Adidas Submits $200 Million Offer To Sign James Harden

“Nike, whose deal with Harden recently expired, has until the end of next week to match the deal or lose him”, ESPN reported. They have a week to match adidas’ offer.

Adidas just lost the uniform deal with the National Basketball Association after Nike announced a deal to take over being the NBA’s supplier starting in the 2016-17.

With perks and incentives, it is estimated that Harden could make more money from Adidas in the coming years than what he would receive from the Houston Rockets.

Harden’s signing would give Adidas a new top caliber player, ahead of the oft-injured Derrick Rose, who signed a 13-year 5 million contract with the company in 2012.

Harden has been lacing up the Nike Hyperchase for most of the past year and although they never official named it his, they have decked him out with color-ways all season.

Harden will earn $15.7 million this season, per HoopsHype.com.

While Adidas may be getting out of the NBA jersey game soon enough, it seems that the company has no plans of backing down when it comes to signing professional basketball players. If he can stay healthy, Harden could become the golden egg that Adidas has been looking for in North American basketball.

Harden is one of few available good bets for Adidas as Stephen Curry went with Under Armour.

Last year Adidas fell to number three in terms of best-selling apparel brand in the United States behind Nike and Under Armour. With Harden, the brand gains not only a legitimate star, but a character defined as much by his facial hair as by the fire he brings to the court. For a man whose team struggled mightily against the still-on-the-rise Warriors in the Conference Finals earlier this year, the jury remains out on whether Adidas attached itself to a burgeoning star or not. Kanye West, Kardashian’s brother-in-law, just moved his Yeezy line to Adidas, per Rovell. The Rockets have a big following in China because of former center Yao Ming.

Nike sits atop the American sportswear ladder, with LeBron James’ signature shoe sales pulling in roughly 0 million in 2014. Rovell says Adidas’ market share is less than five percent.