Tales from the Kicks: The Adidas Harden Vol. 1

The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase famously howled into a WWE microphone, "Everybody has a price," in his gravely, signature voice. One would like to think, based on the cash he received from Adidas, Houston Rockets' guard James Harden grew up a professional wrestling fan.

In the summer of 2015, Harden walked away from an endorsement deal with Nike. He fled town in the middle of the night with a Rockets jersey on his back for Team Adidas and all the money that came with it.

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Adidas pursued Harden. They weren't going to lose the opportunity to sign a genuine NBA superstar in his prime. The last time something like this popped up, Stephen Curry turned Under Armour into a contender.

As a guy who's charisma on the court leveled out to a modern-day marketer's dream, Adidas was smart to make a push for his services. The price tag for Harden to change sides checked in at a cool $200 million—Enough coin to anoint the Beard as Adidas' basketball savior.

Today, two years after he switched sides, Harden is headed for his second signature shoe with Three-Stripe branding.

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The first version, the Harden Vol. 1, resonated with consumers and helped push Adidas' narrative of change forward without losing an ounce of steam. In the first 12 months of sales, Harden broke into the top five of basketball-endorsed sneaker sales, according to NPD Group's Matt Powell (h/t Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes).

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The jump in dollars represented a big win for Adidas, who as a company is on pace to reach their greatest sneaker share in the United States, dating back 20 years, as Powell tweeted.

Moving past Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving and LeBron James seems like an outlier thought.

Powell told Bleacher Report he doesn't believe Harden will be able to achieve a coup d'etat over any of those names. However, the fact he's punched into the top five is a significant achievement in itself. There hasn't been an Adidas basketball athlete who's been able to cultivate the marketplace since Kobe Bryant graced the brand with his presence.

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Appreciating the Harden Vol. 1 becomes easier when you dive in Adidas' past. It goes well beyond sales. Anything post-Bryant—who left the brand in 2003 for $40 million worth of Nike funds—has remained niche. Even Damian Lillard's D Lillard line hasn't burst into the mainstream.

With technology at the forefront, the Harden Vol. 1 altered the process and put Adidas' best talking points—like Boost technology—into the shoe. Dynamic elements, like the rubber traction pattern etched onto the sole, also continued to move the Harden Vol. 1 forward. This design was specifically designed for Harden, according to NightWing2303 of Wear Testers.

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Delivering on the promise of premium tech and melding it with a savvy design—one reminiscent of Dwyane Wade's Converse Wade 1—created a magnet for success. It helped the Harden Vol. 1 comfortably pivot past any Adidas hoops shoe in recent memory.

Harden's signature line has put him in the conversation about "best signature sneaker." With the Harden Vol. 2 on the way this fall, all eyes are on Adidas to produce a commanding follow-up and Harden to continue his MVP ways.

All quotes obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.