Fear of God and Adidas‘ partnership will come to a close after five years.
Label designer and founder Jerry Lorenzo confirmed the move Thursday and a video interview published by Complex and said the decision not to renew their contract was mutual. Although the partnership will formally cease as December ends, the new Fear of God Athletics Basketball 3 sneaker will still launch in 2026.
Adidas first announced that it had signed a deal with Fear of God in 2020, which was seen as a major get after Lorenzo had several successful releases with Nike. The first Fear of God x Adidas sneaker wouldn’t release until 2023, however, and the same levels of hype were never achieved when compared to Adidas’ chief rival.
Rather than selling out quickly like other high-profile sneaker collaborations, Fear of God x Adidas sneakers have tended to sit, and often wound up on discount. As of publishing, one pair of the Basketball 2 is available on Fear of God’s website for 40 percent off. On StockX, sales have gone for more than 50 percent less than retail.
The primary basketball star associated with the Fear of God x Adidas line has been Derrick Rose, whose last signature sneaker from the German brand released in 2020 and who retired last year. His sneakers also hadn’t made noise in some time, and he was never able to reach the same heights in performance after his injury issues began in 2012.
Lorenzo said his Adidas sneakers never quite got where he wanted them to be and that the lead person he’d work with from the company changed “six or seven” times. He added: “I’m not saying this is Adidas’ fault, they had the best intentions in trying to get this product to where it needed to get to, but I think there was just a lot of personnel changes.
In 2023, Lorenzo told WWD he thought his Adidas line could be as big as Jordan Brand. Looking back now, he confirmed the belief and said: “Anyone that steps on the court has a desire to win a championship. … What I understood Adidas wanted from me was a performance basketball sneaker that would speak to the authenticity of sport.”
