Adidas Making Aggressive Moves In NBA Endorsements With Upcoming Draft Class

The NBA draft is set to kick off Thursday, just days after the remarkable 2016 NBA finals. As the battle of the basketball shoe war is in full effect, the upcoming draft class will have athletic apparel giants searching for their next flagship superstar.

Nike Inc NKE has already secured the likely top pick in Australian Ben Simmons, who reportedly got confirmation he will be selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the top pick come draft day.

Now that Adidas ADDYY lost its NBA jersey deal to Nike for the upcoming season, the German sportswear company has shifted its focus towards individual player endorsements.

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It has been Adidas' strategy to diversify its endorsements in hopes to score with the next big star. Adidas has already made aggressive moves in the upcoming draft, signing the projected No. 2 pick Brandon Ingraham (Duke) , No. 3 pick Jamal Murray (Kentucky), Kris Dunn(Providence) and Jaylen Brown (California).

Adidas already boasts an impressive NBA roster of young stars, but many of them have yet to breakthrough with success in the NBA playoffs. The Adidas roster includes James Harden, Andrew Wiggins, John Wall, Derrick Rose and Kyle Lowry. Under Armour Inc UA has yet to make a move in the 2016 draft class.

Here is the full mock draft of lottery picks from CBS Sports:

• 1. Ben Simmons, SF, LSU
• 2. Brandon Ingram, SF, Duke
• 3. Jamal Murray, SG, Kentucky
• 4. Dragan Bender, PF, Israel
• 5. Buddy Hield, SG, Oklahoma
• 6. Kris Dunn, PG, Providence
• 7. Marquese Chriss, PF, Washington
• 8. Jaylen Brown, SG, California
• 9. Henry Ellenson, PF-C, Marquette
• 10. Jakob Poeltl, PF, Utah
• 11. Skal Labissiere, PF, Kentucky
• 12. Wade Baldwin IV, SG, Vanderbilt
• 13. Deyonta Davis, PF, Michigan State
• 14. Domantas Sabonis, PF, Gonzaga

The NBA draft starts at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.