LeBron James was a household name even before he set foot on the NBA hardwood. One of the most talented high schoolers ever, LeBron was highly anticipated to be one of the greatest Draft prospects ever. The teenager had all the NBA teams going on a full-fledged war during the 2002-2003 season to Draft him, and even had some of the biggest sports apparel brands in the world fighting over him. Just days prior to the 2003 Draft, three of the biggest shoe companies at the time – Nike, Adidas, and Reebok – met with and gave presentations to the youngster. Merely a week after missing his high school prom to attend Adidas’ pitch, LeBron attended a $1,000,000 presentation by Nike.
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According to ESPN, LeBron James took a two-day trip on May 10 and 11, missing his high school prom in order to hear Adidas’ pitch. After receiving a $60,000,000 offer, LeBron flew back from Los Angeles only to see Adidas set up a full-fledged campaign back in Akron. The town was flooded with billboards touting the 18-year-old as the next NBA superstar. Despite finding it to be the “coolest thing”, LeBron went ahead and displayed his faith in Nike.
Nike spent $1 million for their presentation for LeBron James
Merely a week after the meeting with Adidas, LeBron flew to Oregon for Nike’s pitch on May 17th. As reported, the company displayed a PowerPoint Presentation of nine different types of prototypes for his potential signature shoes. These prototypes were designed by the mastermind behind Air Jordan – Tinker Hatfield. Reportedly, the presentation cost more than $1,000,000. According to ESPN’s The Path to Greatness report:
“May 17-18: LeBron flies to Beaverton, Ore., to hear a presentation by Nike. Nike officials show James a powerpoint presentation and show him nine prototypes of what his signature shoe may look like. Some are designed by Air Jordan designer Tinker Hatfield. The presentation costs more than $1 million, according to sources.”
Nike’s offer was significantly better than Adidas’. The Oregon-based sports apparel company offered him a $10,000,000 signing bonus that was included in his $100,000,000 (approx.) contract. Despite Reebok offering the youngster a lot more money($115,000,000), the Forward went on to accept Nike’s offer.
Today, LeBron James is one of the most successful athletes in the world. Having dominated the basketball world for 20 years, King James has been loyal to Nike at every step of his career. We’ve seen Bron wear his signature shoes with pride. And more recently, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar even released photos of the 21st version of his signature shoes.
LeBron’s Loyalty to Nike
Similar to what Michael Jordan did during the 1992 Olympics, a loyal servant to the Nike family, LeBron James covered Adidas’ logo when he played in the Drew League last year.
The incident occurred seven years after LeBron signed a historic, lifetime deal with Nike. The deal was worth approximately $1 billion, making him one of three NBA players – after Michael Jordan and Kevin Durant – to be the recipient of a lifetime contract.
