Houston Rockets guard James Harden is somewhere smiling. After being offered a 13 year $200 million dollars deal from Adidas and waiting to see if Nike would match the offer, James Harden is now representing the three stripes. I guess dating a Kardashian really does have it’s perks.
Creators Never Follow. @JHarden13 – #teamadidas 10.1.15
— adidas Basketball (@adidasHoops) August 13, 2015
According to ESPN, Harden’s deal with Adidas begins October 1st.
Harden’s agent, Rob Pelinka, negotiated the deal. Pelinka confirmed on Thursday that Nike informed him that it would not match the term sheet from Adidas. The deal with Harden, which will have him wearing Adidas shoes on the court and gear in social settings, officially begins on Oct. 1.
As of now, Harden will average $16.78 million on the final three years of his deal with the Rockets and $15.38 million annually from Adidas. But if Harden hits certain benchmarks, it’s possible he will earn more annually from Adidas than the Rockets.
Aside from a signature shoe, a Harden apparel line is expected along with branded marketing commitments. Harden and Adidas are also expected to attempt to disrupt the shoe marketplace amid underwhelming successes for the brand.
Harden became a sneaker free agent just at the right time, as Adidas needed to make a move. The company, which signed Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose to a huge 14-year contract in 2012, hadn’t seen many dividends from that deal because of injury. Sales of the Rose shoe have failed to eclipse any of Nike’s stalwarts — LeBron James, Kevin Durantand Kobe Bryant.
Now that James Harden is a member of the Adidas family, I’m interested in seeing how they market him and if “The Beard” will become as big a brand as Jordan or Penny Hardaway during their Nike campaigns. Nike still have some strong players attached to their brand but Harden with Adidas could change the landscape in years to come.
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