NBA news 2015: Has Harden forgotten about his Adidas deal?

[photo: Twitter screen capture/@OwlPress]

It seems that James Harden may have forgotten that he is already the top endorser for Adidas and some folks have noticed.

The Houston Rockets star was spotted headed to a movie theater recently with girlfriend Khloe Kardashian donning a casual wardrobe but noticeably wearing Nike Air Jordans. The couple were headed out on a movie date to see "Straight Outta Compton."

The donning of the kicks seems to have drawn a lot of interest, especially considering that Harden recently agreed to be the top endorser for Adidas.

It was only last month when Harden agreed to a whopping $200 million deal with the three-striped brand that will span for 13 years. Nike, Harden's former backer, did not match the offer.

Of course, the contract does not take effect until Oct. 1, so the sighting may be a bit overhyped. Hence, no one who understands the facts about contracts can hold it against the bearded one if he wants to don the kicks, at least until the end of the month.

With that said, there is nothing technically wrong about seeing Harden wear Nike kicks for now. No legal issues of whatsoever, so it would be best to put the whole thing to rest.

Besides, there was a sort of consolation since Khloe did don an Adidas sweatshirt and pants bearing the three-stripe logo.

The $200 million deal placed Harden along the ranks of top shoe endorsers. Among the other NBA players who are tied up on lucrative shoe deals include that of Lebron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, and Dwyane Wade.

As far as Adidas is concerned, Harden is now the top dog. Other endorsers under the Adidas umbrella include Derrick Rose, Damian Lillard, and John Wall.

Adidas is pinning its hopes on Harden to boost up its share in the shoe market. The company owns just a four percent share alongside Asics and behind Nike/Brand Jordan, Skechers, and New Balance.