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The NHL announced Thursday that it will not be continuing its jersey deal with Adidas after their contract expires following the 2023-24 season.
"The NHL and Adidas look forward to continuing to work closely together over the next two years and to a smooth transition to the new authentic NHL uniform supplier, which will be announced by the NHL at the appropriate time," the league said in a statement.
Per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski, it was Adidas that served as "the catalyst in not seeking to renew with the NHL."
The deal between the NHL and Adidas was for seven years, when the apparel company replaced Reebok starting in the 2017-18 campaign. Reebok had held the jersey rights starting with the 2005-06 season.
Reebok was paying the NHL $35 million per year for those rights. Per Wyshynski, Adidas reportedly doubled that payout.
Adidas also signed star players like Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid to promote the apparel company, though according to that report, "sources told ESPN that players with expiring endorsement deals have been told by Adidas that those deals would not be renewed, which was a harbinger that the company was heading for a split with the NHL."
Adidas has a large footprint in the soccer world, with kit deals with clubs like Real Madrid, Arsenal, Manchester United, Juventus and LAFC, along with several national teams.
In the United States, Nike has a stronghold on the jersey game, with deals in place with the NFL, NBA and MLB. Nike also has a number of deals with college programs.
Now, the door will be open for apparel companies to work with the NHL.
Less than one week after being selected No. 1 overall in the 2021 NFL draft, Trevor Lawrence and Adidas are teaming up to raise money for charity organizations in Jacksonville.
Adidas announced on Wednesday it will release a set of commemorative non-fungible tokens (NFTs) featuring Lawrence, with net proceeds from the sales going to support charities in his new home city.
The NFTs will be released as 3D animated trading card collectibles on Thursday between 10 a.m. ET and 10 p.m. ET. Fans can bid on NFTs in an auction, but there will also be items available for purchase.
Adidas is selling the NFTs through its official page on Bitski.com.
The auction portion of the sale will include "a physical copy of the NFT and a pair of his first player-edition cleats, signed by Lawrence." The open-sale edition will begin at the same time as the auction. Fans will have the opportunity to buy the NFT for $100.
“I’m thrilled at the chance to use my platform and partnerships to help support the community that will soon be my home,” Lawrence said in a statement. “It is important for me to give back to this city that has already given me so much and I am excited to find a way to involve the fans in this special commemorative moment."
On the eve of the NFL draft last week, Lawrence and Adidas announced a multiyear partnership agreement.
Lawrence became the first No. 1 pick in Jacksonville Jaguars history on Thursday. He is expected to lead the franchise back to prominence in the AFC after a successful three-year run as the starting quarterback at Clemson.
Adidas announced Wednesday that it signed top 2021 NFL draft prospect Trevor Lawrence to a multiyear partnership.
As part of the press release, Lawrence said: "I've always been a fan of Adidas and I'm excited to join the team as I take the next step in my career. Adidas' brand attitude of 'Impossible Is Nothing' is a message that really resonates with me both on and off the field. We are building for the future and I can't wait to see what lies ahead with this partnership."
Lawrence is widely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday after a standout collegiate career at Clemson.
In three seasons with the Tigers, Lawrence went 34-2 as a starter and led them to the College Football Playoff each time. Clemson also reached the CFP National Championship Game twice under Lawrence, winning in 2018.
Lawrence's statistical output leaps off the page as well, as he completed 66.6 percent of his passes for 10,098 yards, 90 touchdowns and 17 interceptions while rushing for 943 yards and 18 scores in 40 games, including 36 starts.
The Cartersville, Georgia, native was a two-time All-ACC first-team selection as well as the 2020 ACC Offensive Player of the Year and Player of the Year, plus the runner-up in the 2020 Heisman Trophy voting.
Lawrence has all the makings of being a superstar in the NFL, as he is the clear top choice amid one of the most stacked draft classes for quarterbacks in recent memory.
With Adidas, Lawrence will join an impressive roster of NFL athletes, including fellow quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys and Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers.
