LeBron James has revealed why he turned down a $10 million shoe deal at 18.
The Los Angeles Lakers player appeared on the “New Heights” podcast to reflect on the array of shoe deals he considered during his early days in the league. While currently signed with Nike, James once weighed different options.
At a young age, James was inspired by Michael Jordan and Penny Hardaway, who were both signed to Nike. When he began playing for AAU, he grew fond of Adidas, Nike’s retail competitor.
“It was Adidas from seventh, eighth grade to pretty much my junior senior year. They sponsored us. Every year, we played in all the Adidas tournaments,” he said on the podcast.
At one point, a wave of companies approached James, but he felt that Reebok had delivered the most compelling pitch.
“I’m sitting across from the table. I’m a senior in high school…I’m going back to class the next day. They flew me in. I’m going back to St. Vince St Mary the next day, my senior year, and the guy slides over a check to me at the end of the table. It’s me, my mom, and Maverick Carter, at the end of the table, and he says, ‘If you don’t go talk to any other companies, this is yours.’ And I look at it, $10 million f-cking dollars,” James recalled.
In shock, James requested for a break to consider the deal.
“Me and my mom were living in an apartment—section 8 housing in Akron. I’m going back. I don’t have sh-t whatever, and my mom looked at me. She said, ‘Son, trust your gut. If they’re offering you this, then who knows what the other companies may offer you.’ She’s super composed. She’s like, ‘We ain’t got sh-t already, so it’s not like it changes our life in this moment. Maybe in the future, but I want you to trust your gut and do what you think is right.'”
James called Reebok back into the room and declined their offer.
He added, “I may have cried on the way home ’cause I had to leave. You’re questioning, ‘Man, I hope I just made the right decision. I could have bought the building that me and my mom was living in.”
In the end, it all worked out for James. He would sign a seven-year deal with Nike in 2003 valued at $90 million, as AFROTECH™ previously told you. In 2016, James’ partnership with Nike became a lifelong affair. He reportedly signed a billion-dollar lifetime deal, Sports Illustrated reports.
“Signing with Nike is the best business decision I have made,” James said in a 2018 interview, according to Inc. Magazine.
