicks.com editor Nick De Paula reports that Love’s deal with China-based 361° has expired and the recently re-signed big man is on his way to joining teammates LeBron James and Kyrie Irving with the money-printing folks in Beaverton, Oregon.

Kevin Love's shoe deal with China-based 361 has expired. He's expected to sign with Nike.

— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) September 29, 2015

Love has been a 361° athlete since he signed a deal back in 2011, but his shoes failed to penetrate domestic markets. Interestingly, the 25-year-old wore Nike Hyperdunks throughout all of last preseason and was seen in a pair of navy and white Hyperdunks during Cavs Media Day this past Monday. Off of the court, Love is frequently seen in Nike and Jordan Brand products—something that Houston James Harden is not allowed to do after signing with adidas for $200 million.¹

Love had a signature shoe with 361°, so there would be some sacrifice on his part by moving to The Swoosh. Shaquille O’Neal and Shawn Kemp are arguably the last big men to make much in the way of traction in the shoe market (both with Reebok in the mid-90s), and Anthony Davis is firmly ahead of Love in any sort of discussion for a signature shoe with Nike. This said, once the Cavs forward does sign with Nike, fans of footwear should be able to expect plenty of PE type looks of the 2015 Hyperdunk. In the event that the tide turns, however, and Love does enter talks to potentially ramp up promotional efforts, he has the right man on his side.

1. Harden will average $16.78 million on the final three years of his deal with the Rockets and $15.38 million annually from adidas, which is absolutely insane. [↩]