LeBron James posted a cryptic image on Instagram of Liverpool’s club badge and tagged Nike after the Merseyside outfit confirmed an agreement has been reached with the clothing manufacturer to become their new kit supplier. Liverpool will move on from New Balance at the end of the season with Nike to takeover as their new kit supplier after agreeing a multi-year partnership.
The deal is said to be worth £80million per year, breaking the British record previously held by Manchester United.
The news was widely praised by Liverpool fans, with many hoping it could lead to big endorsements from some of the world’s biggest sports stars.
Nike are one of the biggest professional athlete endorsers in the world and have the likes of Rory McIroy, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Cristiano Ronaldo on their books.
But arguably one of the biggest deals Nike ever struck was with James, who signed an unprecedented lifetime contract with the sports brand back in 2015.
LeBron James has a 2 per cent stake in Liverpool (Image: GETTY)
The three-time NBA champion has a long list of endorsements he is associated with such as Beats Electronics, Coca-Cola and Blaze Pizza to name but a few.
And he also holds a 2 per cent stake in Liverpool after receiving it after his marketing firm agreed to a joint venture with Fenway Sports Partners back in 2011.
Now that Liverpool have agreed a partnership with Nike, James has even more of an association with the Premier League leaders.
And he teased his Instagram followers by posting a photo of the Liverpool crest on a black background while also tagging Nike’s account.
But not everyone was pleased at seeing the NBA superstar endorse Liverpool’s recent agreement.
One fan wrote: “Now I have to dislike you!!! Why are you breaking my heart like this!!???”
Another posted: “Bro please don’t like Liverpool.. hurts me.”
A third said: “LeBron I’m disappointed.”
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LeBron James posted a cryptic image after Liverpool agreed a Nike deal (Image: GETTY)
Liverpool will end their partnership with New Balance at the end of the season (Image: GETTY)
A fourth quipped: “This is why Kobe [Bryant] and MJ [Michael Jordan] will always be greater.”
James’ investment in Liverpool back in 2011 was said to be worth approximately $6.5million, but that has now increased to more than $32m after the Reds won the Champions League last year.
And he clearly has become a fan of the club, occasionally tweeting about the club as well as posting a handful of videos of him wearing Liverpool merchandise.
With the NBA schedule clashing with the football season, James hasn’t been able to attend many games but he was in the crowd back in 2011 when Liverpool played Manchester United at Anfield.