Adidas also announced that it signed several other 2021 NFL draft prospects to deals, including Clemson running back Travis Etienne, Florida wide receiver Kadarius Toney, Minnesota wide receiver Rashod Bateman and Miami edge-rushers Jaelan Phillips and Gregory Rousseau.
Rapper and WWE 24/7 champion Bad Bunny has joined the Adidas family and will debut his new signature sneaker on March 17.
Per an official release, the Adidas Originals Forum Buckle Low with a silhouette design from Bad Bunny dubbed "The First Cafe" will be available to the public next week.
Bad Bunny issued a statement about his new collaboration with the apparel giant:
"I have always loved sneakers since I was a kid. They were the essential detail of the style I wanted and
the look I wanted to have depending on what I was going to do that day. I would go out with my friends
and we would ask each other, what sneakers are you going to wear today? At the same time, we would
talk about those sneakers we dreamt of having one day. It's something that defines you and at the same time it brings people together. Ultimately, it's what accompanies you and adds style as you walk the path you choose to take. Today, it feels great to create my own design with people who I share the same sentiment. It feels amazing knowing that my next steps will be in my own sneakers."
Adidas noted the design is based on the "essential cup of coffee that starts the artist's daily routine." The sneaker features a mix of leather, suede and canvas material, as well as an off-white, gray and white color design.
The sneakers will be available in the United States and Europe through the Confirmed app.
Bad Bunny is an ascending star in the rap world. The Puerto Rican singer's third studio alum El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 charts on Dec. 12.
In addition to his music career, Bad Bunny has been a recurring character on WWE television since the Royal Rumble. He has been the WWE 24/7 champion since pinning Akira Tozawa on the Feb. 15 episode of Raw.
A pair of LeBron James' game-worn sneakers in high school sold for $156,000 through Heritage Auctions, according to Sports Illustrated's Ben Pickman.
Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant had gifted the shoes to James in 2002. The Adidas kicks had a patriotic red, white and blue American flag theme as a tribute to those who died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
James passed Bryant for third on the NBA's all-time scoring list on Jan. 25, 2020. After making history, the four-time MVP recounted seeing Bryant at a basketball camp in high school. He also met Kobe at a Philadelphia hotel during All-Star Weekend in 2002 and were given the shoes.
LeBron wore the sneakers for a game against Oak Hill Academy, which had Carmelo Anthony at the time. Oak Hill got the better of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School on the night, while James outscored Melo 36-34 in a losing effort.
Former NBA star Baron Davis and rapper Master P have joined together in an attempt to purchase Reebok.
Master P told ESPN's Eric Woodyard about the duo's hopes of purchasing the apparel company:
Reebok is currently a subsidiary of Adidas, which purchased the company in 2005.
In a statement released on Dec. 14, Adidas said it has "begun to assess strategic alternatives" for the company that "include both a potential sale of Reebok as well as Reebok remaining a part of the company."
In October, Siladitya Ray of Forbes cited Germany-based publication Manager Magazin that reported Adidas is hoping to sell Reebok for $2.4 billion before the COVID-19 pandemic, but "may have to settle for less now."
Adidas noted it aimed to make an official announcement about the direction of the company on March 10, 2021.
Master P is a successful business entrepreneur who launched No Limit Records in 1991 and has ventured into areas that include entertainment conglomerate P. Miller Enterprises.
Davis has turned his attention toward acting and business since his final NBA season in 2011-12. He created the Black Santa Company in 2016. The two-time All-Star has appeared in movies, including Uncle Drew and That's My Boy.
NEW YORK — The beard is still lush and vibrant, an impenetrable forest of facial camouflage. The man behind it, also known as The Beard, is equally spirited and inscrutable. But his steel-wooled facade has just cracked, albeit slightly.
So, about that 30th birthday you recently celebrated...
"Don't remind me!" James Harden interjects, as if the mere mention of the milestone might buckle his knees and send his hairline into recession.
