Josh Giddey Ditches Nike Sneakers During Pregame Warm-Ups

Josh Giddey wore ANTA basketball shoes during pregame warmups on Sunday.
Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey has begun testing different footwear brands as his Nike contract nears an end.
Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey has begun testing different footwear brands as his Nike contract nears an end. / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
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This past weekend, Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey made plenty of headlines in the sneaker world. The rising star sent out an alert to sneaker collectors that he was selling his Nike Kobe sneaker collection.

Giddey shared a picture of his vast Nike Kobe sneaker collection with the message, "Kobe buyers hmu [hit me up]. Selling a lot." In our story, we speculated that he could be nearing the end of his Nike contract.

That appears to be the case as Giddey took the court in ANTA basketball shoes before Sunday's game against the San Antonio Spurs. Thanks to the Bulls' social media post below, we can see that Giddey wore ANTA GH4 in the "Valentine's Day" colorway.

After warm-ups, Giddey switched back to wearing the Nike Kobe 6 in a 'Floral' player-exclusive colorway. So, it is unclear when Giddey's contract with Nike is officially over. However, he is certainly testing the waters of sneaker free agency.

ANTA makes sense as a potential landing spot for Giddey. So far, Giddey has not made any NBA All-Star Games or earned any other league awards. However, he is a promising player who will only improve as he enters his prime.

Overall, ANTA continues to make bold moves under the leadership of Kyrie Irving. The Dallas Mavericks guard is the Chief Creative Officer for ANTA Basketball and has helped the Chinese brand reach new heights in the United States.

Just last week, ANTA signed three NBA players as part of Irving's "Team KAI" group. Giddey could earn a big payday from ANTA while the international company gains a foothold in the basketball and sneaker-crazed city of Chicago.

Giddey and ANTA are both making big moves in the NBA, and it would be exciting to see the two team up in the future. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Kicks On SI for all your footwear news from the NBA and beyond.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the sneaker industry for Kicks On Sports Illustrated. Previously, he has reported on the NBA, authored "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)," and interviewed some of the biggest names in the sports world. You can email him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.