It’s been a tense couple of weeks for Nike (NKE) negotiators as they squared off against Under Armour (UA) in a bidding war for NBA superstar Kevin Durant. The product team, however, was having a blast.
On Aug. 16, as Durant’s contract was expiring and negotiations were about to start in earnest, Nike’s product people launched his newest shoe, a limited edition called “the Calm Before the Storm.”All-gray and posted with socks bearing clouds and lightning, the sneakers come with the tag-line: “Durant’s game personified.”