the nba says goodbye to Adidas and hello to Nike
Adam Silver is already making changes to the NBA, which some are already considering drastic – but nothing like NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. The head of basketball has agreed to an eight-year, $1 billion apparel partnership with Nike for on court uniforms and other products. Since 2006, the NBA has been in a deal with Adidas, whose run comes to an end after the 2017 season. After falling in North American sales behind Under Armour (who’s now no. 2 behind Nike), the Germany-based company and NBA executives saw an internal rift in recent years, which prompted Adidas to move their focus towards soccer. Now aligned with the premiere sports merchandiser and apparel company, the Nike logo will appear on all NBA jerseys beginning fall 2017.
“This partnership with NIKE represents a new paradigm in the structure of our global merchandising business,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “As our exclusive oncourt apparel provider, NIKE will be instrumental in our collective efforts to grow the game globally while applying the latest in technology to the design of our uniforms and oncourt products.”
“We’re excited to bring the full power of our global reach, innovation and creativity to partner with the NBA and grow the game in a way only NIKE can,” said NIKE, Inc. President & CEO Mark Parker. “In NIKE, Jordan and Converse we have three of the most connected brands in the world, and look forward to making the global growth of the game a successful strategy for both the NBA and NIKE.”
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