adidas Ending NBA Apparel Deal in 2017

adidas has announced that it will not be renewing its contract with the NBA after their current deal ends — which means we won’t be seeing any more of the adidas sleeved jerseys past the 2017 season. Currently, adidas’s partnership with the NBA makes it the only provider of official merchandise and uniforms for the league, but when that ends, adidas Hoops will instead be looking to expand its basketball presence in other ways, by doubling its roster of athletes from 70 to 140 by 2020, as well as focusing on better products, marketing and increased partnerships. This comes after speculation that both Nike and Under Armour are ready to enter a bidding war for the coveted spot, which adidas signed back in 2006 for $400 million USD.

With the NBA’s unprecedented growth spurt in the past few years, adidas may have realized that it did not want to pay a hefty price tag for the contract, especially after the German sportswear giant has fallen to third place behind Under Armour and Nike. This fact probably played a part in the NBA’s decision to open up the bidding process. As well as the adidas contract not being as lucrative as expected, it’s clear why the two brands are parting ways, leaving Under Armour and Nike in the race to be NBA’s official merchandise provider. Leave your thoughts in the comments below.