Karl Malone was introduced to a teenage fan who was visiting from Turkey after a recent game in Denver. The boy told the Utah Jazz superstar how he stayed up until the middle of the night to watch the Turkish broadcasts of the NBA Finals last June. He told the Mailman that he is his favorite player and the Jazz is his favorite team.
Malone took off his size 16, custom-fitted basketball sneakers, signed each one and gave them to the awestruck youth."Are you sure?" the Turkish teen asked.
"They're my last pair," Malone said. "But don't worry. I think I'll be able to get another."
BIG BUSINESS: Grant Hill of the Detroit Pistons, who makes his only Delta Center appearance of the season tonight, signed a seven-year endorsement contract worth at least $80 million last September with Fila, the athletic shoe and apparel manufacturer.
Michael Jordan's new "Brand Jordan" line of shoes and clothing, in cooperation with Nike, is expected to gross $250 million this year.
Malone wears an upstart brand called Apex and a model that not coincidentally shares his nickname, "Mailman." The Jazz power forward was only teasing when he said he was giving away his last pair. In fact, Malone uses a brand new pair of shoes for every single Jazz game.
Still, the idea that NBA basketball players earn huge dollar amounts for wearing a certain shoe is, in most cases, incorrect.
"The perception is that all these guys are making a ton of money on shoe contracts," said Michael Rubin, the president/CEO of Global Sports, the makers of Apex. "That's simply not true."
Sure, the Hills and Jordans of the world make big bucks while the likes of Malone, Allen Iverson and Shaquille O'Neal can't complain. But the average NBA player gets little more than free sneakers out of their shoe deals.
"Michael Jordan is the one player who sells a ton of shoes," said Rubin. "Other than Michael Jordan, there are not many players that sell many shoes. It's basically Jordan and then there's a big dropoff to young guys like Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant in terms of sales."
Air Jordan shoes have been huge sellers for more than a dozen years and have made Jordan - and Nike boss Phil Knight - a boatload of money. But from there the value of NBA shoe deals drops off precipitously.
"On an annual basis, there are very few NBA players that make a million dollars or more for their shoe contracts - very few," said Rubin. "On the Jazz, for example, I'd say the only players getting paid much at all are Karl (Malone) and John Stockton. A lot of players get nothing - just the product or the product and a small allowance of maybe $5,000 a year."
Jeff Hornacek knows that to be the case. "Karl and maybe John make some money on the shoes, but the rest of us don't get a whole lot," he said. "We make our money if we play well - by getting contracts from teams in the league, not from shoes. That's why it's important to find some shoes that work - so you play well."
Said Jazz rookie Jacque Vaughn, "People probably overestimate how much most of us can make from a shoe deal. They see Grant Hill's $80 million deal and assume that other players are getting those same kinds of checks, but that's definitely not true."
JAZZ FAVORITES: High-profile college coaches and/or schools usually have a shoe deal, which means all the players on a given team wear the same brand on the court. So when Vaughn and fellow Jazzman Greg Os-ter-tag were teammates at Kansas, they both wore Converse. Last year, however, Kansas signed a deal with Nike. Ostertag was already in the NBA, but Vaughn had to change over prior to his senior season after three years with the other brand.
NBA players, unlike their collegian counterparts, have their choice. Ostertag, for instance, wears Nike. Vaughn has gone back to Converse.
An estimated 70 percent of all NBA players wear Nike, which makes the Jazz about average in that department. Eight Utah players wear the popular brand with the famous swoosh. The other four Jazz members wear four different brands.
Some players, like Howard Eisley, are loyal to a certain company. Eisley has worn Reebok since his college days. "They've always worked for me, so why change?" he said.
Others, like Bryon Russell, have to do more experimentation. "I've tried all of them," he said. "You name it - LA (Gear), Asics, Reebok, Converse, Fila. They don't feel right, like the Nikes feel on my feet."
Chris Morris started the season wearing Reebok but has now changed over to a new brand called And 1. Stephon Marbury of the Timberwolves is currently And 1's top endorser.
Stockton was a Converse man when he entered the league 13 years ago. He then went with Avia for a time before settling on Nike more than a half-dozen seasons ago.
"The main thing I worry about with the shoes I wear is comfort," said Stockton. "What you're comfortable wearing is what you're going to play your best in. That's ultimately what the shoe companies look for, too. They want players to be comfortable so they play their best - which makes their shoes look good in return."
Rookies deemed to have potential are important to shoe companies. Vaughn, Utah's only rookie, is only 11th on the team in minutes played. Still, he is being paid to wear Converse. "I like them. They're comfortable, but I have a deal with Converse. Of course I'm going to say they're comfortable," he said.
KARL'S APEX: While the majority of NBA players wear Nike and most of those who don't use other famous brand names, Malone likes to be different. Last year Malone switched from one lesser-known brand to another - LA Gear to Apex.
Malone promptly went out and won the league's MVP award.
"It was the shoes," said Apex owner Rubin with a chuckle. "Certainly, Karl winning the MVP award was great for our image. We've enjoyed a great ride with him."
Malone is one of only three NBA players who presently wears Apex. The others are Muggsy Bouges and Scott Williams.
"I've never been a guy that wants to follow everybody else," said Malone. "I want to be different. I don't like wearing the same shoe as everybody else."
Malone was involved in all aspects of the making of the shoe that bears his nickname. The designers molded his feet to make the shoes especially for him. Malone also had veto power on color schemes and so on.
"When your feet don't feel good, you don't play good," he said. "These shoes feel great to me. I'm with a company that takes care of me and takes care of my family. I'm happy with the situation I'm in."
The arrangement appears to be mutually beneficial.
"We were looking for one marquee athlete who could provide a tremendous amount of credibility and appeal to a wide demographic, who was a real NBA superstar and role model," said Rubin "We really feel Karl meets all of that criteria. Karl's loved by adults. He's loved by kids. He's really loved by a wide demographic and is one of the best players in the NBA. For a new brand like Apex to get a guy like Karl Malone was a real coup for us."
But buying a pair of Apex at the Foot Locker in your local mall isn't easy. In fact, they aren't even in area stores at this time.
"It's not a big deal to me if they're in the stores or not," said Malone. "They feel good to me, they have the look that I want and that's what's important."
Even more important than the endorsement checks.
Now, if he were making Jordan or Hill type money . . .
*****
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Utah Jazz Shoes & sizes
PLAYER BRAND MODEL SIZE
Karl Malone Apex Mailman 16
Jacque Vaughn Converse React 12
Howard Eisley Reebok Thunder 14
Chris Morris And 1 Marbury 15
John Stockton Nike Air Props 12-1/2
Jeff Hornacek Nike Air Hype 13
Greg Foster Nike Air Adjust Force 16
Bryon Russell Nike Air Hype 14
Shandon Anderson Nike Air Machine Force 14
Antoine Carr Nike Air Machine Force 16-1/2
Greg Ostertag Nike Air Adjust Force 18
Adam Keefe Nike Air Machine Force 14-1/2
What the well-dressed superstar is wearing
Michael Jordan Nike Air Jordan XII
Kobe Bryant Adidas KB8
Dennis Rodman Converse All Star 91
Shaquille O'Neal Reebok Shaq Steel
Penny Hardaway Nike Air Foamposite One
Grant Hill Fila Grant Hill IV