Looking Back at 10 Years of the adidas Harden Signature Sneaker Line

In 2015, James Harden signed a 13-year, $200 million deal with adidas, joining the brand's burgeoning roster of sponsored athletes. Perhaps the then-Houston Rocket knew what he's achieve as one of the faces of a sportswear brand, but it's likely his own expectations couldn't have predicted everything that'd go down over the next decade.

As the Three Stripes and 17-year-NBA-veteran ready the launch of the adidas Harden Vol. 10 on Dec. 15, we at House of Heat° have decided to take a trip down memory lane to reminisce on every mainline model in Harden's signature series. We'll also touch on what reaching a 10th silhouette means in the world of sportswear.

You can shop Harden and every other adidas athlete's signature sneaker via adidas.com/basketball.

adidas Harden Vol. 1

First impressions are always important, and adidas Basketball's first proposal under the "Harden Vol." banner didn't disappoint.

A pause from the super lightweight hoops models endorsed by the likes of Derrick Rose, the Harden Vol. 1 was as solid as its signature star. Built with a mix of performance data and personal narrative, the sneaker featured thoughtfully-crafted components to fit Harden's game and tell his story. The sneaker's low-cut design, BOOST cushioning, and adaptable sole unit helped the then-Rocket continue to be the offensive force he has grown to be on-the-court.

Til this day, the original adidas Harden sneaker is considered amongst the series' best by diehard hoopers.

adidas Harden Vol. 2

The Harden Vol. 2 didn't see time on the hardwood until February 2018; "the Beard" began the 2017-18 NBA season in his highly-praised Harden Vol. 1.

Designed by Rashad Williams, who'd spend a lot of time working with Harden, the sequel doubled down on industry-shifting BOOST foam while changing virtually everything from its predecessor. Even if some fans of the Harden Vol. 1 decided to keep hooping in it instead of its successor, the second adidas Harden is cemented in the annals of Three Stripes hoops history as it saw its signature athlete earn a Scoring Title and Regular Season MVP trophy.

The Harden Vol. 2 continued to share the guard's personal interests and life story through special makeups.

adidas Harden Vol. 3

It's not usual that two marquee signature shoes release in the same calendar year, but that's exactly what happened between the Harden Vol. 2 and 3.

The simplest of Harden's three designs up to that point, the Harden Vol. 3 raised eyebrows amongst casual sneaker-enthusiasts and frequent hoopers alike. The former group might've kept its distance from the third adidas Harden, but the latter ultimately came around to the sneaker once it tested the shoe on-court. Though straightforward in build and looks, the pair performed how it needed to.

adidas Harden Vol. 4

By the start of the 2019-2020 NBA season, James Harden had earned top-billing in the League. As such, more attention was being paid to his adidas Basketball line.

In the Harden Vol. 4, the brand's design team strived to reach "the perfect blend between innovation and fashion." To this front, the sneaker was much busier than its immediate predecessor, enabled bolder color executions, and switched cushioning solutions from BOOST to LIGHTSTRIKE. Though lighter than BOOST, LIGHTSTRIKE foam is a lot firmer right-out-the-box, leading some hoopers to miss the immediate bounciness of BOOST.

With its fourth iteration, the adidas Harden line demonstrated a commitment to allowing Harden's game inform innovation and expand design guidelines.

adidas Harden Vol. 5

adidas Basketball's Harden Vol. 5 was a big bold bet that didn't pan out.

Built with a dual-cushioning setup of BOOST and LIGHTSTRIKE, the most-defining feature of the fifth Harden Vol. design was FUTURENATURAL. Effectively a manufacturing process that creates a seamless, omni-directional fit with a lack of traditional layers, FUTURENATURAL sought to provide enhanced containment for Harden's hard cuts and step backs.

Although the innovative, the design proved a bit stiffer than previous Harden shoes.

adidas Harden Vol. 6

Visually, the Harden Vol. 6 was more evolution than revolution from the Harden Vol. 5, but it completely abandoned FUTURENATURAL. Instead, the sneaker indulged in a more traditional construction, which allowed the herringbone-patterned outsole and full-length BOOST midsole to deliver an underfoot sensation associated with fan-favorite Hardens.

adidas Harden Vol. 7

Something shifted from the Harden Vol. 6 to the 7.

Visually, the Harden Vol. 7 appears like an entirely new product line from the Three Stripes. Design-wise, the sneaker aimed to bring Harden to footwear-form in the same way his debut signature style did seven years prior, mixing statement-making aesthetics with top-of-the-line performance.

The shoe's fashion-forward presentation complemented Harden's off-court appearance well. Underneath the futuristic design, a JET BOOST tooling setup delivered the necessary launch pad for a game like the guard's. The puffer jacket-reminiscent Harden Vol. 7 re-energized the athlete's line while bringing attention to adidas Basketball as a whole.

adidas Harden Vol. 8

If it's not broke, don't fix it.

With the Harden Vol. 8, the adidas Basketball team modified things without erasing a clear through-line from its previous Harden design. The result was a mid-top silhouette that still raised eyebrows unlike most other signature sneakers on the NBA hardwood.

The pair maintained an internal bootie design and Euro Step-informed outsole, but featured an upper that utilized a distinctive teardrop-shaped EVA structure along the profiles. This frame provided lateral support and containment for aggressive changes of direction at game-speed.

adidas Harden Vol. 9

Fans of the Harden Vol. 8 weren't given too much reason to update to the Harden Vol. 9, but the successor still made a case for itself amongst hoopers and shoe collectors alike.

Its overall shape and performance was similar to its predecessor, but its upper continued to showcase adidas Basketball's reinvigorated design ethos. The sneaker's performance was reliable and balanced, but its presentation continued to challenge the status quo of what a hoops model could look like.

A plethora of story-driven colorways and Player-Exclusives for Harden and other adidas-sponsored hoopers allowed the public to see just how versatile the Harden Vol. 9 was.

adidas Harden Vol. 10

As the sneaker marking a decade of partnership between James Harden and adidas, the Harden Vol. 10 had to be special—although its three immediate predecessors demonstrate that the pair was years in the making.

The sneaker's overall shape doesn't change much from the Hardens 7 through 9, but its build is sleeker. This is achieved by a silver-like launch colorway and molded, shell-like upper. The shimmering material includes a ripple pattern across the profiles, playing the role of sculpture and performance model. When coupled with a bootie inner-sleeve, the Harden Vol. 10 delivers high-quality containment.

Underfoot, tooling builds on the success of the most recent designs to create a reliable cushioning-and-traction-setup.

With the adidas Harden Vol. 10, the 36-year-old joins a special club of endorsed athletes with a decade-worth of signature footwear styles. Whether or not the 10th Harden Vol. model joins the ranks of beloved hoops shoes of the 21st century has yet to pan out, but what's certain is that the man behind the shoe has firmly-cemented himself over the last decade. Three years are left in his initial contract with the Three Stripes, but history has already been made.