We knew that LeBron James’ lifetime contract with Nike was going to be worth big time money, but the amount wasn’t totally certain.
Kanye West said in his song FACTS that Nike, “Gave LeBron a bili’ not to run away,” and it turns out that actually might be the right figure when talking about his Nike deal.
In his interview with GQ, LeBron’s manager Maverick Carter confirmed that James’ deal with Nike is worth $1 billion, and perhaps more. Yes, more:
GQ: How much was the deal for?
I can’t say.
GQ: Come on, Mav! Can you ballpark it?
What are people saying?
GQ: Kanye said a billion. So a billion.
[Maverick smiles and points one finger skyward.]
GQ: Holy shit.
Yeah. It’s a fantastic deal. Nike feels great about the deal. That’s the most important thing. As great as I feel, as great as LeBron feels—Nike feels fantastic about it. It’s the largest deal in the history of the company. Their hope is he makes even more. And our hope is that, too, obviously.
A billion dollars puts LeBron in his own class. Kevin Durant has a deal with Nike that goes as high as $300 million, and while that seems nice, it’s not $1 billion. By the time he’s done playing, LeBron could very well be in good shape to own his own team, but surely that won’t be his first thought going into retirement.
It should also raise questions as to just how much Michael Jordan is making. But there’s no question, that’s a lot of dough.
[GQ]
