LeBron James Awarded 8 Million Shoe Contract for Being Good Student
AKRON, OH ? Only weeks after successfully lobbying to have his amateur status reinstated, high school academic phenom LeBron James officially renounced such status by signing a 5-year, 8 million shoe and apparel contract with Nike, said to be given in light of his outstanding academic achievements at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School.
"I can't express how thrilled we are to have a fine student such as LeBron as a spokesperson for our company," said Nike spokesman Eric Obermann in a statement following the signing. "From now on, when people think of Nike, they'll not only think of slam dunks and jump shots, but also word problems about slam dunks and jump shots.'"
The high school senior, who has been dubbed "King James" for his remarkable academic abilities, said that choosing with which company to sign was not easy. "Several companies made me excellent offers," James said in a written statement released this week. "But when it came down to it, it was all about the quality of the product. I think there's little doubt that Nike makes the best shoes for conjugating verbs in a second-year Spanish class."
This is not the first time James has received accolades for his schoolwork. Just a few months ago, the studious eighteen-year-old, who also plays on his school's varsity basketball team, was rewarded for his B average by having two of his team's games televised on ESPN2.
"I'm glad he was able to get some national exposure," said Bryan Landers, one of James' teammates. "Everyone talks about his abilities in the classroom, but let me tell you, I have seen him do some amazing things on a basketball court. Like when we took the SAT's back in October... That was in the gym. I think he got like an 1100 or something. That was awesome."
In accepting the endorsement offer, James officially forfeits his status as an amateur student. Earlier this month, James was the subject of much controversy when he accepted two throwback jerseys, worth 45, as a reward for his above-average grades. Derrick Craig, the manager of the store that gave James the jerseys, says it was not the first time his store has rewarded outstanding academic achievement. "We get academic celebrities in here all the time," he said in an interview last week. "Just this past Thursday, (local eighth grader and recent National Junior Honor Society inductee) Michael Larsen was in here, and we gave him a 50 Reggie Jackson jersey. He got an 89 on a algebra quiz."
Surprisingly, despite his grades, sources close to James say he will likely elect not to attend college, amidst rumors that as an additional reward for his academic achievements, he will be selected as the number one overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft.
"Even without having attended college, there's no question, LeBron should be the number one pick," said ESPN basketball columnist Marc Stein. "It would just be too big a risk to pass up an individual who can add fractions and diagram sentences as well as James can. There's just too much upside."
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