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That reported shoe endorsement offer for Andrew Wiggins was a hoax

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Huntington Prep basketball player Andrew Wiggins smiles along side his mother Marita Payne-Wiggins, right, as he announces his commitment to the University of Kansas during a ceremony, Tuesday, May 14, 2013, at St. Joseph High School in Huntington W.Va. The Canadian star, a top prospect, averaged 23.4 points and 11.2 rebounds per game this season for West Virginia’s Huntington Prep. (AP Photo/The Herald-Dispatch, Sholten Singer)

AP

Well, it seems as if quite a few people have been had when it comes to the potential shoe endorsement money that Kansas freshman Andrew Wiggins could make when he makes the move to the NBA.

On Tuesday it was reported by Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report that Wiggins was in line to receive a sneaker endorsement deal ranging from $140 - $180 million for ten years, a stunning number when considering the fact that Nike paid LeBron James a cool $90 million in 2003. But according to Sole Collector, which keeps covers all aspects of the shoe industry, that “offer” was a hoax.

It all apparently stems from this alleged memo from adidas Group CEO Herbert Hainer, addressed blankly to a Wiggins representative, which Sole Collector has exclusively obtained below and has also confirmed to be entirely fake.

“There is a fraudulent letter that claims to be from our company offering Mr. Wiggins a contract. Any reasonable review of the letter would determine its lack of credibility,” an adidas Basketball spokesperson told Sole Collector this morning. “Beyond this, we do not comment on rumors or speculation about potential partnerships.”


Sole Collector also has a copy of the letter in question, and author Nick DePaula also noted two important facts in the story: the letter lacked both a date and an address, and such an offer would jeopardize Wiggins’ college eligibility before he’s even played a game.

There are probably a few important lessons to be learned here, with the need to thoroughly investigate such “reports” being one, but all I can think is that this season could get absolutely crazy for Wiggins between now and whenever Kansas’ season comes to an end. That’s part of the balancing act that Wiggins and head coach Bill Self will have to deal with as they look to win yet another Big 12 title and reach the Final Four.

And given how reluctant he’s been to embrace the national spotlight, it seems more likely that Wiggins won’t be the one who triggers such a circus.

Follow @raphiellej