The NBA draft is a highly anticipated event every season, and a lot of teams are currently in the process of tanking so they can land Victor Wembanyama next season. While there is an incredible amount of hype around the young Frenchman, it pales in comparison to the excitement around LeBron James when he was in high school and getting ready to come into the NBA.
James was lauded as the ‘Chosen One’ before he even stepped foot on the NBA floor. His high school performances were mind-boggling, and people did not doubt that he would go down as one of the greatest ever. That he lived up to the hype is incredible in itself, but even as a youngster, LeBron knew his worth, and he knew what he wanted. The amazing story of a potential deal with Reebok shows just how savvy the King was, even at a young age.
LeBron James Was Calm Enough To Turn Down $90 Million From Reebok Before Even Getting Into The NBA
LeBron James seemed destined for greatness, and as such, he was courted by the biggest brands straight out of high school. His partnership with Nike has proved to be massively beneficial to him, it’s a large part of why he’s a billionaire today. And James knew before anyone else that he would make it. As Reebok’s new CEO, Todd Krinsky revealed on the Complex Sneaker podcast, Reebok made James a very lucrative offer which he turned down despite being only 18 years old.
(starts at 36:56 minutes)
“Now we’ve been there all day and so we’re sitting around this table, and Paul offers him, I believe it was 90 million and then Paul stands up and he’s got this tweed blazer on and he walks around the table behind LeBron.
“He pulls out a check and he goes, ‘This is a live check not part of the contract. This is a live check for $10 million.’ And you know, so he hasn’t played yet in the league and he goes, ‘If you sign with us tonight you can take this check back to Akron Trust in the morning and deposit it…’
“I see LeBron stoic like literally not even phase. He wasn’t impressed. … But I’ve only had two athletes in my life that I have worked with that I had this feeling when I saw them first time was like he knew everything that was coming to him and he was ready for it. It was just this confidence.
“It wasn’t arrogance or he was super polite and respectful. You just look at his eye and I’m like this kid is ready for everything and he’s not being phased by what’s in front of him.”
The confidence to turn down $10 million on the spot as someone that has grown up without too much is hard to believe. LeBron James has always backed himself, but this level of confidence at that age is unheard of. No wonder the King has made it to the top of the NBA world, he’s simply built different.
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