Adidas' King: Decision Not To Renew With NBA "Was About Money"

Admitting the decision not to renew as the NBA’s official jersey provider “was about money,” adidas North America President Mark King today at the IMG World Congress of Sports nonetheless seemed at ease with the shift in basketball strategy his company will now be taking. The two sides last month revealed that the Germany-based apparel maker will not renew the 11-year deal that it signed in '06 for a reported $400M, opening up the competition to the likes of Nike and Under Armour to be the league’s apparel provider starting in '17.

King, speaking during a one-on-one interview today, said of the move, “It was about money and where the league wanted to go and where we wanted to go.” He added, “We had a great relationship with the NBA. We wanted to have a deal and they wanted one with us but at the end of the day, they had things they wanted; we had things we wanted so we decided to part ways. I’m sure we’ll still have a relationship with the NBA. It’ll give us a chance to do things like sign more players.”