LeBron James signed a lifetime endorsement contract with Nike in 2015.
The agreement extended one of the most successful athlete-brand partnerships in sports. James first signed with Nike in 2003, shortly after entering the NBA, agreeing to a reported seven-year deal worth about $90 million. His Nike relationship grew through signature shoes, apparel and the LeBron product line, making him one of the company’s most commercially important basketball ambassadors.
Nike announced the lifetime partnership in December 2015, although financial terms were not publicly disclosed. It was widely reported as the company’s first lifetime contract with an athlete. The deal is sometimes mixed up with James’s NBA playing contracts, which were negotiated separately and remained shorter-term. It is also distinct from Nike’s earlier endorsement relationships with Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, neither of whom was the player referred to in this 2015 question. James’s Nike partnership began before his first NBA championship and continued across his careers with Cleveland, Miami and the Los Angeles Lakers.