When it comes to the business of basketball and one man's brand, no one has won in these playoffs quite like Damian Lillard whose Adidas deal is believed to be the third largest in the entire NBA.
The contract was seen by some as a head-spinner when it was first revealed on April 14.
Aaron Goodwin, Lillard's agent, who cut huge deals for Dwight Howard, Kevin Durant and LeBron James when he represented them and who is widely known as the industry leader on this front, heard the whispers in recent weeks when people within the shoe industry and the media questioned the veracity of reports indicating the size of the deal.
"I can say that I understand people who question the deal – most of them haven't done deals of this magnitude so they don't understand it," he said. "But at the end of the day the deal could be well over $100 million, and I don't have any problem saying that and Adidas wouldn't doubt that. Is it $100 million guaranteed? No, it's not. Is there an easy opportunity for that to happen? Absolutely."