LeBron James’ Biz Partner Talks About How Much LBJ’s Lifetime Nike Deal Is Really Worth (Hint: A LOT)

Go ahead and talk about the majesty that two-time MVP Stephen Curry shoots with, but I’m riding with the bullish physicality that LeBron James plays with—and the biggest sports apparel brand on the planet feels the same way.

After Nike inked James to a lifetime deal in December of last year, people speculated just how much the contract was really worth, with USA Today‘s Sam Amick even saying that the $400-500 million range actually being too low!

In a new interview with GQ mag, LeBron’s longtime business partner, Maverick Carter, offered a little bit of clarity into what the exact figures may actually be—and it might just be over $1 billion! Per GQ, here’s what Mav said:

“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.”

The author of the story, Mark Anthony Green, pushed to get an exact figure, but Carter never came back with specifics, instead, offering this, per GQ:

Upon hearing that Kanye West claimed the contract was for $1 billion, Green said Carter smiled and pointed one finger to the sky.

Carter said 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.”

So, while Maverick Carter never actually gives the numbers, seeing as how he smiled and pointed upwards upon hearing the figure $1 billion, one can assume that it’s in that ballpark.

The entire interview is a good read, so check it out over at GQ.com to hear more about LeBron James’ business endeavors.

[H/T Bleacher Report]

Nick Dimengo avatar
Nick's a Sr. Editor for BroBible, mainly relying on his Sports Encyclopedia-like mind to write about things. He's also the co-host of the BroBible podcast "We Run This," and can be seen sweating his ass off while frequently running 10+ miles around Seattle.