A photo of Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden wearing Air Jordans circulated earlier this week. Now, the days of him sporting those shoes will soon end as Adidas will ban him once his contract with them takes effect on Oct. 1.
Harden, who was formerly signed under Nike, inked a 13-year deal with Adidas worth $200 million last month joining other National Basketball Association (NBA) stars like Derrick Rose, John Wall, and Damian Lillard.
Adidas offered the deal to Harden after his contract with Nike recently expired and the latter did not match the offer.
However, a report by TMZ earlier this week came with a photo of Harden wearing Air Jordans while leaving a movie theater with girlfriend and reality show star Khloe Kardashian, who was donning an Adidas sweatshirt and sweatpants.
Kardashian's brother-in-law, rapper Kanye West, is also signed with Adidas and is famous for his Yeezy line.
Adidas president Mark King was asked if Harden should stop wearing Air Jordans and he answered, "That's part of the deal."
"The difference between football and basketball is that a guy like Aaron Rodgers doesn't have a walk-around shoe. Harden does, and he will be in our lifestyle stuff," King also said.
The deal with Harden was huge for Adidas since the Rockets star emerged as a legit Most Valuable Player (MVP) candidate after last season and was the National Basketball Players Association's (NBPA) MVP.
It is also significant for the brand since they will no longer be the official outfitter of the NBA following the 2016–17 season.
Adidas' partnership with the league began in 2006 when both parties signed an 11-year deal.
But the emergence of Under Armour, which is endorsed by Golden State Warriors star and 2015 MVP Stephen Curry, made Adidas change its strategies and focus on individual stars like Harden.
