Nike Signs LeBron To $90 Mil Shoe Deal
 

<font size=4 color=white><b>LeBron, Nike agree to seven-year deal</b></font>

<p><img src=http://www.wantongirls.com/lebron.jpg align=left>LeBron James is more than a month away from signing with an NBA team, but Wednesday night, the 18-year old phenom -- projected to be the No. 1 pick in the June 26 draft -- agreed in principle to a seven-year deal with Nike, sources told ESPN.com.
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Sources said the deal was worth more than $90 million, but less than the five-year, $100 million deal Tiger Woods signed with Nike in Sept. 2000. The deal also includes a $10 million signing bonus.
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James' agent Aaron Goodwin and family publicist Alexandria Boone both declined to comment. Boone said only that an announcement would be released Thursday.
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The battle for James -- which formally began when he declared for the draft on April 25 but actually had begun years before -- was thought to be only between adidas and Nike.
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Nike, a $10 billion company with the largest market share in the athletic shoe business, was willing to spend plenty, but James' St. Vincent-St. Mary team had worn adidas, thanks to the work of adidas' director of basketball Sonny Vaccaro. Vaccaro also declined to comment on James' reaching an agreement with Nike.
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But once James turned pro, Reebok executive Tom Shine -- who could not be reached for comment Wednesday night -- told ESPN.com that he kept quiet to respect James' amateur status. Over the past few days, Reebok emerged as the favorite, but in the end James went with the swoosh, less than 24 hours before the league lottery.
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Rick Burton, executive director of the Warsaw School of Sports Marketing at the University of Oregon, said watching how Nike shareholders respond to the news on Thursday should be interesting.
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"When Tiger Woods signed his first deal with Nike worth a reported $40 million, one analyst said that Nike overpaid and downgraded the stock," Burton said. "A couple weeks later, when Tiger won the Masters, it was concluded that they had bought the right guy. We'll obviously have to wait until October to see the first glimpse of LeBron."
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With Nike officials confirming on Tuesday that they had signed Carmelo Anthony, the company could have locked up the first two picks of the NBA Draft, which takes place on June 26. The company also is expected to announce a deal soon with Kobe Bryant, once a penalty clause expires in Bryant's existing deal with adidas in June.
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Wednesday was a big business day for James, as he also signed an exclusive trading card and memorabilia deal with Upper Deck. Goodwin declined to give specifics, but one source with knowledge of the deal told ESPN.com it was a five-year contract worth at least $1 million per year plus a $1 million signing bonus.

Obscene.

why is it obscene? it's America. Racist!

if he was a white guy like Tiger Woods you wouldn't be saying that.

Seems very unlikely that he will become a great NBA player.

Nike is my shoe of choice, thank you Mr Jordan for making that company what it is today

hehe nice.

Dr. Guile why do u say that? I've heard nobody say anything to doubt LeBron's potential to be an NBA superstar. Some people doubt he will be the next Jordan. I heard one scout say he is not as athletic as Kobe or McGrady. But everybody agrees he is going to be very good.

Only reservation they have about him is his posse of hangers on and his mother who is supposedly a nightmare.

I call it the "Lindros" factor. Or even worse, Alexandre Daigle (hockey players, what can I say, Im canadian)

Too much hype, too much attention, too much money, put in a leadership position too quickly.

90 million is obscene. Make no make mistake about it. But wrong ?.......Hell no take the cash. What do I care how Nike spends there money. Mutt ........you touched on a very good point about his "boys" and his mom. That much money can do weird shit to people. Like Rome said "King James" dealing on a bunch of kids is one thing, doing it in a league of men is another. Lebron has unreal talent. The things that makes so much more dominate than Kobe or KG at the High school level is his body. He is not a bean pole kid still developing. He is grown........He seems to be way past his years physically. He looks 25 years old . It will be interesting to see how he adjusts.

Hey Mutt if you have first pick, who do you take him or Carmelo ?
I think I take Carmelo. My :2 cents:

he's a pure scorer,it's obvious he's not as athetic as Kobe and McGrady but he can be like Iverson on steroids..take 40 shots to get 30 points a night,Vince Carter highlights and the ladies will swoon over him..Thats all that matters lol,Marketting dream..He's not the next Jordan but theres not a chance in hell the kid won't be a superstar,he's got no choice BUT to be...

I'd take James, and it seems like it's unanimous among NBA teams. The big decision is at #2 between Carmelo and Darko Milecic. Being almost 7' it will take Darko longer to develop but they are saying he is Nowitzki with a much better inside game.

And you're right about LeBron, he is no beanpole, over 240 pounds and cut, McGrady and Kobe were more beanpoles at the same age.

Big night for a bunch of teams tonight. Cleveland will commit suicide if they don't get the first pick. But very few times since the lottery began has the worst team in the league actually won the lottery. I just don't want it to be some team like Detroit fluking it.
If the Knicks win it you will have cries of 'Conspiracy!' everywhere.

