James Harden has been offered an exclusive contract with adidas for 13 years valued at $200 Million. This would lead Harden to take an early departure from Nike if he decides to take it.
According to ESPN, James Harden could take the offer and Nike has till next week to at least match the $200 million.
A $200 million offer is huge, considering it represents half of what the brand paid for 11 seasons as the NBA’s official uniform supplier. Earlier this year, Adidas announced that it would not fight to renew that deal, which will see its competitor Nike take over after the 2016-17 season.
With incentives, if the deal is consummated, Harden could very well make more from Adidas in the coming years than the Rockets. Harden signed an $80 million contract extension with Houston in 2012 that goes through the 2017-18 season.
“We’ve invited James Harden to join Adidas,” said Adidas spokesman Michael Ehrlich in a statement. “We’re a brand of creators and he truly embodies what that means with his approach to the game, his look and his style on and off the court. He’s coming off a historic season where he won the scoring title and was voted MVP by his peers. His connection with fans is unparalleled and unprecedented and he can take the game, our brand and the industry to new heights.”
We give credit to adidas for making a strong move to snatch James Harden, something we don’t see often from the three stripes brand while currently in a contract deal. Should James Harden leave Nike for adidas? We know that sneakerheads will want to see him stay with Nike, but from a financial standpoint, what is your opinion?
Update: TMZ Sports have reported that James Harden will be leaving Nike for adidas. Nike has declined to match the three-stripes brand $200 Million offer. According to the source “Nike had concerns about sinking that much dough into just ONE player, when it has several other superstars to sign.”
Harden has yet to officially sign anything with adidas just yet, so this new information should be taken as a rumor. We are sure once the deal is done that adidas will send us over some info. Stay tuned.
Update: It’s official! James Harden has left Nike for adidas. They deal is worth $200 Million over 13 years. This will include his own signature shoe and matching clothing. The deal will start on October 1st, 2015. Here are the details sent over from adidas:
adidas today announced an unprecedented partnership with superstar shooting guard James Harden of the Houston Rockets. One of the league’s most prolific scorers and recognizable players begins the long-term deal with adidas which includes an exclusive signature collection, product design collaboration and marketing involvement beginning October 1.
“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.”
To begin the partnership, Harden will play a leading role in adidas’ global brand campaign which will coincide with the start of the NBA season. He will play a critical role with adidas to create and develop on and off-court signature footwear and apparel collections as well as marketing plans. The partnership also includes Harden traveling on extensive brand tours in Europe and Asia.
With the signing of Harden, adidas continues its momentum of partnering with the most talented and influential players in basketball including two-time NBA All-Stars Damian Lillard of the Portland Trailblazers and John Wall of the Washington Wizards, 2011 NBA Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls and Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Using a repertoire of step-back jump shots, staggering drives and bullet pass assists, Harden has cemented himself as one of the league’s most unstoppable offensive weapons. Harden is coming off a historic season where he recorded two 50-point games, topped the 40-point mark on 10 occasions and turned in four triple-doubles. He helped guide the Rockets to their first division title since 1994 and to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 18 years. The Los Angeles native was drafted out of Arizona State University as the No. 3 overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft and is a three-time NBA All-Star, two-time All-NBA First Team member and the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2012.
Image Source: mercurynews