Forbes puts LeBron James’ endorsement deals at $54 million for 2016 — that obviously includes just a portion of the proceeds from his reported $1 billion lifetime deal with Nike.
Other major endorsement deals for LeBron, according to Forbes, include Beats, Upper Deck, Coke, Audemars Piguet, Kia and Samsung.
So how much would it cost to fully deck myself out in LeBron-endorsed gear for Sunday’s game? It turns out I would need a salary fit for a king.
First I would need to buy a new luxury 2016 Kia K900 V-8, four-door sedan with navigation to pick everything up on my LeBron-inspired shopping list.
LeBron famously tweeted in 2014 that he was “Rolling around in my K900. Love this car!!” and Kia has been airing commercials of him climbing into one at his Bath Township home.
I had to search around, but I found one on the lot at Bill Doraty Kia in Medina Township.
I would have preferred red, but to buy the snow-white luxury car, whose features run from an auto-dimming rearview mirror to a moon roof to lane departure warnings, would set me back $63,400. I think I would have to finance it at $814 a month.
I’m hoping for a good trade on my 2005 Pacifica with 213,000 miles — it only has two of six warning lights on.
With my new Kia parked in the driveway, I would need some new shoes for the long walk to the living room to watch the game.
To show my support for the Cavs and our local hero, it looks like I will have to trade in last season’s no-name boring Nikes, purchased on the cheap at DSW in Fairlawn, for a pair of LeBron 13s.
Billed as being “Built for Game Changing Explosiveness” the shoes will be great for jumping up at a LeBron slam dunk or an emergency run to the kitchen to dunk a chip in some Lawson’s Dip.
A pair of LeBron XIII Elites will cost me around $199.99 if I can find a size 10 at Next in Akron’s Highland Square. I should probably also grab a LeBron Nike shirt for around $30.
With game time closing in, I can pull out my authentic LeBron-endorsed, authentic Upper Deck autographed picture that would set me back another $799.99. I might need it to fan myself after spending $63,400 on the car.
To make sure I don’t miss the 8 p.m. tipoff, I should purchase a LeBron edition Audemars Piguet watch.
If I am lucky enough to find one of the 600 Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore LeBron James limited edition watches that feature 59 jewels and 22k gold workings, it would set me back another $51,500.
With second, third and fourth mortgages out on the house, it should be about time to settle in for the game.
But first it might be a good idea to slip on my LeBron-endorsed Samsung Gear VR headset.
At $79.99, this virtual reality toy is the perfect way to dissect Steph Curry’s chucking of his mouth guard onto an innocent Cavs fan in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s win.
It won’t be pretty, but I’m pretty sure I can fit the $2,299.99 65-inch, 4K Ultra HD, Smart Samsung TV from Best Buy, which I picked out after perusing the ads in today’s Beacon Journal, into my new Kia K900. Wonder if LeBron endorses any scratch removers?
I plan on wearing my LeBron-sanctioned $199.95 Powerbeats2 wireless earbuds — the same ones he wears and similar to (gasp) the ones Draymond Green wears before the game.
I will need to plug them into my transistor radio to listen to the Cavs radio broadcast team of John Michael, Jim Chones and Mike Snyder — you can only take so much of Jeff Van Gundy.
Just before game time I plan on pouring a nice tall glass of LeBron-approved Sprite.
I was able to score four two-liter bottles of Sprite for $5 at Acme. Since it was the cheapest item on my All In shopping list, I might even buy 10.
My total cost to be All In with LeBron for the Cavs’ Sunday night epic game would be a mere $118,519.91, and that doesn’t include the sales tax that would add another $8,000.
It seems fan loyalty can be a bit pricey, but then again, bringing a championship to Northeast Ohio after 52 years of futility would be priceless.
Craig Webb, who will be watching the game on his tiny 50-inch TV with his old Pacifica still parked in the driveway, can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3547. He might actually live it up and buy the Sprite.