Paying someone 90mil because they have certain genetic traits which enable them to chuck a ball through a hoop is obscene.

We used to consider athletes great because we thought that hard work, dedication, self discipline and that sort of shit got them where they are. Now we know that performance at the elite level is governed entirely by how well you picked your parents, there is no reason to get worked up over it.

I can say that anyway, but I'll still be cheering Lance Armstrong.. a genetic freak if there ever was one.. come July.

carmelo wont sell tickets like lebron will.

what makes the athlete different than a rock star, rap star or an actor?

Jim Carrey makes 30 million dollars for maybe six weeks work on a movie. Pro athletes work hard pretty much year round, their season are 8-10 months long.

No matter what,it should be Lebron,Milecic and Anthony-1-2-3
The reason I take Milecic 2nd is because he's proven,he's played world ball right? He's played with men that for the most part are at least NBDL material...Anthony is a nice player but he had to be.He was the go to guy on a college team,of course he was going to shine...and the NBA is going to take away his postup game I think :2 cents:

he could buy a hummer dealership with that

I hear ya nap ! There is no question who will sell more seats. It is the one that has been marketed more. :winkwink:

The whole "straight outta high school" sells them as well.
Carmelo has performed on a HUGE stage against much much better competition. I have a funny feeling about James......he remind of that kid Dallas drafted a few years ago , that went fuckin NUTZ.....What was his name Leon something I think ?

Leon Smith. Sad story.

There's nothing obscene about it. It's business.

People love to complain about the money athletes make. It's ridiculous. If those athletes didn't produce results and sell tickets, they wouldn't be making that money. Every money maker has a reason behind their fat wallet.

Yeah thats him............real sad story. Like I said I have no basis for my take on Lebron. I just do not see that "SuperStar" look in his eyes. But he is still young. Who knows, thats is why this is fun to talk about.

Yeah, I understand it within capitalism.. and its necessary. A person or product is worth what the market will pay for whatever they can offer. The alternative is far more unpalatable.

Its just seems a little silly when you think of it in a 'scheme of things' manner.

That's a giant problem with american celebrities today. Being overpaid. Paying someone $100 Million to do commercials, and then probably paying them a salary of $100 Million to play a game, and then watch, he'll fuck up and miss stupid shots.. They should pay athletes on a yearly or monthly CPA deal. "score these many points, you get $1M". If any sport that should be paid more it's Hockey. Those guys go through more shit and grit than any other national sport today (rugby is not a national sport here so dont bitch). In hockey you need something called SKILL just to start playing, then you need to develop your puck handling, shot accuracy, and lets not forget, how to properly take a body hit against the boards. In basketball, if someone falls down they make a giant deal about it.. In hockey, they measure if blood was drawn or not.

"There are only three real sports: bull fighting, mountain climbing, and and motor racing. The rest are just games." - Ernest Hemmingway

I thought initially you had added too many zeros but guess you haven't. That is absolutely amazing!

Tiger Woods is white???

I think people should be able to exercise all of their economic capabilities... so I am happy for LeBron...

I still think he will be in for a rude awakening when he plays in the NBA... and it will take him a few years to get acclimated. I also think he will not be the best player to come from HS. He has loads of skill, and potential - but I am not sure he has right attitude to be the best....

You can't pay a player based on points and shit. The team will lose !! Please don't start with all the Hockey is the toughest sport shit either. I am a Hockey fan......It is a very physically demanding sport, but can no way compare to the NFL. Those are the most underpaid PRO's. I know a few ex NFL players...You take a beating . I played in the semi-pro league in europe (a long time ago) that is now NFL europe. Ever sit 10 rows up or closer at an NFL game ? It sounds like a fucking train wreck everyplay. These are not 5'10 185lbs. either. These are grown ass men that will damge your body. 6'2' 255 running a 4.4 is the norm now. Think about this.........in Hockey, basketball, baseball, soccer etc......(I do not now anything of rugby), there are continually 15, 16 , 18 year old "kids" that can play at there pro level. When was the last time a kid came out of High School for the NFL ? Or even after his freshman or soph. year in college ? Not very often, actually next to never. Why ? Because it is a MAN's game at that level!!! And a childs body is just not ready for that kind of abuse.

since when does hard work and "going thru some shit" equate to more money? with that logic the drunk on the corner shouldnt be on the corner..You get paid what you help bring in,just like any other job...

It get's worse, heard on the news this AM that Reebok signed a **4 year old** to a deal, and will be fallowing him with video cameras until he is 18 because he can already shoot 20 baskets in a row w/o missing on a 8 ft basket.

No, I am not joking.

I blame the parents more than I blame the shoes or NBA or whatever, Lebrons mom buys him a $60k hummer while she lives in subsidized housing, yes, I think every 17 yr old needs a $60k car.

This 4 yr old is going to grow up and be the worst ever, Michael Jackson will appear normal to this kid's future.