The Houston Rockets star isn't here for your rocking-chair jokes, your stats on mid-career players or your musings on athletic mortality. He is, however, smiling wryly through this gentle protest, his defensiveness more than offset by his bravado.
Yes, Harden stared down 30 candles on Aug. 26, and yes, it was a bit jarring—"in the worst way," he tells B/R—but The Beard has never felt friskier or more confident.
And why not? The man has back-to-back scoring titles, a half-dozen All-NBA awards and a semi-permanent place in the MVP race. One of his best friends and fellow All-Stars, Russell Westbrook, joined his team this summer. And his greatest nemesis is in tatters.
The Golden State Warriors, who have stymied Harden at every turn for years, are mortal again, having lost Kevin Durant to Brooklyn and Klay Thompson to a serious knee injury.
There are no dynasties to topple, no superteams blocking the horizon.
The NBA suddenly feels wide-open, a portrait of superstar equilibrium: LeBron and AD (Lakers), Kawhi and PG13 (Clippers), Embiid and Simmons (76ers), KD and Kyrie (Nets).
And in Houston, James and Russ.
It's now the Rockets, not the Warriors, who boast two recent MVPs.
There will be an adjustment period, "a lot of ups and downs" through the regular season, Harden concedes. "But I'm more excited to go into war, postseason, with somebody that is, like, a dog," he says. "Somebody that's a killer, for real."
The Rockets will again be among the title favorites this season. Harden will surely be back in the MVP mix. But there's no satisfaction to simply being in the discussion, especially now that Harden is officially entering—yes, it's true—NBA middle age.
Most players start to decline in their early 30s, according to studies. The only real question is how much, and how quickly. Even the greatest stars begin to sense their athletic mortality, realizing they have more basketball years behind them than ahead.
"You reminisce and then you're like, 'All right, I was just an 18-year-old kid, and then I was just 21,'" Harden says, taking a break during a recent event to introduce his new shoe, the Adidas Harden Vol. 4. "Where the hell did nine years go? And then like, what's next?"
It's a dizzying sensation. Has it really been 10 years since Harden—his beard modest, his bowtie audacious—strode across the draft stage as the third overall pick? Has it really been seven years since that breakthrough trip to the NBA Finals with Durant and Westbrook in Oklahoma City?
It all seems like a blur.
He's achieved so much: Sixth Man of the Year in 2012. An assist title in 2017. MVP in 2018. And, last season, the highest scoring average (36.1) in 32 years.
Harden is arguably the most dominant scorer of his generation, so lethally efficient with his step-backs and sidesteps and clever drives that Rockets general manager Daryl Morey recently proclaimed him the greatest scorer in history—better than you-know-who.
"It's just factual that James Harden is a better scorer than Michael Jordan," the analytics-minded Morey said on the Selfmade podcast. ("Daryl's crazy," Harden says, chuckling.)
But there's a gaping hole in Harden's trophy case, and a gnawing sensation common to every aging star. What if I don't win?
It's not that the end is near for Harden as a supreme player. But it's surely closer than he'd like to think.
Michael Jordan was 35 when he made his last All-NBA team. Kobe Bryant was 34. Dwyane Wade was 31. Jordan won his last championship at 35. Bryant and Wade, at 31. Nearly every elite guard of the last 30 years has started to fade between 30 and 34.
Harden listens intently to the list, then smiles ruefully.
"You just messed me up with that one," he says. "That was some elite company right there."
When the end does come, Harden wants to keep being mentioned in that company. And that generally requires a title, or several.
"I still haven't accomplished half of what I want to accomplish," he says. "Like, multiple championships. I want to be one of those basketball players that you won't forget. And obviously, we all remember the Kobes and the Jordans and the D-Wades and all those guys. I want to be in that same conversation, obviously, in championships and all that good stuff, and best shooting guards to ever play the game."
At 30, Harden is old enough to understand how difficult it is to win and how foolish it is to define a career on rings alone. But championships do matter to a star's legacy, and Harden has reached the stage where the "L" word is increasingly on his mind.
