Samsung endorser LeBron James made a reported $30M from Apple's Beats buy

Posted:
in General Discussion edited June 2014
According to a report on Wednesday, Basketball superstar LeBron James saw a $30 million windfall on his small stake in Beats Electronics after Apple acquired the headphone maker for $3 billion in May.


LeBron James (left) and Beats cofounder Dr. Dre. | Source: ESPN The Magazine


Citing sources familiar with the matter, ESPN claims James struck a deal in 2008 to promote Beats' headphones in exchange for a small interest in the then-fledgling company. While the exact details are unknown, James' share of the firm netted him over $30 million in cash and stock when Apple purchased Beats Electronics and Beats Music for $3 billion last month.

According to the publication, the Miami Heat cager was in the process of finalizing the details of the payout in his off-court time during the NBA Eastern Conference finals, the tail end of which coincided with Apple's Beats announcement. The approximately $30 million sum is thought to be the largest equity cash profit ever for a pro athlete.

In a statement last week, Beats said they plan on using James in future ads despite his ties with Apple rival Samsung, though Apple has yet to weigh in on the matter. The NBA star has been featured in a number of Samsung ad campaigns including a cameo in last year's "The Next Big Thing" Super Bowl TV spot.

Most recently, James showed up in Beats' World Cup ad, which featured Brazilian soccer star Neymar da Silva Santos, Jr., better known as "Neymar Jr." As one of the first commercials to air after Apple's buyout, the spot showed the company's headphones attached exclusively to Apple devices, including the iPhone 5s.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 75
    evilutionevilution Posts: 1,399member
    Replace the word "endorser" with "paid shill" and you have the truth.
    He was bought to advertise, the same way he did with Beats.
    Sell out. I bet he uses an iPhone.
  • Reply 2 of 75
    jason98jason98 Posts: 768member

    Someone will have to bear responsibility for this Beats non-sense. If Tim thinks that Apple users will rush to buy overpriced streaming subscriptions to add to the pool of the existing 110k Beats customers, he is deeply mistaken.  I am thinking Cook is going out in 2-3 years.

  • Reply 3 of 75
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Originally Posted by jason98 View Post

    Someone will have to bear responsibility for this Beats non-sense. If Tim thinks that Apple users will rush to buy overpriced streaming subscriptions to add to the pool of the existing 110k Beats customers, he is deeply mistaken.  I am thinking Cook is going out in 2-3 years.



    New batch of FUDge, eh?

  • Reply 4 of 75
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member

    Great, so people who were willing to whore themselves out to Samsung, are now also going to be promoting for Beats, which is now Apple owned?

     

    Yeah, go ahead, tell me how Apple can do no wrong, and tell me how this Beats deal is great for Apple. Like I said before, it's not just about the damn money. Tell me why I should feel that this news is positive? I think that it stinks.

     

    I don't want any fake, clueless mofos to be getting money from both Samsung and Apple. They can go and screw themselves. 

     

    Apple is acquiring a company that apparently does not share the same philosophy that Apple has always had. Apple doesn't need any damn sports stars or sports celebrities to promote their products, and I find it ridiculous that somebody is making off with millions after being a paid shill for Samsung.

     

    This is the kind of people that Apple wishes to be associated with? What crap.

  • Reply 5 of 75
    froodfrood Posts: 771member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Evilution View Post



    Replace the word "endorser" with "paid shill" and you have the truth.

    He was bought to advertise, the same way he did with Beats.

    Sell out. I bet he uses an iPhone.

     

    I know, it is terrible.  I also heard he accepts money and gets *paid* to play basketball instead of doing it for the love of the sport.  What a sell out.

  • Reply 6 of 75
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    frood wrote: »
    I know, it is terrible.  I also heard he accepts money and gets *paid* to play basketball instead of doing it for the love of the sport.  What a sell out.

    When he plays a game, does he get paid by both his team and the team that he's playing against?

    He should stick to throwing balls through hoops, because Apple has no use for his talents, in my opinion.
  • Reply 7 of 75
    curtis hannahcurtis hannah Posts: 1,833member

    New batch of FUDge, eh?

    jason98 wrote: »
    Someone will have to bear responsibility for this Beats non-sense. If Tim thinks that Apple users will rush to buy overpriced streaming subscriptions to add to the pool of the existing 110k Beats customers, he is deeply mistaken.  I am thinking Cook is going out in 2-3 years.
    We got to like some of that stuff every once in a while.
  • Reply 8 of 75
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jason98 View Post

     

    Someone will have to bear responsibility for this Beats non-sense. If Tim thinks that Apple users will rush to buy overpriced streaming subscriptions to add to the pool of the existing 110k Beats customers, he is deeply mistaken.  I am thinking Cook is going out in 2-3 years.


     

    You have no fucking clue what you're talking about, do you? I'm making a mental note these days to check what headphones people are wearing around me. Whether in the gym in malls, coffee shops, on the road, etc- the ratio I'm seeing is seriously 70% beats headphones, 25% Apple, and the rest everything else. Yes, whether you like it or not, Beats are extremely popular and mainstream. WIth the Beats purchase, Apple now OWNS the headphone market, which means they can do very interesting things in the future (ie. transitioning to lightning headphones would be much easier). Many things about this deal make sense from multiple angles. 

