LeBron Inc. - The Building of a Billion-Dollar Athlete
New York, NY (November 29, 2007) – When LeBron James laced up his sneakers and made his National Basketball Association debut in 2003, the expectations were galactic. The NBA pantheon is reserved for only a select few, and King James, as we know him now, had little more than a frightening high school resume as proof of concept. Television, talk radio, the Internet and the streets were buzzing about what this kid could actually do for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and even more, for basketball.
Fast-forward to late November 2007 and things are markedly different. Doubt lingers no more in regards to James on-court ability, and anyone that initially questioned his maturity level has turned to talking about Stephon Marbury instead. However, despite his image-making, OK-we’ll-ready-the-marble-for-the-statue Game 5 performance against Detroit last season, the expectations are still there. They aren’t so much ‘Will Eli ever be Peyton?’ as they are ‘Alright, if not today, tomorrow?’ but the question still hangs in the air (pun intended).
Such as it is, though, that’s not of utmost concern, because James, along with the multitude of executives banking on that success, are focused on how to overcome the Jordan Syndrome. As one of the world’s most recognizable, most popular, richest and talented athletes of all-time, Michael Jordan is at the head of the table. James, for all his potential and accomplishments in these 4-plus seasons, still effectively holds court at the kiddie table. Winning a championship will catapult him to the big table, of course, but on the other side of the sport lay the challenge of engaging the public to LeBron James, and allowing them to know who he really is. Once James is embraced across borders of race, creed, ocean and time, only then can he lay claim at the crown Jordan is wearing – and truly fulfill his destiny as King.
Fortune Magazine landed two exclusive interviews with James and his, ahem, entourage (you’ll read about that), seeking answers to the machine behind the roving Beast of Quicken Loans Arena. As it turns out, meetings with Nike and Upper Deck are met with the same ferocity as suicides and lay-up drills, perhaps even with the same frequency. Author Tim Arango also offers a look at the man behind James’ empire, business-savvy, childhood friend Maverick Carter, who has deftly handled his client’s financial interests since James fired his previous agent, Aaron Goodwin. The article, if not an expose, is a study on how to structure a business plan, execution of that plan and why dynamic ideas are today’s frontier gold. Success hinges on James becoming the player everyone expects him to, but you do get the sense that he will ultimately prevail and conquer the world to become that bona-fide, authentic, Billion-Dollar Athlete.