John Wall Turned Down a $7.5 Million per Year Deal With adidas Because He Wanted "Harden Money"

Here's all the details.

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Complex Original

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Before the start of the NBA season, Washington Wizards' John Wall became a sneaker free agent after a five year tenure that started with Reebok and concluded with adidas. Details on the dissolution have been pretty hard to come by—we didn't even find out his deal had ended until two months after the fact—but now, thanks to The Vertical, we're finally learning more about what happened behind the scenes.

It turns out that adidas wanted Wall to stick around, going as far as to offer the three-time NBA All-Star a $7.5 per million a year deal that would include more signature sneakers and apparel. According to The Vertical writer Nick DePaula, Wall declined the offer because "he wanted [James] Harden money," which would've been closer to double what the brand had offered. 

Wall signed his original deal with Reebok in 2010 for $2.5 million a year and eventually moved to adidas after Reebok shifted focus from its basketball division. Both lines produced two signature sneakers each, and a third was lined up with adidas before he left.

Now, DePaula says that Wall's new agent Rich Paul—LeBron James' right hand man—will likely push for a deal with Nike or Jordan Brand. Stay tuned to find out where Wall ends up.