Reebok ends negotiations with Bryant

CANTON, Mass. (AP) -- Kobe Bryant won't be wearing Reeboks.

Reebok International Ltd. ended endorsement negotiations with Bryant, saying a shoe deal would cost too much. Bryant, however, said he called it off.

"It just doesn't feel right," he said Friday.

Bryant ended a six-year contract with Adidas-Salomon AG in July. Since then, Reebok and Nike Inc. have been courting the Los Angeles Lakers' All-Star guard.

"Internally, we worked hard to look at the various ways in which we might make the most out of a partnership with Kobe, but in the end, we realized that we simply could not justify the costs, which our analysis showed could exceed the benefits," Reebok chief executive Paul Fireman said Friday.

"The price tag has been high from day one," Bryant said. "They came to the table, they matched the price tag, but just the fit of the company wasn't right."

Bryant said he met with Reebok representatives during the recent All-Star weekend, and decided Wednesday to call things off.

"Just because of the values of the company, just the overall feeling I get of the company, that was the direction I decided to go," he said. "Overall, it's not the place for me."

Asked whether Reebok might tender another offer, Bryant said, "What I learned from them throughout the negotiation process is they'll back away from the table and then they'll come back and eat the next night. I really don't want to go that route."

Bryant said he is more comfortable with Nike, the only company still in the running.

"It's still a work in progress," he said.

Reebok spokeswoman Denise Kaigler did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

 

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