Which NBA players have an Adidas shoe contract? Donovan Mitchell, James Harden lead signature athletes

Abraham Smith

While Nike holds the larger share of the basketball sneaker market, German brand Adidas has made great strides in recent seasons to fill the gap.

They first started poaching James Harden from their rival in 2015 in a 10-year, $200 million deal. Over the years they’ve gradually added players like Damian Lillard and Trae Young to the roster – players they believe can take the mark higher.

The most notable addition to Adidas Basketball wasn’t even a basketball player. It’s a fashion designer.

Adidas has once again lured talent from Nike by signing acclaimed fashion designer Jerry Lorenzo away from the Swoosh to revitalize its basketball division.

“Under Jerry’s leadership, we will revolutionize the basketball category,” said Adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted.

While Lorenzo is completely transforming the basketball side, the brand has a number of NBA players to draw from.

Which NBA Players Still Have an Adidas Signature Shoe? The Sporting News has you covered below.

Which NBA Players Have Adidas Shoe Deals?

At one point, Adidas had around 80 players on its NBA roster, led by the amazing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (the company’s first endorser). That number has now dwindled to about 50.

Some of the most notable currently active players signed to Adidas are James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Damian Lillard, Trae Young, Derrick Rose and Kristaps Porzingis.

The German brand also had Zach LaVine on their books until his contract expired before the start of the 2021-22 NBA season. After a season without sneakers, LaVine signed a multi-year deal with New Balance.

Which NBA players have a signature footwear deal with Adidas?

Surprisingly, Adidas currently has as many signature shoe athletes as Nike (five).

James Harden, Donovan Mitchell and Damian Lillard lead the way, while Trae Young is seen as the future of the brand.

Derrick Rose signed a mammoth 14-year, $190 million (!) deal with Adidas shortly after his 2010-11 MVP season and just celebrated the release of the D.Rose 11 last season.

While many people wonder why Rose is still one of the brand’s standout athletes even though he wasn’t at the MVP level he was when he signed that monster contract, it’s because his shoes are made in China – a the largest markets in the world – are still selling very well.

Lillard also signed a huge long-term deal with the Three Stripes in 2014, inking a 10-year, $100 million deal.

player shoe
James Harden Hardening Vol. 7
Donovan Mitchell Adidas DON Edition 4
Damien Lillard adidas lady 8
Trae Young Trae Young 2
Derrick Rose D rose 11

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *