Adidas reportedly making a run at Rockets’ star James Harden
Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) shoots against Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut (12) during the second half in Game 4 of the NBA basketball Western Conference finals Monday, May 25, 2015, in Houston. AP PHOTO
Adidas has made NBA star James Harden a huge offer to leave Nike, reports said.
According to ESPN, Adidas has offered the Houston Rockets guard Harden $200 million over 13 years.
“The company has submitted a bid of $200 million over 13 years to sign Houston Rockets guard James Harden, sources told ESPN.com. Nike, whose deal with Harden recently expired, has until the end of next week to match the deal or lose him,” the article wrote.
“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.”
Adidas hasn’t been doing very well compared to its biggest competitor Nike, which has Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kevin Durant to name a few NBA stars as its endorsers.
As per ESPN, Adidas completed a 14-year deal with Derrick Rose in 2012 but didn’t work out as planned with the Chicago Bulls point guard having health issues that caused him to spend most of his time on the sidelines.
Rising star Damian Lillard is also part of Adidas but his team the Portland Trailblazers just lost their franchise player LaMarcus Aldridge in free agency and now headed towards rebuilding. John Wall and his Washington Wizards have shown promise but despite the flashy guard’s success, his signature shoe wasn’t received well by sneaker heads.
Another reason that has prompted Adidas to make a big push for Harden is the steady rise of Under Armour, which is believed to have taken over as the second most popular sports brand next to Nike.
