LeBron James will be wearing that signature swoosh for life. According to No. 1 fashion resource ESPN, the Cleveland Cavaliers star has signed a lifetime deal with Nike, having had a relationship with the company since 2003. (His line for the brand is estimated to bring in over $400 million this year alone.) Similar lifelong contracts exist in the sports world — Allen Iverson for Reebok, David Beckham and Derrick Rose for Adidas — but per the report, this is the first of its kind for Nike. (We’ve reached out to a brand spokesperson for confirmation on that point, and will update this when we hear back.)
While the company did not reveal the amount of the endorsement, one source described it as the largest single-athlete deal the company has ever made, telling ESPN that it was more lucrative than the $300 million Nike gave Kevin Durant for a decade-long contract. “I’m very humble, man,” James told the press yesterday after practice. “I’m just grateful that Nike and Phil Knight and everyone over there just believed in a skinny 18-year-old kid from Akron, Ohio.”
