Cason Wallace one of 13 NBA rookies to sign shoe deal with Nike
From Lexington to Oklahoma City, Cason Wallace will continue to represent the Nike brand.
It was announced earlier this week by ESPN’s Nick DePaula that Wallace, who was drafted in the lottery by the OKC Thunder back in June, is one of 13 players from the 2023 rookie class who has signed a shoe deal with Nike. Wallace expects to make his NBA debut on Wednesday night when the Thunder take on the Bulls in Chicago at 8:00 p.m. EST.
Along with Wallace, fellow 2023 NBA Draft selections Victor Wembanyama (No. 1; Spurs), Brandon Miller (No. 2; Hornets), Amen Thompson (No. 4; Rockets), Ausar Thompson (No. 5; Pistons), Anthony Black (No. 6; Magic), Kobe Brown (No. 30; Clippers), Bilal Coulibaly (No. 7; Wizards), Keyonte George (No. 16; Jazz), Jordan Hawkins (No. 14; Pelicans), Dereck Lively II (No. 12; Mavericks), Olivier-Maxence Prosper (No. 24; Mavericks), and Julian Strawther (No. 29; Nuggets) have also agreed to contracts with Nike.
After a terrific freshman campaign at Kentucky in 2022-23, Wallace elected to take the one-and-done route. The former five-star recruit was drafted 10th overall by the Dallas Mavericks but was immediately traded to the Thunder after getting picked where he’ll backup another former Kentucky guard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Across four preseason games with the Thunder, Wallace averaged 7.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.5 steals in 19.7 minutes per outing. He shot 50 percent from the field, 42.9 percent from distance, and 66.7 percent from the free throw line.
During his lone season at Kentucky — a Nike school — Wallace was tabbed to the SEC All-Freshman Team. The defensive-minded guard started all 32 contests he appeared in for the Wildcats, putting up per-game averages of 11.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.0 steals in 32.2 minutes. By the end of the year, he was one of Kentucky’s go-to offensive options despite dealing with minor injuries throughout most of the season.
There’s no word on the specifics of Wallace’s new deal with Nike, but we do know that he inked a four-year, $24 million rookie deal when he signed with the Thunder, according to Spotrac. Only the first two seasons are guaranteed though with the final two being club options.
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