Houston Rockets’ all-star guard James Harden is square in Adidas’ crosshairs. The brand has reportedly offered Harden a 13 year deal worth $200 million in a major effort to pry him away from Nike. Harden’s deal with Nike expired recently and the brand has until the end of next week to match Adidas’ offer.
Adidas spokesman Michael Ehrlich had this to say in s statement:
“We’ve invited James Harden to join Adidas. We’re a brand of creators and he truly embodies what that means with his approach to the game,his look and 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 has seen Baltimore based Under Armour pass them as the number 2 selling apparel brand in the United States. This came shortly after they decided to bow out in the “fight” to continue to be the uniform provider for the NBA. Additionally the major injuries Bulls’ guard Derrick Rose has suffered over the past few years hurt the brand, as has the less than stellar sales of signature lines from Dwight Howard and John Wall.
