Adidas signed Jerry Lorenzo in a blockbuster — five years on, the partnership ended

In 2020, Jerry Lorenzo shocked the sneaker world by leaving Nike — where his Air Fear of God 1 was one of the most celebrated collaborations of the decade — to join Adidas. The deal put Lorenzo in charge of business strategy and creative direction for Adidas Basketball, with a new sub-brand Fear of God Athletics. It was seen as Adidas's boldest move to challenge Nike's dominance in sneaker culture.

The first products did not appear until 2023, two years after the announcement. When they arrived, they failed to generate the excitement Lorenzo's Nike collaborations had commanded. Sneakerheads noted that none of the Fear of God x Adidas releases grabbed the culture like the Air Fear of God 1 did in 2018. The partnership was visibly struggling long before its end.

In December 2025, Lorenzo confirmed that the contract expired at the end of the month and both parties agreed not to renew. He cited misaligned business models: Adidas needed quick returns while his creative process required patience neither the company nor the market had. The deal that was supposed to transform Adidas Basketball ended with a whimper, not a bang.