LeBron James may be the most vilified player in the NBA, but that didn't stop Nike from selling a boatload of LeBron-branded shoes last season.
Yesterday Darren Rovell of CNBC tweeted, "Nike says it sold more than 500,000 pairs of LeBron shoes this year."
So much for James' tumultuous first year with the Miami Heat irreparably damaging his brand.
All those shoes Nike sold underscore the strength of James' brand. Despite turning much of America against him after his controversial Decision to team up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, James remains a endorsement titan.
In April, the NBA announced James' Heat jersey was the top seller at NBAStore.com for the 2010-2011 season. A month later, James rose to the 10th spot in Forbes' "Celebrity 100" ranking, the highest position on the list of any basketball player and second only to Tiger Woods among athletes.
James' marketing might figures to only get stronger as Nike expands its position in China, the world's fastest-growing consumer base.
Nike is well aware of this. Trevor Edwards, Nike's VP of Global Brand and Category Management, told Rovell yesterday that LeBron represents a "tremendous platform for growth."
He still hasn't won an NBA title, and might never eclipse Michael Jordan in the pantheon of the NBA's greatest players, but LeBron James can at least make a compelling argument that in terms of merchandising, he's already become the next Jordan.
David Hill is a Miami native and the former owner of a youth replica Rony Seikaly jersey.