     

    This WWDC showed us Apple at its best with a myriad of stunning announcements. Apple's performance has been stellar the past couple years. But that has nothing to do with Cook, right? You're so fucking obsessed with the Beats deal, its like nothing else exists anymore. Grow the **** up. 

  • Reply 9 of 75
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jason98 View Post

     

    Someone will have to bear responsibility for this Beats non-sense. If Tim thinks that Apple users will rush to buy overpriced streaming subscriptions to add to the pool of the existing 110k Beats customers, he is deeply mistaken.  I am thinking Cook is going out in 2-3 years.




    So you can think?

  • Reply 10 of 75
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Guys, chill. The Apple/Beats deal won't be finalised until September 2014. Let's see what hardware Beats comes up with in 2015 and 2016 when Apple has full control over their hardware. Patience my children.
  • Reply 11 of 75
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post

    Patience my children.

     

    T’anks a million, Fat’er Ireland. Craic and music from Apple in t’ future, s’posin’ they can shimmy their way outta the EU’s clutches firs’.

     

    Do you have any Ireland-specific disparaging names for the Continent? I don’t remember any while I was over there.

  • Reply 12 of 75
    mdriftmeyermdriftmeyer Posts: 7,503member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jason98 View Post

     

    Someone will have to bear responsibility for this Beats non-sense. If Tim thinks that Apple users will rush to buy overpriced streaming subscriptions to add to the pool of the existing 110k Beats customers, he is deeply mistaken.  I am thinking Cook is going out in 2-3 years.


     

    Don't quit your day job. Wall Street is 100% in favor of the purchase.

  • Reply 13 of 75
    jason98jason98 Posts: 768member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer View Post

     

     

    Don't quit your day job. Wall Street is 100% in favor of the purchase.


     

    I guess you are one of the rare members of this forum who has a deep trust in Wall Street :)

  • Reply 14 of 75
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member
    apple ][ wrote: »
    When he plays a game, does he get paid by both his team and the team that he's playing against?

    He should stick to throwing balls through hoops, because Apple has no use for his talents, in my opinion.

    It seems like this wise young man is quite the canny investor.
  • Reply 15 of 75
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member
    Can pazuzu, Rogifan, and drblank can please show up and spout their obligatory nonsense, so that we can get on this thread? The suspense is killing me.
  • Reply 16 of 75
    clemynxclemynx Posts: 1,552member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jason98 View Post

     

    Someone will have to bear responsibility for this Beats non-sense. If Tim thinks that Apple users will rush to buy overpriced streaming subscriptions to add to the pool of the existing 110k Beats customers, he is deeply mistaken.  I am thinking Cook is going out in 2-3 years.


     

    I'm not saying that their service is better than others, but how is it overpriced when it costs the same??

     

    People should be automatically banned for using that last phrase.

  • Reply 17 of 75
    belugabeluga Posts: 83member
    All these high profile athletes and celebs getting paid by samsung to advertise its products then most being caught off guard in a personal moment using an iphone... its so lame for samsung. I have never heard of a instance when the opposite has happened. An iphone endorser caught using a samsung phone, lol it even sounds funny!
  • Reply 18 of 75
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    jason98 wrote: »
    I guess you are one of the rare members of this forum who has a deep trust in Wall Street :)

    It's been around for almost 200 years, so I think they've been correct on many things, and have earned the trust of the masses.
  • Reply 19 of 75
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    sog35 wrote: »
    You are a total idiot.  With Tiger Woods going down hill, Lebron is the biggest name in sports in the USA.  Please just STFU.  Obviously you know nothing about basketball and Mr James.  Obviously James is 100x smarter than you since he was smart enough to invest in Beats and was able to multiple his investment 1000%.

    I know that you're intelligent, but you must've been absent the day diplomacy was taught. :lol:
  • Reply 20 of 75
    carthusiacarthusia Posts: 583member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post

     

    Great, so people who were willing to whore themselves out to Samsung, are now also going to be promoting for Beats, which is now Apple owned?

     

    Yeah, go ahead, tell me how Apple can do no wrong, and tell me how this Beats deal is great for Apple. Like I said before, it's not just about the damn money. Tell me why I should feel that this news is positive? I think that it stinks.

     

    I don't want any fake, clueless mofos to be getting money from both Samsung and Apple. They can go and screw themselves. 

     

    Apple is acquiring a company that apparently does not share the same philosophy that Apple has always had. Apple doesn't need any damn sports stars or sports celebrities to promote their products, and I find it ridiculous that somebody is making off with millions after being a paid shill for Samsung.

     

    This is the kind of people that Apple wishes to be associated with? What crap.


    Ok, so all celebrity endorsers are "whores"? Or just the "urban" ones? I've read a lot of your angry rants, but this barely-concealed coded racist language "This is the kind of people that Apple wishes to be associated with?" is much too much. There, I said it. 

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