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LeBron James is one of the most famous Nike athletes in sports history, trailing Michael Jordan – and, maybe, Tiger Woods – and that’s about it.
But LeBron was an Adidas guy in high school. The brand sponsored his high school team and, according to a new story from ESPN’s Andscape, he would’ve signed with them coming out of high school if not for the “single dumbest mistake” in negotiating history.
ESPN’s Nick DePaula published a deep dive on LeBron’s sneaker decision, which hit its 20-year anniversary on Monday.
The story is well worth a lengthy read, though the part about Adidas screwing up the negotiations is probably the most noteworthy.
Adidas had reportedly previously told LeBron and his family that he could expect to sign for $100 million, at $10 million annually. LeBron, naturally, expected that money to be guaranteed.
However, when Adidas presented him with their final offer, only $7 million per year was guaranteed.
“Sonny (Vacarro) had always said, ‘It is going to take $10 million guaranteed a year.’ The contract offer from Adidas was about $7 million guaranteed, with a number of incentives that got it to $10 million a year. But, it wasn’t all guaranteed. He knew that Nike was going to come pretty hard, with all guaranteed money,” David Bond said.
Vacarro, one of the most influential figures in basketball shoes history, called it a generational mistake.
“It was the dumbest single mistake anybody ever made in the history of negotiating. If he signs [with Adidas], the whole world changes.”
What an amazing read.
Nike. Adidas. Reebok. LeBron.
Great work @NickDePaula and @aardodson! https://t.co/qaxwBIjGZt
— Albert Nguyen (@AnalyticsCapper) May 22, 2023
LeBron, of course, went on to sign with Nike and he’s been with the brand ever since.
His shoes are some of the best-selling in sports history.
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