NBA Hall of Famer calls out longtime partner Adidas for poor treatment

Apr 1, 2017; Glendale, AZ, USA; NBA former player Tracy McGrady speaks during the Naismith Hall of Game Press Conference at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

At 43 years old, a former NBA star may be becoming a free agent … at least when it comes to selling sneakers.

Retired Basketball Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady spoke this week at the Hashtag Sports conference in Las Vegas. During his appearance, McGrady called out longtime partner Adidas and indicated that he may be ending his partnership with them.

“It’s rocky,” said McGrady of his relationship with Adidas, per Bleacher Report. “It’s rocky. I’ve been with Adidas for 25 years. I think we’re coming to an end. Tweet it, Instagram it, whatever you wanna do. I don’t give a s–t.

“The treatment that I’ve gotten from them over the last ten years, it is what it is,” McGrady went on. “I deserve better, so I think it’s coming to an end.”

The seven-time All-Star McGrady, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017, first signed with Adidas when he was still in high school back in 1997. Adidas then signed McGrady to a “lifetime strategic partnership agreement” in 2002, at the time describing it as “the most significant contract Adidas has ever signed with a professional athlete.”

McGrady has also appeared in some iconic ads for Adidas over the years (in addition to the signature shoes that they collaborated on).

Somewhere along the line however, McGrady’s relationship with Adidas soured. While the former scoring champion did not spill the full details of what went wrong, he did also say at the Hashtag Sports conference that Adidas had told him he would not succeed with this new project of his.