Maverick Carter is part of the famous Four Horseman that grew up with LeBron James in Ohio. He’s not only James’ longtime friend, he’s also his creative director and business partner whose savvy mind has made him a force of his own. He did an interview with GQ magazine and discussed LeBron’s infamous lifetime deal with Nike. It was originally believed to be worth around and over $500 million, but it’s actually more than twice that.
GQ: So you just negotiated an unprecedented lifetime contract for LeBron with Nike. What’s your secret to being a great negotiator?
MC: You have to go into the room understanding a couple things. You have to know what you want. You have to know how to clearly articulate those things. You have to know what’s important to the other side and what they want. Be able to articulate those things, too. And then you have to be willing to not take everything. If you go into the negotiation like, I’m gonna get every dollar, every piece of real estate—I’m just gonna take this guy’s fucking pants off—you may be able to do that once, maybe twice, but after that, people aren’t going to want to do business with you. When you’re negotiating something like the Nike deal, it’s gonna last a lifetime, literally. The minute this negotiation’s over, we’re gonna work with these people every day. So you don’t want to leave them with a bad feeling.
GQ: How much was the deal for?
MC: I can’t say.
GQ: Come on, Mav! Can you ballpark it?
MC: What are people saying?
GQ: Kanye said a billion. So a billion.
[Maverick smiles and points one finger skyward.]
GQ: Holy shit.
MC: 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.
The Kanye line btw is from his song facts:
“Nike, Nike treat employees just like slaves // Gave LeBron a billi’ not to run away.”
You can read the rest of the interview HERE.
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