Guess Lebron's mom will be repaid for the Hummer?

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

      LeBron James chooses Nike in megamillion deal

      By TOM WITHERS, AP Sports Writer
      May 22, 2003
      CLEVELAND (AP) -- LeBron James always idolized Michael Jordan, right
down to his shoes. Now the high school star will begin his NBA career just
like Mike.

      Only with a lot more money.

      James will go into the league with a swoosh after signing a multiyear
endorsement deal on Thursday with Nike, which outbid Reebok and Adidas for the
18-year-old star, who is expected to be the No. 1 pick in next month's draft.


      ``Nike is the right fit and has the right product for me at the right
time,'' James said in a statement. ``They are a good company that has
committed to supporting me throughout my professional career, on and off the
court.''

      Terms of the deal negotiated were not released, but a source close to
James, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press the deal
was worth more than $90 million.

      The agreement came just hours after James signed an exclusive contract
with Upper Deck trading cards. His contract with Nike is believed to be the
richest initial shoe contract ever offered to an athlete.

      When Jordan signed his first contract with Nike in 1984, it was for $2.5
million over five years. Nike signed Tiger Woods to a five-year, $40 million
deal in 1996, but it was later replaced by a $100 million package from the
sporting apparel giant.

      Earlier this week, Nike signed Carmelo Anthony, the freshman who led
Syracuse to the national championship in April to a shoe and apparel deal.
Anthony, a close friend of James, is projected to be taken with the No. 2 pick
next month.

      ``We are excited about our new partnership with LeBron James and look
forward to a nurturing relationship with him,'' said Lynn Merritt, a Nike
executive. ``LeBron has great worth ethics on the court, tremendous basketball
ability and a passion for the game.''

      Last weekend, James, his mother, Gloria, and agent Aaron Goodwin spent
two days at Nike's corporate headquarters in Beaverton, Ore., where the
company made its final presentation.

      Adidas appeared to drop out of the running earlier this week, just days
after it put up billboards and placed messages on buses in Akron directed at
James.

      James also signed an exclusive multiyear contract with Upper Deck
trading cards Wednesday.

      The 6-foot-8 James' selection of Nike over Reebok and Adidas ends a
nearly two-year battle among the shoe companies to land the dynamic player,
whose game has been compared to that of Jordan and Magic Johnson.

      James has received unprecedented media coverage the past two years. He
has appeared on the cover of national sports magazines, and last season two of
his games were televised nationally by ESPN.

      The shoe deal came less than a day before James was to learn where he'll
be wearing his Nikes as a pro.

      The NBA will hold its draft lottery Thursday night, and the winner gets
the right to select James, a three-time Mr. Ohio in Basketball and the
consensus national player of the year the past two years.

      The Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets, who tied for the league's
worst record this season, have the best chance at getting the top pick.

      Terms of the deal with Upper Deck were not immediately available, but
company spokesman Jake Gonzales said James' contract is on a level with
previous agreements signed by Jordan, Woods and soccer star David Beckham.

      Boone said the trading card deal included a $1 million signing bonus.

      Gonzales said James is the youngest person ever signed by Upper Deck,
whose other spokesmen include Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Ichiro Suzuki and
Hideki Matsui.


Thanks,

Steve
sb@maine.rr.com