The first quarter of the year has been very good to the Houston Rocket's star player James Harden. For just weeks after he won the first ever National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) MVP title, he was able to land a contract with Adidas. According to espn, the contract's worth is $200 million over 13 years. And if so, then he would be averaging around $15.38 million annually from Adidas and of course another $16.78 million on the final three years of his deal with the Rockets.
According to Adidas, they consider Harden's addition to their basketball family as a game changer. The huge shoe brand see Harden as one the most recognizable sports figures because of his game and awesome season. The said player's hunger to win and his style on and off the court seems to fit brands taste. Global Basketball General Manager of Adidas, Chris Grancio, was quoted by ustoday saying that;
"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. This partnership gives him the opportunity to achieve his goals and express himself in a totally new way as a creator... We have a lot of energy in basketball right now and James takes that momentum to a whole new level. 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."
With this move of Adidas putting Harden in their sleeve, critics say that they are desperate for sales. Together with the other Adidas headliners namely, John Wall of the Washington Wizards, Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves' rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins, Adidas is looking for a rebound in sales.
