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2026-27 · Regular season
Jaden McDaniels signs a multi-year Adidas shoe deal to headline Anthony Edwards’ Believe That sneaker
The Timberwolves forward will lead Anthony Edwards' Believe That line, appear in national Adidas campaigns and run community programs in Minneapolis and the Seattle area, on top of the $124 million left on his contract.
In this article
Jaden McDaniels has a new shoe company, and it is the same one as his star teammate. The Timberwolves forward has signed a multi-year shoe deal with Adidas, Nick DePaula reported Saturday, and the brand made it official a few hours later with a post welcoming him to the “adidas fam.”
McDaniels will be the lead athlete for “Believe That,” the sneaker line built around Anthony Edwards, rather than getting a shoe of his own. The deal also puts him in national Adidas campaigns and sets up community programs in Minneapolis and in the Seattle area, where he grew up. The financial terms were not disclosed.
What the deal covers
The Believe That 1 is a takedown model, a cheaper shoe that sits next to the main signature line that carries Edwards’ initials. Putting a second Timberwolves starter at the front of it gives Adidas two faces for the Edwards brand in the same lineup. With Edwards out lately with a knee injury, the other one has kept playing.
McDaniels has been wearing Adidas for weeks. He moved away from the mostly Nike shoes he wore earlier in his career and has played this season in the Believe That 1, the Crazy Energy and a BAPE collaboration version of the Crazy Energy+. DePaula reported that McDaniels is expected to get his own Adidas player-exclusive colorways during the 2027-28 season.
The brand’s announcement video, about 43 seconds long, has comedian Hasan Minhaj delivering the news. Its post on X read: “But we got Jaden McDaniels.”
The money around him
The shoe deal sits on top of a long playing contract. In October, McDaniels and the Timberwolves agreed to a one-year, $40 million extension for the 2029-30 season, added to the three years and $84 million left on the five-year deal he signed in 2023. That puts $124 million on his contract over the next four seasons.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Shoe brand | Adidas (multi-year deal, terms not disclosed) |
| Sneaker he headlines | Believe That, Anthony Edwards’ line |
| Other parts of the deal | National ad campaigns; community programs in Minneapolis and the Seattle area |
| Own colorways | Expected during the 2027-28 season |
| Timberwolves contract | $124 million over four seasons, through 2029-30 |
| Extension signed | One year, $40 million, in October 2026 |
The timing helps Adidas. McDaniels, 26, made the All-Defensive second team in 2024 and averaged 16.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists through his first 12 games this season, all career highs. He had 18 points and 6 assists in Saturday’s 117-106 loss to the Bulls at Target Center.
A hometown angle in Seattle
McDaniels is from Federal Way, Washington, south of Seattle. He played high school basketball there and spent one college season at the University of Washington before the Lakers drafted him 28th in 2020. He was traded twice within two days and landed in Minnesota.
The Seattle part of the deal comes at a time when the NBA is weighing a return to the city, with a decision on a Seattle expansion team expected after the league picks a Las Vegas winner.
Adidas has been holding on to its biggest NBA names. Donovan Mitchell renewed his own Adidas deal in October, with plans for a tenth signature shoe. Adding McDaniels to Edwards’ line puts a rising player in an existing shoe instead of starting a new one.
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