article written by: Rodrick Rainey
UPDATED: 06 / 16 / 2007

Kevin Durant has been in the news a lot this year because of his unbelievable basketball talents. As a freshman at Texas, Durant practically took over the college basketball world, winning every possible individual award out there last season. Due to his accomplishments, he's expected to be drafted as either the first or second pick in this year's draft. As well, top sneaker companies are now clamoring to sign him, as they feel his on court abilities will allow him to become a great endorser of basketball sneakers.

The two companies vying for Durant to endorse their products are Nike and Adidas. Traditionally, players of Durant's caliber that sign with Nike or Adidas usually have shoes that sell in the $100-$150 range. The irony of this is that most NBA players come from backgrounds where they couldn't really afford to purchase shoes at that price point, yet they continually don't use their influence to push shoe prices down to a more affordable level.

Currently, Stephon Marbury is the only prominent NBA player to step up and make something happen, marketing a $15 basketball shoe made by Steve and Berrys (Ben Wallace has also signed on to endorse Starbury's $15 shoes). The reaction to Steph's shoe revolution has been tremendous. However, he's not selling shoes with the brand equity and consumer loyalty that Nike and Adidas currently have. As well, he's not as big of a name as guy like Kevin Durant is (at least not currently).

Today on his Oregon Live blog, John Canzano reported that one of the sticking points for Durant in his negotiations with Nike and Adidas is a commitment to make a shoe that is at a price point that most individuals could afford. That price point is rumored to be between $39 and $69. If Kevin Durant can get Nike or Adidas (the two most powerful sneaker companies in the world) to brand a Kevin Durant signature shoe for $39, he'll have done more toward making sneakers more affordable than anyone before him. I mean, if Nike or Adidas start making affordable shoes with Durant's name on them, it automatically becomes that much more acceptable for kids to purchase cheaper shoes.

Obviously, Durant hasn't forgotten where he comes from. The kid hasn't even been drafted yet, and he's already using his influence to implement positive change. See LeBron, you can influence positive change while still making a lot of money. Maybe you should call up KD and Steph and ask them how it's done.