LeBron James inked a lifetime deal with Nike last December, the first of its kind, and the largest single-athlete guarantee in Nike's history.
So just how much is LeBron's lifetime deal worth? According to his close friend, and business partner, Maverick Carter it's worth over $1 billion.
In a recent interview with GQ's Mark Anthony Green, Maverick Carter spoke about how he became LeBron James' business partner and discussed the negotiation process with Nike:
"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. ... 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."
When Green mentioned that Kanye West claimed the contract was for $1 billion, Carter simply smiled and pointed toward the sky, gesturing that the deal was even sweeter than that.
"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 Nike LeBron 13 doesn't look so bad anymore when you realize The Swoosh blessed King James with a $1 billion contract...
[Via]