Adidas signs Bennedict Mathurin to head the largest NBA rookie class in brand history — Andscape

As part of a reset that began to take shape a year ago, Adidas signed its largest batch of NBA rookies in company history, adding a dozen players from the draft class of 2022 to its list of sponsors.

Headlining the rookie class is Indiana Pacers wing Bennedict Mathurin. The 20-year-old was recently named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for October and November after averaging 19.2 points per game over the first two months of the season.

Mathurin joins the Three Stripes with other lottery picks Jabari Smith, Keegan Murray, Johnny Davis, Ousmane Dieng and Jalen Williams. The rookie collective is looking to establish Adidas’ new approach to design and marketing after the brand moved its basketball employees to Los Angeles last summer.

The full novice class includes:

Benedict Mathurin – Indiana Pacers

Keegan Murray – Sacramento Kings

Jabari Smith – Houston Rockets

Nikola Jovic – Miami Heat

Sea Jon Beauchamp – Milwaukee Bucks

Ousmane Dieng – Oklahoma City Thunder

Walker Kessler – Utah Jazz

Johnny Davis-Washington Wizards

Dalen Terry – Chicago Bulls

Jalen Williams-Oklahoma City Thunder

Isaiah Mobley – Cleveland Cavaliers

Blake Wesley-San Antonio Spurs

Mathurin has been familiar with Adidas since high school. It was then that his older sister, Jennifer, moved from their hometown of Montreal to the US to play forward for North Carolina State, a school sponsored by Adidas.

“Growing up, Adidas was always the main thing,” he said. “When my feet got bigger, I said, ‘You have to send me some shoes!’ Having my sister play at NC State was really when I started playing for Adidas.”

At first, he remembers wearing the sneakers worn by Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard that his sister sent him. Mathurin went through three pairs of Lillard’s Season 3 Crazy Light Boost before finally wearing models from the early years of Lillard’s signature shoe series.

Every sneakerhead can instantly remember their first sneaker purchase. Mathurin is no different.

“I remember buying my first pair of shoes when I was 12 years old, and it was the Adidas Superstar,” he said. “Someone sold them to me for $40 and I would play basketball with them in the park or rock them with jeans and sweats. My mom gave me $40 to pay for something at school and I bought a pair of shoes.”

Now that you’re an official sponsor with access to Adidas purchases, your first care package for your sister is an easy choice.

“I’ll send you the Adidas Superstars I bought,” he said, smiling.

The Montreal native was one of the most sought after newbies by sneaker brands this year. Since the spring, five brands have expressed interest in signing him. After wearing Adidas early in his basketball odyssey, he wore Nike while playing at the University of Arizona for two seasons.

Just before the draft, Adidas hosted Mathurin for a pitch presentation at a mansion in the Hollywood Hills. After beating all the Adidas employees there at ping-pong while he got to know the team, he turned to a set of questions prepared for the executives, asking how they planned to market it and his potential with the brand.

“My biggest question was how do you see me as a player and also as a person,” he said. “I feel that I can represent the brand very well. I speak four languages ​​and have lived in Montreal, Mexico City, Arizona and now Indiana. For me, it’s a great way to market the brand and also show my love for the brand.”

Even when other brands came to the table, Mathurin was already determined.

“Adidas brought the best mix of valuables for Benn,” said his agent, Nima Namakian of Innovate Sports Group, who brokered the deal. “One is the growth potential with the brand. That was added to all the community initiatives that the brand has. Adidas has the resources to do activations and returns in the community, and they’re great at it, so it appealed to him. Third, he liked her interest in a new marketing campaign where she could be the main face of the rookie class.”

With a clean and streamlined look first launched with a new clothing collection called Chapter 01, the brand’s latest model. remember why the campaign focuses on each player’s starting point with the game.

“You never forget the first time you pick up a basketball,” said Eric Wise, global general manager for Adidas Basketball. “We hope this new era of Adidas Basketball reminds everyone that the most important part of doing anything is why you started in the first place.”

Mathurin’s “why” is a family story.

Unerring confidence and focus have driven Mathurin since he began playing the sport. Inspired by his sister’s basketball success, he says his dream of playing in the NBA one day came true at age 12.

It was also then that the Mathurin family faced its toughest challenge. His older brother, Dominique, was struck by a car as he was cycling home from school and died at the age of 15.

“In everything I do, he is always with me,” she said. “His dream of him was to be in the NBA.”

From then on, Bennedict was focused on “doing the right thing” as he calls it, relentlessly pursuing their shared league dreams. He only has one tattoo, with the name Dominique Jeune etched in script across his left forearm. He often wears commemorative bracelets and T-shirts in honor of his brother and regularly picks up a Sharpie to add a tribute to his shoes before a game.

“Trying to write his name on my shoe is great, and he’s always with me,” she said.

Eventually, Adidas will create player-only colorways for Mathurin, who already has themes in mind. First up will be a #DomixWorld tribute to his brother, along with couples dedicated to Montreal and his college days in Tucson, Arizona. He also seeks to create a striking and colorful mismatched pair, celebrating the flags of his Haitian and Canadian heritage.

“Those two together, with a Haitian-themed shoe and a Canadian shoe, that would be difficult,” he said.

In addition to wearing the latest Dame 8 colours, Mathurin was also recently welcomed to the brand by former adidas athlete Gilbert Arenas. Arenas sent a box of the retro version of his Gil Zero, now called the Agent Gil Restomod. Adidas modernized the cushioning and performance of the low top shoe, which was first released in 2006.

“Having another player go to Arizona like me and wear No. 0, I saw it in the NBA,” Mathurin said. “Knowing that he played in Arizona, I have to show off the Gils to represent where we’re from.”

At just 16 years old, Mathurin left Montreal, moved to Mexico City and spent two years at one of five NBA Academy campuses around the world. The trade allowed him to focus on developing himself in basketball and learning life skills tailored to potential NBA prospects. Not long after, he met NBA commissioner Adam Silver when he visited the academy.

“I told him that we will see each other in a few years,” Mathurin wrote on Instagram.

Four years later, the two shared a hug on the stage at Barclays Center after the Indiana Pacers selected the 6-foot-5 wing with the sixth overall pick. The inside of Mathurin’s custom red and black Dolce & Gabbana suit jacket featured a childhood photograph of himself, Jennifer and Dominique.

Ambitious statements are nothing new for Mathurin, who has long had equally lofty goals for a shoe deal with Adidas.

“All my friends were playing Nike, and I was the only one wearing Adidas because of my sister,” he recalled of his early days in high school. “I used to say, ‘One day, you guys can get my shoe.’ Adidas was the only one once we had a moment to talk. That was like a no-brainer to me.”