"Of course it matters to me," he says. "I've been thinking about it maybe the last year-and-a-half, two years. I'm on the right path. You can't rush winning a title. Some win it early, some win it late. It's perfect timing. The time is going to happen when the time happens. I've just got to be patient, continue to work my butt off, continue to be a great leader, great teammate, and just try to bring as much talent and as much guys that have that same drive that I have. I think we all have it right now."
Success once seemed routine. Harden won back-to-back state titles at Artesia High School in Lakewood, California, and he led Arizona State to the NCAA tournament as a sophomore. He made the NBA Finals in his third season, and who could blame him if he thought it would be the first of many?
But NBA careers are rarely so linear or predictable. The closest Harden has come to the Finals since then was 2018's epic Western Conference Finals clash with the Warriors, when the Rockets lost Chris Paul to a hamstring injury and let a 3-2 series lead become a soul-crushing seven-game defeat.
"Oh, it bugs him," Scott Pera, who coached Harden in high school and college and remains close to him, says of the lack of titles. "Obviously, he's won at a very high level everywhere he's been. ... And to be considered one of the best players of his generation and possibly all time at his position, he knows the importance of getting that ring. He doesn't lose sight of that."
Pera, who now coaches at nearby Rice University, says he has seen a more reflective Harden emerge as his 30th birthday approached.
"I think 30 is kind of that corner you kind of peek around," Pera says. "And you kind of see, 'Well, how close is the end?' You don't think about that in your 20s, really. I think that's probably kind of what he's doing. He's kind of peeking around that corner and wants to see how long is this going to go?"
Even Harden's new shoe line reveals a more contemplative soul. Harden placed two inscriptions in the interior of the heel: "106 Street," a nod to his childhood home; and "Hassayampa," his freshman-year dorm at ASU, "where I became a man."
And on the shoe's midsole, a hashtagged mantra: #GoWitYoMove. The phrase was a favorite of Harden's former security guard and close friend, Anthony George, a Houston fixture known to everyone as Big Tony, who died unexpectedly in July 2017. He was 38.
"It was sad, man," Harden says. "Everything that I do, my charity weekends and all that good stuff, is because of him. He pushed me to be out in the community and just make more of an impact. It's sad. So I got him with me everywhere I go."
As Harden describes it, "Go with your move" was Big Tony's all-purpose philosophy for life. "Like, however you feel at that time, just 'Go wit yo move.' And that's kind of how I live my life: Go wit yo move. Whether it's fashion, whether it's on the court, whether it's in life, every single day. Like, nobody can tell you how you're feeling."
Harden has always been involved in the design of his namesake shoes, but the personal inscriptions on the Vol. 4 were a first for him, says Cam Mason, Adidas' director of basketball footwear.
"He opened up a lot more," Mason says. "He was a little bit more emotionally invested."
Turning 30, Harden says, also means learning to brush off the usual slights from critics, fans and rivals.
"You try to just focus on what the thing is that's important to you, things that matter," he says, listing family, friends and his career. "And the things that don't really matter, like, keep them away, as far as possible."
"In my position, there's a lot of negative energy, or negative criticism ... that I would maybe try to feed into or try to protect myself, or try to explain myself," Harden says. "It's like, 'If y'all don't get it, y'all don't get it. That's on y'all.' I'm good where I'm at."
That's easier to say with conviction now than it was at 25, he says. Which is not to say that the old critiques don't still irritate him. He's admittedly tired of hearing about his defense, his playoff stumbles, old complaints of his playing style and the skepticism about his latest superstar pairing—first Dwight Howard, then Paul and now Westbrook.
Nor has he entirely let go of his irritation at losing various MVP races—to Giannis Antetokounmpo this past year, Westbrook in 2017 and Steph Curry in 2015. (And yet it should be noted, no NBA star has accumulated more MVP voting points than Harden over the last five years.)
