LeBron James Admits Almost Crying About Rejecting Allen Iverson’s $100 Million Request After Massive Promise
LeBron James: A name that commands greatness. He stormed out of Akron, carving his path to basketball’s grandest stage. But he didn’t wait for his fame to come—he built it, step by relentless step.
Before he wore the crown as The King or joined the billionaire elite, the 18-year-old from St. Vincent-St. Mary High School had the world at his feet. Brands fought for him. Offers flooded in. And Bron? He wasn’t just rising; he was ready to rule.
So, the story goes like this, the Akron Hammer was a hot topic even before he entered the NBA scenes. Travis and Jason Kelce wanted to know the story behind the deal LeBron almost got with Reebok.
Speaking on the New Heights podcast, the LA Lakers star recalled visiting the Reebok headquarters in Canton, Massachusetts in 2003 story that needs to be known now.
To begin with, LeBron James was handed a $10 million paycheck, an attempt to lock in a collaboration before rivals like Nike or Adidas could make their moves.
Recalling the moment, LeBron said, “The guy (Then-Reebok CEO Todd Krinsky) slides over a check to me at the end of the table. It’s me, my mom, and Maverick Carter sitting there. And he says, ‘If you don’t go talk to any other companies, this is yours.’ I look at it, I look at it—10 million f-cking dollars. Oh! 10 million. Just right there as an 18-year-old.”
Travis Kelce chipped in saying that at 18 he was stealing from his dad’s piggy bank to buy candies! Bron continued: “I was a high school senior, man. And they gave me a check for $10 million. I told him I needed a break. They stepped out. I need to f-cking break the time out. I can’t believe that, right?” LeBron was living in an apartment with his mum Gloria, which cost them $17 a month. But now, he was looking at an eight-figure cheque!
“I sat there, my mom looked at it, and I and my mom were living in an apartment and you know, section a housing in Akron,”
LeBron James added. “I’m going back, I don’t have sh-t, whatever. And my mom looked at me. She said, ‘Son, trust your gut. If they’re offering you this, then who knows what the other companies may offer you’.” Now that’s a very composed reply from the mother of an eighteen-year-old who’s being offered ten million that could turn their lives around.
via Imago
Meanwhile, Gloria also tried explaining to his son that if Reebok is willing to give you $10 million, then maybe other brands like Nike and Adidas could go up to 20 or 30. “So it’s not like, you know, it changes our life at this moment. Yes, maybe in the future, but I want you to trust your gut and do what you think is right,” the 4x NBA champ’s mother said to him.
“So I came back in, boom. I said, thank you, I would definitely like to continue our conversation. But I would be remiss if I did not take those other pitches from the other companies. I may have cried on the way home.”
So, LeBron trusted his gut. Later, he struck gold sealing a seven-year, $90 million deal with Nike.
In fact, since then, the partnership has only skyrocketed further. “One of my best moves ever,” he told Maverick Carter and never looked back.
On the other hand, Reebok’s hopes faded despite pulling out all the stops. Back in 1993, NBA veteran Allen Iverson signed with the brand and played a pivotal role in reshaping its image. Perhaps they envisioned a similar story with LeBron, but this time, the stars didn’t align.
Reebok wasn’t playing around. Their offer to LeBron soared to $100 million over 10 years after he passed on an earlier deal. They wanted their man, pulling every trick in the book.
Todd Krinsky even brought in Allen Iverson to seal the deal. “Allen spoke on our behalf and was excited that LeBron was considering joining Reebok,” Krinsky recalled.
The plan seemed to work. LeBron’s first agent, Aaron Goodwin, said things were heating up. Reebok’s top brass—Tom Shine and CEO Paul Fireman—flew to Ohio the night before the draft. In a suite at the Radisson Hotel, they prepared to lock down the future King.
In 2003, Goodwin admitted, “I thought he was going to go with Reebok. At one point, we stepped outside, and LeBron said, ‘Hey, I feel comfortable with them.’ Three hours later, he chose Nike.” Adidas never stood a chance.
Their $60 million pitch fell flat against Reebok’s massive $100 million offer. But why Nike? Turns out, they’d been playing the long game. Nike scouted LeBron long before high school ended. Just weeks after he turned 18, they mapped out their master plan. And it worked.
Fifteen years later, in 2018, LeBron reflected on his decision, saying, “Signing with Nike is the best business decision I’ve ever made.” Without a doubt, he was right. By 2022, he had become the first active athlete to reach billionaire status—a milestone largely fueled by his $30 million-a-year lifetime deal with Nike, signed back in 2015.
In the end, LeBron’s choice wasn’t just a deal—it was destiny. From trusting his gut to rejecting millions, every move shaped his empire. And with Nike by his side, he didn’t just rise—he soared. Looking back, it’s clear: The King always knew how to play the long game.
