Everything ever is now on James Harden.
That's probably been true for a while, but it's especially true now that the Houston Rockets superstar is putting pen to paper on a 13-year, $200 million endorsement deal with Adidas.
Darren Rovell of ESPN.com, who first reported that the offer was on the table, confirmed on Thursday that Nike, Harden's incumbent sneaker company, wouldn't be matching Adidas' aggressive financial play:
Adidas' public relations director, Michael Ehrlich, and hoops general manager, Chris Grancio, wasted little time in welcoming Harden to the team:
Now, it's not like Harden isn't already loaded. He's slated to earn nearly $15.8 million next season with the Rockets, and he has raked in more than $47.2 million for his career, according to Basketball-Reference.com.
But as Complex's Russ Bengtson pointed out, Harden's Adidas endorsement is more than past NBA megastars netted over their entire playing careers:
Knowing that, it's time to ask the important question: What's Harden going to do with all this coin? There's no income tax in Texas, so assuming Harden can cash Adidas' checks as a resident of Clutch City, he doesn't have to worry (too much) about Uncle Sam cutting into his extravagance ceiling.
There's the obvious: stir pots of gold while money rains in the background. But what else?
Speaking with GQ, Harden expressed an affinity for three-packs of Ralph Lauren cotton v-neck t-shirts. Those retail for $38.50 at RalphLauren.com. After factoring in the highest-possible Houston sales tax (8.25 percent), they come to $41.68 each.
Harden could buy 4,798,464 three-packs. That's 14,395,392 shirts. And, assuming he wears one per day, that means he wouldn't run out of v-necks for more than 39,000 years.
In that same interview with GQ, Harden talked about his love for Skullcandy Mix Master Headphones. The most expensive ones will run him $324.74 after taxes—so he could grab 615,877 pairs, donate one to every resident of the state of Wyoming and still have more than 30,000 pairs left over.
Fake James Harden beards can be bought for around three bucks a pop. We'll assume Harden can get a discount from the manufacturer that nullifies sales tax, which means he could send away for more than 66.6 million artificial face forests—enough to decorate nearly one percent of Earth's seven billion people.
If Harden is feeling super charitable, he could throw some of his excess income to fellow Adidas-er Damian Lillard. After all, his endorsement deal is worth roughly half that of Harden's, per Rovell and his colleague Brian Windhorst.
Jamie Lisanti of Sports Illustrated went inside Harden's refrigerator this past season. He, like many other top talents, is a health-food nut these days. But he does have a soft spot for cookies and cream ice cream.
While he could certainly start his own creamery now, a regularly priced pint of Ben & Jerry's cookie core ice cream will set him back $6.99. A super lazy (and reckless) Harden has the ability to purchase 28,623,303 pints of saturated sugary goodness.
Forget about a cheat night. That's a cheat lifetime, a million times over.
But before Harden goes allocating mass funds to waist-expanding desserts, he should consider at least one new mode of transportation, preferably with some sweet decals:
Most will remember that Harden has—or once had—a thing for yacht parties, per Bleacher Report's Gabe Zaldivar. If he's looking to buy his own sea demon, his Adidas deal will, per Business Insider, cover the exact worth of Steven Spielberg's 280-plus-foot monster.
That, or Harden could keep it simple and become the proud owner of a couple hundred sub-$1 million yachts. They do exist, and he would then assuredly have the greatest one-percenter fleet of all time.
Maybe he wants to invest in a sports team. Forbes valued the Rockets at $1.25 billion. Player-owners aren't a thing in the NBA, but Harden's $200 million rainy-day fund is enough for a 16-percent stake. Just saying.
Say, though, Harden wants to burn through the gold at the end of his rainbow daily over the life of his endorsement. This deal, assuming it expires just before Oct. 1, 2028, will span 4,748 days. Harden would need to spend more than $42,122 per day to ensure it's all gone.
That's a modestly priced luxury car every afternoon.
Or a $1.2 million-plus house per month.
Or a $5.1 million-plus mansion per fiscal quarter.
Shoot, Harden is now within range of purchasing the US Air Force's F-22 Raptor, which, per Business Insider, is valued at $200 million, and coined "the most lethal fighter aircraft in the world."
Basically, the already-yet-newly flush Harden can buy almost anything, ridiculous or otherwise, he wants.
Including the next (several million) rounds of Happy Hour shots.
Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com
Source: Dan Favale http://ift.tt/1hAdtvH
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