Yet it's the playoff defeats that seem to sting the most, perhaps because they provide such easy ammunition for critics. The context that's often lost? Harden's path has been consistently blocked by historically talented superteams—LeBron's Miami Heat in the 2012 Finals, and the Curry-led Warriors, who eliminated the Rockets in four of the last five postseasons.
Sure, Harden has turned in a few untimely clunkers in his 116-game playoff career. It happens, even to MVPs. What irks him, he says, is the assertion by some critics that "James didn't show up."
"Well," Harden says, firing back at those same critics, "James averaged 31, seven and seven in the postseason, and we just didn't have enough talent around him, but I'm never going to throw my teammates under the bus."
He catches himself. "You see how I'm just explaining myself right now? It's like, all that stuff, I don't even need to do that. I'll just let them make up a story and just, you know, keep pushing, trying to get better."
There's the voice of perspective taking over again. Shutting out the negativity, it seems, is not as easy as simply declaring it. It's all a process, even at 30.
Yet what shines through most in this discussion is not any lingering bitterness or regrets, but the deep sense of pride in the path he has carved over these last 10 years. Just as much as Curry, Harden has changed the geometry of the game with his deep three-point shooting and the physics of the game with his innovative step-backs and sidesteps.
Love his game or hate it, Harden is an evolutionary NBA figure, one of the defining players of his generation. His impact is undeniable.
"Like, he did it another way," Harden says, pondering his own legacy.
In the historical sense, Harden has taken the baton from Jordan, Bryant and Wade, the greatest shooting guards of the last four decades. But his game bears little resemblance to any of them.
He enthuses about "creating waves" and "sparking conversations" and developing basketball moves "that people might call traveling, but it's not traveling. And that right there is dope. That's, like, legendary right there."
Go wit yo move.
Harden is also proud to have spent these last seven seasons in Houston, repeatedly extending his contract while some of his chief rivals changed teams (some multiple times) to join up with other stars and form superteams.
"There's other ways that I could have did it, and probably would have had a championship by now," Harden says. "But I'm fine with just being in Houston and figuring a way. ... I'm going to find a way to win a championship, at least one. I'll figure it out in Houston. But it's not going to eat me alive. Like, I'm comfortable in my career."
That comfort starts with a front office that has been hyperaggressive in chasing (and occasionally landing) All-Stars to aid Harden's quest. Morey has also given Harden a consistent voice in personnel matters.
"I trust the front office to go out there and get the best players that can help this organization win," says Harden, who says he'll retire in a Rockets jersey, whenever that day comes.
So far, Harden has also defied the NBA's other prevailing trend: load management. He logged the second-most minutes in the league last season while posting the highest usage rate—a "preposterous kind of workload," as Sports Illustrated's Rob Mahoney recently wrote.
Over the last five regular seasons, Harden has averaged 79 games played, rarely resting unless he's injured. It's an admirable figure, but supporters and critics alike have wondered if Harden's regular-season workload is responsible for those postseason flameouts.
That might be changing this season. Although the Rockets shun the "load management" label, team officials are formulating plans to ease Harden's burden. The goal is to keep Harden fresh for a title run next spring and keep him playing at an elite level for as many years as possible.
"I do think being intelligent about how we manage him through the season and even the playoffs makes sense," Morey says. "I think you'll see more than in the past. I don't know exactly how it's going look."
That plan is being developed by Keith Jones, the Rockets' senior vice president of basketball operations (and former longtime trainer), and Jason Biles, the head athletic trainer and director of performance rehabilitation. The intent is to be flexible, not dogmatic, but "we're going to follow that (plan) most of the time," Morey says.
The addition of Westbrook, an elite scorer and playmaker in his own right, should help ease Harden's burden. Though pairing two of the NBA's highest-usage players has provoked some skepticism, Harden says their familiarity will breed success. He and Westbrook have known each other since childhood, playing in youth basketball leagues in Los Angeles.
"Russ isn't just like one of my old teammates that I was in Oklahoma City with; Russ has been my brother since I was 10," Harden says. "Our communication is different. The way we talk to each other is different."
