UPDATE (August 13, 12:25 p.m.):
Adidas has confirmed that James Harden has signed to the brand.
According to an adidas press release the contract will start on October 1. There will also be extensive tours in Europe and Asia, according to an adidas PR rep.
The press release said:
“We’re a brand of creators and James embodies that more than any athlete in the game. His addition to the adidas basketball family is a game changer,” said Chris Grancio, adidas Global Basketball General Manager. “This partnership gives him the opportunity to achieve his goals and express himself in a totally new way as a creator. He’s already one of the most recognizable sports figures because of his game, his look, his hunger to win and his style on the off the court. His ceiling is far from reached, which tells you the future for him and our brand looks incredible.”
“We have a lot of energy in basketball right now and James takes that momentum to a whole new level,” Grancio continued. “James isn’t like anyone else. He approaches the game with a unique mentality and strives to go against convention. When he signed with the Rockets he moved from being the sixth man to the lead man, proving his willingness to establish himself as a resounding superstar.”
According to ESPN's Darren Rovell, the deal will be for the alleged $200M over 13 years. Harden will have a signature sneaker and apparel line. Rovell says, "As of now, Harden will average $16.78 million on his final three years of his deal with the Rockets and $15.38 million annually from Adidas, but if Harden hits benchmarks, it's possible he will earn more annually from Adidas than the Rockets."
UPDATE (August 10, 9:15 p.m.):
According to TMZ Sports, Nike reportedly has no plans to match the $200M contract that adidas recently offered to James Harden. If this does in fact hold true, and the Houston Rockets' All-Star agrees to the adidas deal, he will officially be the Three Stripes' top-paid athlete, beating out the $185M contract that Derrick Rose signed in 2012.
UPDATE (August 5, 11:03 a.m.):
If you don't want to read the fine-print details, watch this hilarious video:
See original story from August 3, 2015, below.
Adidas' bid to find its way back to sneaker sales glory has taken an interesting turn, as the brand has reportedly offered Houston Rockets guard James Harden $200M for a 13-year endorsement contract, according to ESPN's Darren Rovell.
Harden was previously signed to Nike and never had a signature sneaker, although he consistently wore models such as the Hyperchase and had his own PE editions. If he signs the deal, Harden would join other NBA players such as Derrick Rose, John Wall, and Damian Lillard on adidas and would more than likely receive his own signature sneaker.
According to Rovell, "From April through June, Harden had the seventh-best selling jersey in the NBA, finishing ahead of the likes of Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook."
This deal, if it occurs, would be larger than Rose's 13-year, $185M contract, which he signed in 2012. That's one shot that Harden would be foolish to not take.
