James Harden (Photo : Instagram)
James Harden has been ordered to stop wearing Nike's Air Jordans now that he agreed to be an ambassador for Adidas. The Houston Rockets shooting guard was recently spotted wearing the competitor's brand while walking out of a movie theater with girlfriend Khloe Kardashian.
What made the sighting even worse was the "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star was wearing sweatshirt and sweatpants both from Adidas, reported TMZ.
The publication reported that the Adidas executives were not happy with the photos that circulated online. In a statement, North America president Mark King claimed that part of being a Harden's job as a brand ambassador was to wear the brand off the court. When the contract kicks in this Oct. 1, Harden will be forced to store his Air Jordans collection for the time being.
Kardashian's new beau signed a 13-year $200 million contract to move from Nike, the brand he has been endorsing since 2009.
The publication reported that Harden will get his own exclusive signature collection under Adidas. The brand expects big things from the athlete. It was said that they are hoping that they would regain advantage from Nike and Under Armour by signing Harden.
Adidas also claimed that Harden is the perfect ambassador for their lifestyle line, adding that the athlete has always been known for his fashion sense. Under his contract, the athlete will also be given the voice in marketing and design.
"Harden will have the opportunity to create clothing and lifestyle editions of footwear that didn't exist for him at Nike, and Adidas can market those to a more willing target group of consumers," Sporting News explained.