Adding Westbrook boosted the Rockets' odds of winning the title by about 30 percent, Morey says, citing internal calculations. It also helps that the Warriors aren't the Warriors anymore.
"Now is our best chance," Morey says with a chuckle.
The good news for the Rockets: Hall of Fame talents generally age better than average players, Morey says. And Harden's game in particular—which relies on footwork, basketball IQ and smooth shooting more than pure athleticism—should age well. Still, Morey concedes, "30 to 34 are extremely critical years."
"I think it starts to get harder at 34," he says.
How many elite years does Harden have left? How many more chances to chase a title? To grab another MVP? To satisfy his own soaring ambitions? To silence his pesky critics?
If we're sitting here again in 10 years, what is Harden discussing at age 40?
"Hopefully, it's a different setting," he says. "Business adventures and the great things that I'm doing after basketball, and finding ways to keep impacting the world."
He envisions a fair amount of jewelry—"two, three, four rings," and "a couple more MVPs" in the trophy case.
Oh, and one more thing.
"A lot of gray hair."
Harden laughs with delight at his own joke. He might be entering NBA middle age, but he still has the power to bend the game to his own creative impulses—still The Beard, not yet a graybeard.
Howard Beck, a senior writer for Bleacher Report, has been covering the NBA full time since 1997, including seven years on the Laker beat for the Los Angeles Daily News and nine years as a staff writer for the New York Times. His coverage was honored by APSE in 2016 and 2017, and by the Professional Basketball Writers Association in 2018.
Beck also hosts the Full 48 podcast, available on iTunes.
Follow him on Twitter, @HowardBeck.
Sports Illustrated's Rob Mahoney joins Howard Beck to discuss SI's ranking of the top 100 players in the NBA, why Giannis Antetokounmpo was No. 1, where James Harden fits now and what team doesn't have a single player on the list. All on the latest Full 48.
Record-setting Fortnite streamer Tyler "Ninja" Blevins announced an endorsement contract with apparel company Adidas on his Mixer stream Tuesday afternoon.
Ninja, who recently switched from Twitch to Mixer, said on his stream he's been negotiating with Adidas for over a year, and the sides finally reached an agreement.
Adidas released a statement to Edgar Alvarez of Engadget, saying the deal with Ninja is meant to illustrate its commitment to "creators who show dedication to excelling in their field" and gaming culture as a whole. He becomes the brand's first gamer under contract.
In April, the 28-year-old Detroit native was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time.
"At the end of the day, Ninja is an absolute legend, and someone to whom we owe a lot for making gaming what it is today," Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster wrote in Time.
He's accumulated more than 22 million YouTube subscribers, 14.7 million Instagram followers and 4.8 million Twitter followers.
"No shortcuts. Only long days. Never let anyone tell you that you can't catch your dreams," Ninja wrote on Twitter. "Choose your path. Put the TIME IN. I'm humbled, and excited, to officially announce my partnership with Adidas Originals."
Terms of his contract with Adidas were not immediately released.
Adidas unveiled Wednesday the new uniforms for the 2019 Little League World Series in baseball and softball.
"When these boys and girls from around the world get together and share a common goal, there is a unique bonding experience that happens, and we wanted to showcase that unity through the design of these uniforms," said Todd Rolak, Adidas' senior design director for U.S. sports. "The Little League World Series tournaments are a tremendous journey for young athletes, and we find the ability to have an impact on these moments and these memories incredibly rewarding at Adidas."
Little League Baseball and Softball announced in May that Adidas was taking over as the association's official apparel supplier.
The 2019 Little League Baseball World Series gets underway Aug. 15 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, while the Softball World Series starts Aug. 7 in Portland.
Before those begin, the regional representatives will have to be decided. Softball qualifying opens with the East and West regions July 20, and the Southwest region will kick off the baseball qualifying Aug. 1.
Fans will get their first look at the Adidas jerseys in game action July 27 for the Senior League Baseball World Series.
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