BY JUSTIN THOMPSON (’17)

FEATURES EDITOR

Practice ended for the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday much like it always does, exhausted giants stumble off the floor and into the locker room. However, the day isn’t quite over for LeBron James. “The King” as he is known around Cleveland, agreed to a lifetime deal with Nike over the weekend. The deal is worth well over $500 million and is the first lifetime contract for a pro athlete in a major American sport.

“I’m very humble man,” James told reporters. “It’s been an unbelievable time for myself and my family, and I’m just grateful that [Nike founder] Phil Knight and everyone over there just believed in a skinny 18 year old kid from Akron, Ohio.”

There are sure to be rumblings throughout middle class America that no one deserves that much money. While that may be true, James was born with an incredible gift. He thunders down the court with the speed of a gazelle and the determination of a runaway freight train. Combine his god given ability with a superior work ethic and an eye for business, and James becomes the most marketable athlete since Michael Jordan. LeBron has been in the national spotlight for over a decade, and, unlike many of his counterparts, he has yet to have had his reputation tarnished by any kind of scandal. He gives back to his community and is frequently seen volunteering in Cleveland and in his hometown of Akron.

So, even though $500 million might be a bit excessive, James is one of a small number of kindhearted athletes and he deserves all the good things that come to him.

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