LeBron James’s primary sponsor takes to Twitter days after he denounced his retirement - “Feeling LUCKY”

LeBron James has a lifetime deal with global sportswear brand Nike. So the company will likely keep collaborating with the basketball legend even when James is no longer playing.

However, when accepting his ESPY Award for best record-breaking performance, James shut down any rumors that he was retiring. He said that “lucky for fans”, he was coming back to play for the Los Angeles Lakers next season.

Nike then tweeted that they’re “Feeling LUCKY” in regards to the news. James is one of Nike’s biggest athletes and endorsers of the brand.

LeBron James has two years left on his deal. He is set to make $47.6 million next season. He then has a player option for the following year. The player option is worth $51.4 million.

James will try and lead a loaded Lakers roster to his fifth career title. The team brought back most of their young core surrounding James and Anthony Davis. They also added multiple veterans to bolster their bench.

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LeBron James and Nike’s partnership

Nike signed LeBron James before he even played a single NBA game. They won the sweepstakes over Reebok and Adidas as James entered the NBA after high school.

Nike signed him for $87 million over seven years in 2003. It was a landmark deal at the time and the most a rookie had ever signed for in a shoe deal.

In 2015, he signed a lifetime deal with Nike. The deal is worth a reported billion dollars. James reportedly earns more than $30 million per year from Nike and the sales of his shoe line with the company. It is the biggest sports marketing deal in history.

James makes more money from his shoes than any other active NBA player. Only Michael Jordan makes more from a signature shoe line. His iconic Jordan Brand is now a billion-dollar line on its own, despite being owned by Nike. James’ shoe made $340 million in sales in one year.

James reportedly does not have any ownership in Nike, but he is one of the highest-paid athletes in the world. He makes around $95 million per year just from his NBA contract and endorsements.

James also has his own production company and a signature tequila brand amongst many other business ventures.