| Author | Message | ||
| Jack (Gilles27)
Member Username: Gilles27 Post Number: 893 Registered: 3-2002 |
Just think how much the kids in China making the shoes will benefit from this! | ||
| Drstranglove (Drstranglove)
Member Username: Drstranglove Post Number: 435 Registered: 4-2003 |
Go!!! | ||
| Jeff B. (Miltonian)
Member Username: Miltonian Post Number: 314 Registered: 12-2002 |
Nike can pay him 90 BILLION dollars for all I care. It's still stupid to buy something - ANYTHING - based on a paid endorsement! The guy who works at Foot Locker for $10.00/hr knows as much about shoes as LBJ will ever know. If the chumps want to spend big money for their shoes because LBJ pitches them, that's fine with me, too. If that's just capitalism, that's fine, too. (chumps). | ||
| Terry Springer (Tspringer)
Member Username: Tspringer Post Number: 526 Registered: 4-2002 |
If Nike wants to pay this guy that kind of money to help sell their sneakers..... what kind of a moron would he be to turn them down! Give me a break DON.... its called CAPITALISM! Im not a basketball fan, dont watch it at all. But I do know what a fool is. Anyone who has a talent, or even the perception of a talent, that can be turned into to cold hard cash.... DO IT NOW. Im mean for crying out loud; TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN. This kid can now totally put money out of his mind. Its no longer an issue, he is set for life. If hes smart, and/or he has smart people advising him he will just forget all about money and contracts and focus hard on the job of making it in the pros. If he is not smart, then hell be gone in a few years and Nike will look like chumps. Either way, its pure capitalism and I LOVE IT. Good for him. | ||
| Ryan550 (Ryanab)
Member Username: Ryanab Post Number: 331 Registered: 3-2002 |
He has not even been drafted yet. Damn I should have played more ball when I was younger!  | ||
| Ryan550 (Ryanab)
Member Username: Ryanab Post Number: 330 Registered: 3-2002 |
$90 Million from NIKE? It's a damn shoe contract! Com'on, how can they justify paying that much money to a 18 year old??? Will Lebron J make me jump up and buy a pair of their kicks, hell no! He had better sell a hell of a lot of shoes for Nike to make even a small amount of that $$ back.... I know that LJ will not make a huge splash in the NBA ASAP. It WILL take time, Like Kobe and Kevin Garnett, they struggled and struggled but finally found out what it takes to play pro ball. Nike should have given the contract to him in 2+ years, but they did LOCK HIM UP!!! And that is what matters... SWWWWWWWWOOOOOOSHHHHHHHHH Ryan | ||
| Vincent (Vincent348)
Member Username: Vincent348 Post Number: 361 Registered: 4-2003 |
Lebron (if that is your real name) take the money and run. Just because Nike doesn't want Reebok to have you is reason enough. Buy an enzo and give DES a ride. Thanks. Who cares....Tiger was a phenomenom. High school basketball players are becoming one a dozen, there is no way to tell that this guy will be the next Jordan. That's what they said about Carter. He's good but doesn't have the same kind of impact Jordan had. No one has: including Kobe and Shaq, why will Lebron? | ||
| DJ (Godfather)
Junior Member Username: Godfather Post Number: 75 Registered: 11-2002 |
You guys are acting like he's getting a lump sum of $90 million. I agree, he hasn't played 1 professional game. If it was Jordan then what the hell. I do however understand the way the system works. Its all about entertainment and this is what its about. For some reason everyone bitches about Athletes. Everyone complained that AROD gets $25 mill per season while any decent actor pulls in $20 million per movie yet I don't hear nor read any complaints about that. Instead we have tons of gossip newspapers and E. Tonight shows praising them. | ||
| David McGee (Damcgee)
New member Username: Damcgee Post Number: 16 Registered: 2-2003 |
Don, he doesn't have the option of holding out. Rookie draft picks are given a standard contract for the first couple of years. I don't know the particulars of it right now, but it's something like $1 million/year. That way they have to prove themselves before getting the biggest bucks. About him deserving the endorsement deal... I just have to stick to my guns. If Nike thinks signing him to a $90M contract will create value for their company, it's their prerogative (sp?). Hopefully they can explain it to their stakeholders.  | ||
