Anthony Edwards took a shot at LeBron James through his AE3 commercial, but the 76ers star wasn’t about to give Adidas any attention in return. James made it clear that he doesn’t watch anything “from the Three Stripes,” referring to the brand. Adidas, however, had a response of its own, bringing another familiar name into the mix.
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On October 25, 2026, Adidas put up an ad featuring actor and comedian Hasan Minhaj. “A certain someone in Philadelphia says he doesn’t watch the Three Stripes,” Minhaj said.
“Let me say this, your current company’s stock price says otherwise. I know, you’re watching.” The comedian further said, joking over the situation while also acting as a direct response to James’ comment.
That isn’t all. The ad mocked James’ fan and artist, Drake. “Oh, and somewhere in Toronto, a certain bandwagon fan is facing FOMO and buried in lawsuits. Really sorry about that.”
The Drake reference was no coincidence, either. The rapper had previously taken a dig at Edwards in a Nike commercial promoting Kevin Durant’s signature shoe line, claiming that only a handful of Minnesota fans wanted to wear the young star’s sneakers. Drake has also been dealing with legal issues.
Drake is currently appealing the dismissal of his defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” He is also facing a separate copyright lawsuit filed by Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer Aviel Calev Hirschfield, who alleges that Drake used the chorus of his song “Janice STFU” on his 2026 album Iceman without permission or proper credit. Drake has denied the allegations, maintaining that he wrote the song and does not know Hirschfield.
The dig at Drake was only part of Adidas’ response, though. Its history with LeBron James goes back much further.
The future Hall of Famer’s history with Adidas dates back to 2003. According to former Adidas executive Sonny Vaccaro, the company had agreed in principle to a 10-year, $100 million deal for James when he was still in high school. However, the offer eventually presented to James was reportedly worth around $70 million, including incentives. James ultimately signed with Nike, agreeing to a seven-year deal reported at $90 million.
The tension resurfaced in 2022 when James covered the Adidas logo on his jersey while playing in the Adidas-sponsored Drew League. The move drew attention given his long-standing association with Nike.
Therefore, to some, it was no surprise when he said. “First of all, I did not watch the spot,” James told Steve Nash on the Mind the Game Podcast. “Because I don’t watch anything from the stripes. Nothing. Love Ant to death, but I don’t watch s**t from the stripes. I just don’t.”
The comments came after Anthony Edwards’ first AE3 ad, where he poked fun at James’ age and decision to join the 76ers. Though LeBron James avoided watching the commercial, he’d heard what it claimed.
“So, I don’t even know what he actually said,” James said. “And obviously you can see some of the headlines. I think he said, like, he’s old, too old, he ain’t want his knees to be cold.”
“But then I was like, ‘But I went to Philly, Ant.’ It’s like now my knees won’t be warmer in Philly. So, you need to edit some writing.”
Of course, James is now a veteran player who left the Lakers after eight seasons to join the 76ers. He is now playing his very first season with the brand-new team.