Home is supposed to be a safe haven. A structure of infinite tranquility to help you escape the perils of the world and the commotion of life. However, at times, home is simply an ideal. An ideal of familiarity that simply rests inside the city limits of a particular space.
For James Harden, that ideal of home was tested beyond belief as the Houston Rockets ventured to Los Angeles, down 3 games to 2 against the formidable Los Angeles Clippers. With a third quarter during Game 6 that seemed to all but seal the series for the Clippers, a sudden shift happened and the Rockets began to resurge. Led by James’ stellar cooking from behind the arc and Josh Smith’s revival, the Rockets stunned the Staples Center crowd and the nation who believed they were all but dead, and secured a victory to force Game 7.
By that Sunday afternoon, the Rockets were on their way to the Western Conference Finals as Harden and company look to replace the moniker of Clutch City to Championship City. However, Harden has much more than just Houston on his back, but rather an entity within an American corporation – and that’s Nike Basketball.
In a season in which Nike Basketball has had its fair of share of successes, the past few years have been riddled in subtle turmoil and unfortunate circumstances. For starters, the two leading endorsers of the current Nike Basketball lineage have each had problems sporting their respective signature silhouettes. It began with LeBron James, who in 2013, failed to wear the Nike LeBron 11 on a regular basis due to improper fits with his orthotics. Next, would be Kevin Durant, who unfortunately broke his foot and would be unable to don his newly cemented Nike KD 7 – among other things, that we’ll get to later.
In between those two circumstances, the USA Men’s Basketball Showcase would be held in Las Vegas, Nevada during August of 2014. As many will remember, the horrific Paul George injury would replay throughout social media and subsequently remove Kevin Durant from the international showcase, despite vehement denials from his camp, citing fatigue being the main culprit. With George entering a season in which Nike anticipated placing him into a new frontier with a unique number change and subsequent player exclusives, Nike Basketball would face yet another hit. A strong and unanticipated hit that would shift their focus dramatically.
As the 2014-2015 season approached, plenty anticipated James Harden stepping up and leading the Rockets towards prominence, but few expected an emergence of this nature as he tallied an impressive stat line of 27.4 points per game, along with 7 assists and 5.4 rebounds per outing and upping his well-documented, or lack thereof, defensive efforts. However, despite this Nike athlete being the runner-up in the MVP race, he was defeated by a former Nike athlete and current UA endorser, Stephen Curry, who would light up the NBA on a nightly basis and produce viral Vines of his stellar play as much as he filled up respective stat sheets.
Ultimately, the previously described notion developed to be yet another preemptive strike against Nike Basketball. According to several media reports, Nike refused to match Under Armour’s 2013 offer of $2.5 million dollars per year in annual salary as the Swoosh believed Stephen Curry could not sell sneakers. Oops.
As things push forward, James Harden is Nike’s silver knight this NBA postseason. While plenty of sneaker enthusiasts will point to LeBron James’ existence within the postseason as being more than enough, that’s far from the truth. In fact, LeBron James is the outlier that remains constant, who’s consistent success at retailers doesn’t alleviate the sudden shift that Nike Basketball has had within the forum of public opinion.
Is Under Amour hot at the moment and maybe the cache brand? Sure, without a doubt. However, this budding entity may need to be slayed if Nike Basketball has any hopes of salvaging 2015 and commanding the spotlight away from Under Armour; and that lies in the hands of James Harden.
Now it’s rather easy to see why James Harden is viable for this task as his game breeds excitement with his array of brilliant crossovers and mid-range jumpers that dazzle television screens on a nightly basis (we’ll omit describing the absurd free throw totals). With several vibrant player exclusives arriving with his own personal branding such as the Nike Zoom Run The One and the Nike Hyperchase 2015, Nike and Harden seem to have a very intriguing relationship.
As the Rockets’ season reside on the ropes of a proverbial heavyweight bout, James Harden could very well etch his name into the stone of immortality with yet another come-from-behind series win. However, down 3 games to 1, the Rockets have to take things one game at a time. But after dropping 40-plus points during Game 4 along with seven 3-pointers, Harden understands his current position and familiar predicament.
Tonight will certainly be telling for all of the moving pieces involved. Taking a calculated risk on himself, Harden understood the risks of taking a shorter and less lucrative shoe contract, with the vision of ultimately becoming the star he is today. With his sneaker free agency looming, the likes of Under Armour, adidas and Chinese brands will certainly come calling with open check books and signature deals.
However, going forward, one thing is for certain – never bet against James Harden.
