When Liverpool inked their deal with Nike a major motivating factor was the leverage that LeBron James’ relationship with the US sportswear giant could give them.
James, 38, has had a business relationship with the Reds since 2011, when he reached an agreement with club owners Fenway Sports Group to take a two per cent stake in Liverpool for around £4.7m, with FSG Management getting to look after some of his marketing rights in return.
Like much of what the billionaire basketball icon has done off the court, it has paid dividends with James accreting his two per cent in Liverpool into one per cent of FSG’s whole operation in 2021 at the same time as RedBird Capital took an 11 per cent stake in FSG for $750m. Later that year FSG, RedBird and Nike (where James has a lifetime endorsement deal) all investing in James’ production company, SpringHill.
