James Worthy on Michael Jordan: I was better than him for about three weeks

Now a decade later, Klay Thompson is launching his 10th signature shoe with Anta, making for the longest-ever series for an active NBA player with a Chinese brand. His newest shoe, the KT 10, features a variety of roman numeral X marks throughout the design, along with ten support wires along the sides of the shoe. The lead “Time Capsule” and “Crossing Time” colorways speak to the impact he’s had over his ten years with the brand. He’s paved a path in footwear that has led to one of the most mutually lucrative endorsement partnerships in NBA history. He is just the 10th player in league history to release ten consecutive signature shoes with the same brand during his playing career. Across a variety of models and price points in the decade since, Anta has sold more than 10 million pairs of Thompson signature logo branded sneakers, along with an endless array of signature apparel and basketballs. “I don’t think I’m MJ,” Thompson joked to me recently in Dallas, when I reminded him of the original quote. The Air Jordan series has now extended well past Michael’s retirement and includes more than three dozen models, he noted. I mentioned to Klay that Michael’s Chicago career did come to a close in his 14th shoe. “Oh — I’m getting close,” smiled Thompson. “There we go.” -via boardroom.tv / November 22, 2024