Kai Cenat Becomes First Streamer to Partner With Nike

Kai Cenat announces he and Nike will give away 30 pairs of the new Nike Max Dn after breaking news of their partnership / Kai Cenat

Gaming streamer Kai Cenat is partnering with Nike to become the first streamer officially endorsed by the sportswear brand.

“We are officially a part of the Nike family…this has been a long time waiting,” Cenat announced in his Twitch stream last Thursday.

Why it matters: Cenat, who has 9 million followers on Twitch, regularly plays a role in driving youth culture. Celebrities such as Drake and Ice Spice have made viral appearances in his videos, and Rolling Stone described Cenat as “largely responsible” for popularizing the word “rizz.”

Nike, on the other hand, has faced a shoe sales slump in recent years, which industry insiders attribute to a lack of innovation and increased competition.

Enter: Cenat. Just two days after announcing the new partnership, he hosted a meetup with Nike in Las Vegas — and streamed the entire thing live on his Twitch channel to nearly 2 million viewers.

Cenat will also participate in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game later this month, and he’s expected to wear Nikes throughout the weekend event.

Zoom out: While Cenat isn’t without controversy, he brings a young, engaged audience and a new marketing channel (his Twitch streams) for Nike at a time when the company needs some hype.