A couple days ago it was revealed that Nike signed LeBron James to a lifetime deal. It was said that the deal is the largest single athlete deal in the company’s history. Well now we have the numbers.
According to USA Today’s Sam Amick, Nike’s lifetime deal with James will pay him “significantly more than” $500 million.
According to a person with knowledge of the situation, James’ lifetime shoe deal that was revealed on Monday is worth significantly more than the $500 million that has been speculated in some media reports and — at the current rate of sales — is also worth more than $30 million on an annual basis. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the financial terms.
While an exact figure hasn’t been disclosed, it’s quite clear that King James — who at 30 years of age became Nike’s first lifetime client in the company’s 44-year history — is the sneaker king of the NBA.
For comparison, James Harden signed a 13-year, $200 million deal with Adidas and Kevin Durant signed a 10-year, $300 million deal with Nike and Damian Lillard signed a 8-year $100 million deal with Adidas. LeBron’s is a lifetime deal so you can imagine how much over $500 million the contract is worth.
