Rahul SahaThis article contains information about American professional basketball player James Harden’s brand endorsement deals and business ventures.
James Harden brand endorsements and sponsors over the years — Adidas, Autograph.io, GoPuff, Panini, Stance Socks, State Farm mutual Auto Insurance, ZenWTR, Cash App, Amazon, EA Sports, Beats Electronics
CURRENT ENDORSEMENTS
Adidas
In August 2015, German athletic apparel and footwear company Adidas announced the signing of a massive 13-year deal with Harden. As per reports, this deal is worth an estimated US$200 million, more than US$15 million annually.
As an Adidas brand ambassador, Harden actively promotes the brand on social media.
Autograph.io
Autograph.io, an NFT platform that enables users to collect unique sports and celebrity-based digital collectibles, roped in the LA Clippers shooting guard as a sponsored athlete in April 2022.
As per the deal, Autograph.io has launched several Harden-themed digital collectibles since then.
GoPuff
GoPuff, a Philadelphia-based consumer goods and food delivery company, announced the signing of a multi-year agreement with James Harden in October 2019.
Harden celebrated the start of the partnership by offering up to US$50 off on orders for first-time Gopuff users.
Panini America
Panini America, a subsidiary of Panini, an Italian company that produces books, comics, magazines, stickers, trading cards and other items through its collectibles and publishing subsidiaries, roped in Harden as part of a multi-year partnership agreement in 2017.
Stance Socks
Stance, an American sock, underwear, and T-shirt brand founded in December 2009, announced the signing of a multi-year endorsement deal with James Harden in October 2015.
As per the deal, Harden wears Stance socks during his regular season NBA games.
State Farm Mutual Auto Insurance
State Farm Mutual Auto Insurance, a group of US mutual insurance companies with corporate headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois, roped in NBA stars Cliff Paul and James Harden as brand ambassadors in October 2019.
Since then, State Farm and Harden have worked together on various promotional campaigns.
ZenWTR
ZenWTR, a vapour-distilled alkaline water company that is the world’s first beverage using 100% recycled, certified ocean-bound plastic, signed a multi-year endorsement deal with Harden in December 2023.
PAST ENDORSEMENTS
Cash App
In December 2021, Harden became a brand ambassador for Cash App, a mobile payment service available in the US and UK.
Amazon
Amazon, an American multinational tech company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence, used to have a long-term endorsement deal in place with Harden.
Although the exact date and financial terms of the deal weren’t made public, Harden hasn’t been endorsing the brand for the past two years.
EA Sports
EA Sports, an American company that develops and publishes sports video games, announced the signing of Harden as the cover athlete of its NBA Live 18 game in September 2017.
Beats Electronics
Beats Electronics, an American consumer audio products manufacturer, announced the signing of a multi-year partnership deal with Harden in September 2019.
Following the deal, the audio products manufacturer launched the Studio3 Wireless headphones with James Harden and A$AP Ferg as the faces of the campaign.
Investments
Jackpot
In June 2022, online lottery ticket company Jackpot closed on US$35 million in Series A funding, led by some of the biggest names in sports.
Apart from the big venture and capital firms, sports personalities like NBA stars James Harden, Joel Embiid, and NHL great Martin Brodeur rounded out the list of big-name investors.
Art of Sport
Art of Sport, an American personal care company that produces a unisex line of body and skin care products marketed toward athletes, announced in September 2020 that it had raised US$6 million in a Series A funding round from investors.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban headlined the list of investors, but the group also comprised the likes of James Harden, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Wilson Chandler.
Workstream
Workstream, a company and job platform that enables business owners to recruit and hire workers, announced the closing of a US$10m Series A funding round in 2020. The round was led by Keith Rabois of Founders Fund, who joined Workstream’s Board of Directors.
Apart from Founders Fund, Workstream’s investors include Anna Khan of Charles River Ventures, Lan XueZhao of Basis Set Ventures, Joel Peterson (Chairman of JetBlue), Heartland Ventures, GGV Capital, Max Levchin, Geoff Donaker of Burst Capital (former COO of Yelp), Eric Yuan (Zoom CEO), Tony Xu (DoorDash CEO), Miyuki Matsumoto (Bernard Arnault, Chairman LVMH), Aneel Ranadive (Owner of Sacramento Kings), James Harden, Joe Montana, and others.
Pura
In December 2020, Harden joined the smart home fragrance company Pura as an investor and Creative Director.
In his role as Creative Director, Harden acts as an advisor to the executive and creative teams and help grow brand awareness.
The Saks
The Saks is an American luxury department store chain headquartered in New York City and founded by Andrew Saks. In June 2021, James Harden bought a minority stake in the company, becoming the board’s newest member and an independent director.
In his role, Harden is to help advance the company’s e-commerce strategy using his experience in successfully growing “high-potential consumer brands.”
Therabody
In February 2021, Harden became a minority investor in Therabody, a tech wellness company and a developer of medical devices for targeted vibration therapy and pain relief.
Since then, Harden has also been working as an “athlete ambassador” for Therabody.
Vanguart
In September 2021, Vanguart, a Swiss watchmaker, announced that Harden had become a shareholder in the company.
In addition to becoming a shareholder, Harden was also appointed as Creative Advisor and brand ambassador for the company.
Mitchell & Ness
Acquired by Fanatics in February 2022, Mitchell & Ness, a Philadelphia-based sports clothing company, announced the joining of a number of high-profile investors in October 2022. The list of investors included LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, CJ McCollum, Devin Booker, James Harden, Joel Embiid, Odell Beckham Jr, Kevin Hart, Rich Paul, Rich Kleiman, Scooter Braun, and Steve Stoute.
At that time, Fanatics owned 75% of Mitchell & Ness, with the rest in the hands of the celebrity group. The deal valued Mitchell & Ness at US$250 million.
Houston Dynamo | Houston Dash
In July 2019, Major League Soccer side Houston Dynamo announced that Harden had purchased a minority stake in the investment group that controls both the Dynamo and their NWSL affiliate side, the Houston Dash. According to a report published by First Office Sports, he acquired a 5% stake.
Harden joined an ownership group that includes majority owner Gabriel Brener, boxing legend and promoter Oscar De La Hoya, White Deer Energy managing partner Ben Guill, and Portland, Oregon–based investor Jake Silverstein.
BodyArmor
BodyArmor is an American sports drink brand owned by The Coca-Cola Company.
In 2014, Harden decided to make a considerable US$60m investment in the energy drink company, acquiring a minority 10% stake.
When Coca-Cola fully acquired the brand in 2021 in a US$8bn deal, Harden’s investment made returns upwards of 4,000%.
J-HARDEN Wines
In July 2022, Harden announced that he had teamed up with Accolade Wines to release his first signature wine collection called “J-HARDEN”.
The equity partnership is centred around a mission to make quality wine more accessible to all consumers. The retail price for each bottle was initially set at US$16.99.
13 Endeavors
13 Endeavors is an investment firm owned by James Harden.
