Zion Williamson is about to get paid.
Long before he steps on an NBA court, the projected No. 1 overall pick in June's NBA draft is expected to land a sneaker endorsement deal that will make him far richer than his first NBA contract will.
In fact, many in the sneaker industry expect that Williamson's eventual deal will make him one of the three highest-paid rookie sneaker endorsers ever, joining the likes of LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
"In my lifetime, I think it's going to be the biggest bidding war ever done," said Sonny Vaccaro, the famed former marketing executive with Nike, Adidas and Reebok.