Top star LeBron James has revealed that fashion brand Reebok offered him a $10 million contract prior to joining the NBA while in high school.
Speaking on the Jason & Travis Kelce podcast on YouTube, he recalled details of the meeting with Maverick Carter in his final year in secondary school.
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“I’m sitting across from the table; I’m a senior in high school…I’m going back to St. Vincent-St. Mary the next day, my senior year, and the guy slides over a check to me at the end of the table…
“It was me and my mom and Maverick Carter at the end of the table, and he says, ‘If you don’t go talk to any other companies, this is yours,’ and I look at it… 10 million dollars,” he stated.
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James said he never signed the deal but eventually got a bigger contract from Nike.
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“…I told them I needed a break. They stepped out…And my mom looked at me, and she’s like, ‘Son, trust your gut. If they’re offering you this, then who knows what the other companies may offer you,” he added.
Following his judgment and discretion, LeBron has gone ahead to maintain a lifetime contract with Nike.
Early this week, the LA Lakers star described playing an NBA game on the same pitch with his son, Bronny, as a big achievement.
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“When it comes to the titles, that’s one separate thing,” LeBron said. “But to be able to play in this league and also be able to do it alongside Bronny right now, that’s one of the biggest accomplishments and probably the No. 1 accomplishment I’ve ever been able to do,” he stated on the New Heights podcast on Wednesday, January 15.
LeBron and his oldest child made headlines in October 2024 when they were hailed for being the first father-son duo to play together in the NBA.
The 40-year-old believes playing with his son made him restore the years he was away during Bronny’s childhood.
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“To work with your son—I’ve heard it from a lot of people, and not only [in] sports, but I’ve heard it in business and [other] walks of life, and they say it’s the greatest thing you could ever have.”
“…It helps me get some of the minutes and hours and years back that I did not have with him because I was playing so much and on the road, and doing my own thing and traveling,” he added.
