New York Knicks Roster Rumors: Rookie Kristaps Porzingis Cashing On Endorsement Deals
Whenever an NBA team drafts a young basketball player from Europe, there always is that notion of an experiment; and there have been so many failed experiments in the past. So when the New York Knicks drafted a relatively unknown Latvian in the name of Kristaps Porzingis as the fourth overall pick in this year's NBA Draft, there was reason for fans, even pundits, to raise their eyebrows.
Fast-forward to today — the relative unknown and young prospect from Europe might just be the most prepared and talented rookie to have joined the NBA in many years.
The Knicks are still a bad team, but the improvement this year is promising, especially with the 7-foot, 3-inch Latvian entertaining casual basketball fans with his abilities and talents. And after only 23 games into the season for New York, he already has obtained multiple endorsement deals.
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After previously inking endorsement contracts with Shifman Mattress and Delta Air Lines, the 20-year-old center signed another one, this time from a major brand — BodyArmor. The sports drink company decided to place Porzingis in the same league with the likes of Rob Gronkowski, Mike Trout, and Sydney Leroux, at least in terms of promoting the company's products as a prominent sports personality.
Porzingis of course told reporters that he's been a loyal BodyArmor consumer even before achieving early success in his first year in the NBA. "I was drinking BodyArmor in the pre-draft period. It's funny now I actually have a chance to be part of their team," he said.
While many rookies in his class are also making their own marks in the league right now, it's hard to argue that the young player is the most notable of them all. It's probably because of all the rookies selected in the first round he is the most criticized due to his size, age, and rawness. However, he's proven doubters wrong, producing numbers that weren't really expected of him. Although the Knicks are still below .500, Porzingis' averages of 14.2 points and 8.7 rebounds a game are a bright spot for the team.
