LeBron James appeared to cover the Adidas logo on his team shirt at the Drew League game over the weekend.
For those not in the know, the 37-year-old NBA star has long been a Nike wearer throughout his basketball career, having famously been at the centre of a bidding war between Nike, Adidas and Reebok when he was just 18 years old.
All three sports companies wanted to make LeBron the face of their brand just before he entered the NBA back in 2003.
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Ultimately, he opted for Nike after receiving a lucrative deal from the firm, and it turned out to be a lifelong partnership.
As reported by Uproxx, all of this serves as context for LeBron's involvement in the Drew League game in Los Angeles on Saturday, 16 July.
You see, the jerseys were sponsored by Adidas, and in an apparent demonstration of his dedication to Nike, it appears the player covered up the competitor logo.
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Images have emerged of LeBron wearing the shirt - but where the other players have the Adidas marker on the neckline, LeBron's is simply blank.
Sharing a side-by-side comparison, Front Office Sports wrote: "LeBron has covered the Adidas logo on his Drew League jersey."
Meanwhile, sports reporter Darren Rovell said: "Not surprised LeBron covered the adidas logo on the jersey."
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The Game Day NBA added: "If you didn’t notice LeBron has the Adidas logo blocked out on his Jersey... 'Checks over stripes'."
In a highlight reel posted by the NBA, Uproxx pointed out that you can just about make out some other players with the Adidas logo visible on their chests.
LeBron previously spoke about the huge sponsorship deal and what it was like making a huge decision at such a young age.
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Appearing on Uninterrupted's Kneading Dough podcast, he said that former Reebok chairman and CEO Paul Fireman offered him a cheque for $10 million to sign up with their company.
"When [Fireman] slid [the check down the table] he said, 'Listen, if you take this right now, you just promise me you won't go talk to Nike or Adidas. You know, you can take this right now.'
"And I was lost for words at the beginning. I mean, I flew in from Akron, Ohio, out of Spring Hill, from the projects.
"I mean, our rent was like $17 a month. And now I'm looking at a $10 million check – and go back to high school and go back to the classroom the next day. I was going to homeroom the next morning. I'm like, 'Holy s**t.'"
Incredibly, the basketball legend was savvy enough to keep his options open, adding: "I started thinking, like, 'If this guy... if he's willing to give me a $10 million check right now, what is it to say if Nike or Adidas isn't willing to give me $20 or $30 [million] upfront.'"
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And his decision paid off, as he went on to sign a reported $90 million with Nike – and the rest, as they say, is history.
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Topics: lebron james, Sport, Basketball, US News, Fashion
