Why Vince Carter Paid $13,500,000 To Stop Wearing His Shoes

In 1998 a nearly bankrupt Puma bet its entire return to the NBA on one 21-year-old rookie. They called Vince Carter their Michael Jordan and handed him a ten-year, fifty million dollar deal. Sixteen months later, he walked. This is the story of the shoe deal Vince Carter blew up, the greatest dunk contest ever performed in a rival brand's sneakers, and the Boston arbitration that Puma won, forcing Carter to pay millions for his freedom while the brand quietly lost the one thing money could not buy back: its place in the NBA. TOPICS COVERED: Vinsanity and the rise of the Toronto Raptors Puma's near bankruptcy and its bet-the-company NBA relaunch The delayed signature shoe and why Carter walked away The 2000 slam dunk contest in a brand nobody expected The $13.5 million arbitration ruling and the three year ban Nike, the Shox BB4, and the Dunk of Death in Sydney CHAPTERS: 0:00 Vinsanity In Toronto 2:11 Puma's $50,000,000 Bet 8:10 The 2000 Dunk Contest 10:48 The $13.5M Ruling 12:33 The Dunk Of Death If you love the stories and economics behind the sneakers you grew up on, subscribe. #VinceCarter #Puma #Nike #SneakerHistory #NBA #Vinsanity #Raptors #ShoesWithLaces