| "The Don" (Mlemus)
Advanced Member Username: Mlemus Post Number: 4808 Registered: 8-2002 |
David, I have issues with a 17 or 18 year old getting 90 million dollars without stepping foot on a Pro Court. I could car less if Shaq, Kobe, Spreewell or Jordan get that amount. They paid their dues. Kobe got scale is first couple of years. This joker getting that large amount of cash is going to make a mokery of all the guys that give it 110% to make the nba AVERAGE. I hope cleveland has deep pockets because I bet they cannot pay him what HE THINKS HE DESERVES. Mark this post. He will be a hold out. it's DEScusting. Matt | ||
| David McGee (Damcgee)
New member Username: Damcgee Post Number: 15 Registered: 2-2003 |
I have to disagree with all of these "I have a problem with athletes being paid this amount of money" statements. In my mind (here comes all of this economic theory from college boy), there are two things that drive the wage a person will make: 1. Your contribution to society. A doctor SHOULD make more than a car wash attendent. 2. The exceptions to this rule are explained by that most basic tenant of economics - Supply and Demand. Sure, we can all agree that teachers, firefighters, and law enforcement officers should be paid more than athletes. In a perfect world, perhaps they would. But not in a perfect free market economy. The fact is, for every teacher demanding higher wages, there is another who is perfectly willing to work for $28k. We don't have tens of thousands of Lebron James' graduating college every year (or high school), but we do have that many graduating w/ teaching certificates. It's supply and demand. I know this sounds really hard-nosed, and as I stated, I'm not saying this is best for a Utopic society, but it is reality. Those who disagree, I would love to hear your arguments, I'm not too arragont to be shown my mistakes | ||
| Mfennell70 (Mfennell70)
Junior Member Username: Mfennell70 Post Number: 135 Registered: 7-2001 |
"paying teachers just above minimum wage" Never one to pass up the chance for hyperbole, eh? In my district in NJ, the average teacher salary is $56k. My future father-in-law (in a different district) makes a bit more than $80k. I guess I understand that LeBron James could be worth the 90MIL to a corporation but it's based on mass behavior that I *don't* understand. | ||
| Erich Walz (Deleteall)
Member Username: Deleteall Post Number: 306 Registered: 12-2001 |
LBJ: Smart man. Face facts he never played against ANYONE near NBA caliber and he's getting $90 million just for the shoe deal. He would be a moron to go to college where he could get injured or shown to be human. The liklihood this deal would still be there after two years is marginal. Even if he totally flops he's rich for life. Phil Knight: Smart man. Amount he's spending is nothing compared to the press he's going to get and the increase in sneaker/apparel sales. Shoes cost $8 to make, sell for $150-he can afford to have $10-$20 of every pair going to LBJ. People who buy the LBJ sneakers thinking it will make them better players: Morons. People who buy the LBJ sneakers because they're LBJ fans: No problems, after all who here hasn't spent $200 on some piece of crap just because Enzo's or Schumi's name is on it? Do we really need gated shifter paper weights, 1/43 scale replcias of driver helmets, etc? | ||
| Crusing (Crusing)
Junior Member Username: Crusing Post Number: 84 Registered: 10-2002 |
I think the only waste is that none of us are getting paid that kind of cash, and we're pissed about it. Come on people he is being paid because he can possibly do something that no other person in the world currently has the potential to do. Nike made the same bet on Tiger in 1997 yet no one seems to think that was stupid. We may think they are paid more than they are worth, but that is only compared to what we make. If I had the potential to make hundreds of millions for some corporation I would ask for a huge contract too. It's market economics--The people at Nike are not idiots-as much as we might like to think they are. | ||