Best argument i have ever heard as to why football is the most physical sport:thumbsup

I dunno,thats pretty sweet...That he's that talented and that some company is going to spend 14 years with him..have a link?

Nike has a pretty good track record in picking their athletets:2 cents:

I hope Portland trades for Carmelo:thumbsup

the most ridiculous thing is that NFL players make same or less on average than NHL hockey players. The NFL is a cashcow, each franchise is worth about 1 BILLION. An NHL team is worth about 1/10th. Tells you what is wrong with the NHL and why they are going to shut it down in 2004.

DAmn 90 million! He's not even signed with a team yet either wait till you see that contract.

are you kidding? granted hockey takes skill but the league is filled with europeans! its a sport played on ice first of all, and the rink isnt big at all. how much athletism do you need to play a sport where you play on ice? hockey isnt even all that physical! wtf is a body check, i mean really? have you ever sat down and watched a football game? hell watch a college game and you will see that football is 10x more physical than the ice sport. the only hockey injury i have ever seen is a stick to the face caused by "high sticking" and the guy left for 10 minute and came back. thats a pussy ass injury. guys who play football are expected to play with broken fingures, dislocated body parts. the ncaa championship game a guy got his knee shattered from a NORMAL tackle! get the hell out of here with your ice sport and let the real men play the games they love. by the way, football isnt a 1 man sport, its an actual TEAM sport. the only skilled person on the ice is the goalie.

agreed! FUCK HOCKEY and the ice it rode in on

Ironic that Nike will spend $100 million on an unproven (at the pro level) basketball phenom but they won't spend $100 million to have a single factory in the United States. I like Milecic especially due to the circumstances he grew up in. He has truly earned the right to be in the NBA.

One amusing story I caught on ESPN talked about David Eckstein. Even though he was one of the MVPs for the Angels, a world champion team, he made $285,000 in 2002, and he drives a car he borrowed from his sister. He's never bought himself a CD. He doesn't own a computer because he's afraid it will distract him, he goes to the library to log onto the internet and check his hotmail. And people compare him to shortstops who make ridiculous amounts I won't even go into. Was good to see that not everyone cares about the material wealth that comes with sports.

- Titus

Mega,just wait until he's resigned...I bet ole' Davey won't be turning money away thats for sure

Biggest thing to hit Akron since Goodyear :)

LeBron if going to the cav's will draw ticket sales like mad...

Cav's are pathetic, they need something

At 285 he's no slouch, that's executive salary, driving his sister's Honda no less! His apartment in Phoenix (spring training) was extremely modest, can't have been more than 1500 a month. He didn't have anything in it other than IKEA furniture. But when you come home from workouts at 11 and get up at 5:30 I suppose that makes sense.

We need more Ecksteins in sports.

- Titus

Actually he is Asian, at least the majority of him.

Actually, you dont see any guys going straight from high school to the pro's because its against the rules.

http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/nfl-draft4.htm

One of the few draft rules is that underclass players are prohibited from entering the draft until three college football seasons have passed since their high school graduation. This means that almost all freshmen and some sophomores cannot be drafted.

Still, point is good. Most are not big enough to handle the NFL. They need a couple good years in college on a non-stop cycle of steroids to prepare for it. ;)

tiger is white??/

when did this happen?

not really..I don't want my athletes and entertainers like me...I want them wearing pink fur,driving Ferrari's with topless white girls hanging out the side...it's what makes America great! :glugglug

WRONG!

HUH???

Where do you get these numbers?

The team that is worth the most out of *ALL* sports is the NY Yankee's and its worth $800 million if that.

And who said the NHL is closeing? Id like to see that news clip.

i have played hockey and football. hockey hurts a lot more, but the problem is its alot harder to hit someone hard in hockey because they can move and keep their head up. plus body checking isn't taught like it should be in minor hockey.

its all about the speed of the game, it makes the hits a lot harder. a good open ice hit makes your insides move. in football you just get hit with a shoulder.

He's of African, Thai, Chinese, American Indian, and European descent.

I saw this kid play at Gund Arena in cleveland

Fucking amazing

If he stays healthy, Drug free, and doesnt let all this hype go to his head he will be incredible in a couple years

CORRECT!!!

The value of an NFL team is approaching 1 billion dollars. Houston paid $750 mil to get in the NFL. When L.A. gets a team again it will be for a billion. This includes stadium.

The NHL is not closing. But there CBA with the players association runs out in 2004 and the owners have vowed they will shut the league down until the players agree to a salary cap that makes it possible for alot of the teams to survive. Buffalo Sabres were in bankruptcy this year, ditto the Ottawa Senators. And there are many others close to the same boat. The NHL's revenues are a fraction of what the NFL's are and about half of what the NBA's are, yet the NHL players make basically the same kind of money.
It's a screwed up league, their ticket prices are too high because they are so dependent on arena ticket sales and that has turned alot of people away - you have lots of cities which used to sell out 41 games a year plus playoffs like Boston, Chicago, Long Island, L.A. now with half filled arenas. It's broke.