Houston Rockets guard James Harden and Adidas have made it official — Harden has accepted a 13-year, $200 million offer from the German athletic giant. With Harden’s multiyear deal with Nike recently ending, Adidas had been circling, hoping to snap up the NBA MVP runner-up.
Nike had until this week to make a decision. According to ESPN, Nike informed Harden’s agent, Rob Pelinka, today that it would not be matching Adidas’ offer.
Beginning Oct. 1, Harden will be wearing Adidas shoes on the court and in social settings. Earlier today, Adidas put out this tweet confirming the deal, saying “Creators Never Follow.”
Creators Never Follow. @JHarden13 – #teamadidas 10.1.15
— adidas Basketball (@adidasHoops) August 13, 2015
Last week, an Adidas spokesperson confirmed to FN that it had invited Harden to join the brand. “We’re a brand of creators, and he 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 in which he was voted MVP by his peers and earned First Team All-NBA honors. His connection with fans is unparalleled and unprecedented, and he can take the game, our brand and the industry to new heights.”
ESPN reported that in addition to a signature shoe line, a Harden apparel line will also be released. Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose also has a line with Adidas, while Nike retains NBA giants LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant.
