Houston Rockets James Harden $200 Million Adidas Contract Deal Not For Money?

As James Harden of the Houston Rockets receives his truckload of shoes from Adidas, he claims the $200 million he's getting from Adidas for sponsoring them isn't the sole reason he agreed to the contract deal.

The NBA All-Star point guard recently signed a $200 million deal with Adidas, but apparently he's not in it for the money. According to an interview with ESPN, Harden admits that the money isn't what motivated his decision. He disclosed that having a say in how he's marketed and being branded was the real reason as to why the deal worked out.

"Just everything, however I want it, I have a say-so," Harden said. "I have a voice that can and will be heard. I have a pretty strong voice, whether it's designing my shoe, designing my clothing, just everything, everything that the brand has to offer. I'll definitely voice my opinion."

Now, Harden was recently spotted rocking Nikes on multiple occasions, but since his truckload delivery of all things Adidas, he has been following the rules of his deal properly: wearing Adidas on and off the court.

A photo posted by jharden13 (@jharden13) on Oct 1, 2015 at 8:53am PDT

"Doing what's expected isn't enough for me. I've taken chances to put myself in a position to be successful and I'm hungry for more. I want to be true to who I am, even if that means taking risks or doing things different from the status quo or what other people expect," Harden said, according to NBC Sports. "Wanting to be the best - that comes with hard work, focus and making sure I'm always growing my game. It's a credit to my time in Houston and I'm just trying to enjoy the moment, but I still have to remember how I got here and all the hard work it took."

As reported by Nice Kicks, Harden also mentioned:

"After meeting with Adidas I knew we could create something people won't see coming. They want to celebrate me for who I am and what I stand for. They want to help me be closer to my fans, tell my story and make incredible product together. This is my chance to do something that can't be done anywhere else. I think of myself as a creator on the court and I've built a game different than any other player in the league. I see an opportunity to become one of the best players in the world - Adidas is the partner who will help me get there. I can't wait to get started."

According to Highsnobiety, having a voice in the company is the same reason why Kanye West left Nike for Adidas as well.

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