By the end of his career, LeBron James will be one of the highest-paid players in the NBA, counting solely on the salary he gets from the teams he defends. If we include the Ohio native’s earnings from advertising into this list, we’re no longer talking about one of the richest players in the NBA, but one of the richest people in the world.
LeBron James’ major career sponsor has been apparel and footwear brand Nike. He signed a contract with them before entering the rookie draft in 2003 and has been associated with the brand ever since.
In 2015, LeBron James signed what may be one of the largest deals in sports marketing history. He spent $1 billion to tie his image to that of Nike for life. When he retires as a pro and devotes himself to coaching, managing or doing anything other than basketball, “King James” will still receive that billion dollars in his account.
This information was revealed by James’ childhood friend and current consulting partner Maverick Carter. Carter revealed details of the agreement, which was thought to be worth about $500 million in 2015, in an interview with GQ magazine.
“This is a great deal. Nike is very happy with LeBron, that’s the most important thing. This is the biggest deal in the history of the company. They want LeBron to do more. We want the same, ” Carter said. In the above interview.
To date, James has earned a total of $431.8 million across 20 actions in his career. It is expected that $99 million will be harvested between this harvest and the next.
In 2003, before entering the NBA, the three major sneaker brands, Nike, Adidas and Reebook, were fighting to preserve James’ image. Reebok was the first team to interview him and offered him a 10-season contract worth $100 million, of which $10 million was an upfront payment, due upon signing. Of course, LeBron can’t meet with Nike or Adidas.
James appreciated the offer but thought Nike and Adidas might give him more money because they were bigger companies. Adidas, which was the Akron-born player’s second interview, offered him the same deal as Reebook, but days after the meeting, they contacted the player’s entourage to tell him that in the $100 million , only 60 are guaranteed, the rest will depend on goals. . James declined the offer and went to Nike.
Oddly enough, James signed with Nike, even though they offered him less overall money. The offer was $87 million for seven years (12.4 seasons). However, for “King James”, the prestige and future that Jordan’s company can bring to him are more important than Reebok’s 100 million.