| "The Don" (Mlemus)
Advanced Member Username: Mlemus Post Number: 4806 Registered: 8-2002 |
I give him one year with the cash until he falls over from all the gold chains around his neck. Kobe was a fluke, James is an abomination. I don't care how well he can but a ball in a circle, it's a waste. | ||
| Tom RM (Tgitom)
Junior Member Username: Tgitom Post Number: 113 Registered: 8-2002 |
ok and sorry thats huge money no matter who you are!... oh and he drives an H2 right now | ||
| Tom RM (Tgitom)
Junior Member Username: Tgitom Post Number: 112 Registered: 8-2002 |
thats huge money for an 18 year old!! and that still doesnt include his endorsement deal with upper deck trading cards and still that doesnt include his nba salary which hasnt been established what kind of contract he will get yet!! insane | ||
| Jeff B. (Miltonian)
Member Username: Miltonian Post Number: 308 Registered: 12-2002 |
Sure, but... "Hi, I'm LeBron James. Nike won the bidding war to get me to endorse their shoes, so buy them, OK?" If they are the best shoes, buy them! If LeBron asks you to buy them, so what? HE GETS PAID TO SAY THAT! I know, it's the same in all advertising. Personally, when the commercials come on, I go water the plants.... | ||
| Dan (Bobafett)
Member Username: Bobafett Post Number: 591 Registered: 9-2002 |
Jeff, Simple. Can the guy in the local gym inspire, through good marketing and performance on the court, millions of kids to buy a shoe for $200 each? No. Can this guy? You bet. Is it worth it for Nike to pay him this much (which, by the way, will only attract attention to him, helping their sales) - absolutely! --Dan | ||
| Jeff B. (Miltonian)
Member Username: Miltonian Post Number: 306 Registered: 12-2002 |
I say Joe Blow down at the local gym who can do 200 situps in five minutes is the better athlete. And what is the deal with huge endorsements to sell shoes? I'll NEVER understand that one. | ||
| Dan (Bobafett)
Member Username: Bobafett Post Number: 589 Registered: 9-2002 |
DES, I feel the same way about athletes / teachers. --Dan | ||
| DES (Sickspeed)
Advanced Member Username: Sickspeed Post Number: 4237 Registered: 8-2002 |
Matt, you should see him play; he's really good... He's a good kid, too... Granted, i think the whole world is upside down for paying athletes absurd amounts of money and paying teachers just above minimum wage when it should definitely be the other way around, but there's nothing i can do about that... | ||
| Jeff B. (Miltonian)
Member Username: Miltonian Post Number: 305 Registered: 12-2002 |
Professional sports/athletes/big money/stadiums/scandals/egos/contracts/endorsements/etc. - It's all a load of stinky dog doodoo. Congrats to Mr. James for his big deal, no offense to you, sir. It surpasses my understanding. | ||
| "The Don" (Mlemus)
Advanced Member Username: Mlemus Post Number: 4803 Registered: 8-2002 |
Are you kidding? What has he done to deserve that kinda of scratch? It's an abomination for someone to get that kinda money for putting a ball thought a circle. I doub't he will live up to 1/50 of his hype. If you read enought of your own press, you begin to believe it. What a waste. | ||
| Taek-Ho Kwon (Stickanddice)
Member Username: Stickanddice Post Number: 493 Registered: 11-2002 |
Vincent, Bentley, the staple car for every superstar basketball player! I don't blame them either, those two door monsters are quite a sight and quite a drive! Cheers | ||
| Dan (Bobafett)
Member Username: Bobafett Post Number: 587 Registered: 9-2002 |
Too bad about the team.... I mean, Allen Iverson did only so much... it's unfortunate that LBJ won't get the kind of team that could put him in the limelight. --Dan | ||
| Vincent (Vincent348)
Member Username: Vincent348 Post Number: 345 Registered: 4-2003 |
what kind of car do you think he will get? | ||
| DES (Sickspeed)
Advanced Member Username: Sickspeed Post Number: 4236 Registered: 8-2002 |
Fresh outta high school, $90 million, he's set for life...! The kid can wax some ass, too... Damn, i miss basketball... Hopefully, he'll bring some life to it... |