Report: Former Jayhawk Joel Embiid set to sign with Under Armour

By Matt Tait     Oct 9, 2018

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Kansas center Joel Embiid ties a shoe during practice for the Jayhawks' opening NCAA basketball game in the Big 12 men's tournament in Kansas City, Mo., Wednesday, March 12, 2014.

[According to a report from Yahoo! Sports,][1] former KU center Joel Embiid on Wednesday is poised to finalize a lucrative endorsement deal with Under Armour.

The No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, who missed his first two professional seasons because of injury, has been a rising star — both on and off the court — during recent years.

His play has put him the conversation as one of the top centers in the league and his off-the-court personality — from memorable Tweets to surprise public appearances and everything in between — has made him one of the most marketable stars the NBA currently has.

He will join Golden State guard Steph Curry as the unquestioned stars of the Under Armour brand, which continues to try to carve our space on the same stage with industry leaders Nike and Adidas.

According to the report, Embiid has been spotted wearing Under Armour shoes this preseason, including at 76ers media day.

And he recently discussed with ESPN his thoughts about having a signature shoe, saying, “A lot of people, you know, always have that notion [that] big men can’t sell shoes. When I look at myself … I’m more than a big man. So as far as signature shoes, I’m excited to come and break that.”

Embiid, whose broad shoulders in many ways are built to carry a brand, currently has more than 1.5 million followers on Twitter and nearly twice that many on Instagram, both of which are social media sites where he is extremely active.

The move will complete Embiid’s journey to become associated with all three major shoe brands, having been represented by Nike during his prep days at The Rock School in Gainesville, Fla., and by Adidas during his one season at KU.

[1]: https://sports.yahoo.com/sources-76ers-star-joel-embiid-sign-armour-211617142.html

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.