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Cleveland Cavaliers

Of Nike, LeBron and the Reality of Business

By George Thomas Published: March 31, 2010

According to a report in the Plain Dealer, LeBron James inked a deal with Nike that will cover at least another seven years.
James will obviously receive tens of millions of dollars, but what's more important is what's not contained in the contract:  no location bonuses.
James won't receive any extra cash for going to New York City, Los Angeles or Chicago for that matter.  That means stuff like this musing from Mike Lupica, published in the New York Daily News, has even less luster:

A guy I know from sports, a mogul-type, one who knows the NBA and knows the business side of sports even better, was talking the other day about the possibility of LeBron coming to the Knicks. He is not a New Yorker, by the way, and is not a Knicks fan. He just thinks the whole thing makes sense, and not just for the Knicks and for the league.
"I am hearing," the guy said, "that Nike wants LeBron in New York even more than ever, because of Tiger."
Here is the reality of Nike and location bonuses as imparted to me by a league insider:  there are more small market teams in the country than there are big ones.  Translation:  Nike puts that kind clause in a contract and it's probably a public relations nightmare.
James could very well end up leaving for a larger market - as would it be his right, but it appears as if Nike will have a lot less influence than the hoops fans of New York could dream.

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