Maria Sharapova spots Nike co-founder Phil Knight during LeBron James' record-breaking NBA performance, lauds him for truly enjoying the moment
Maria Sharapova made an interesting observation during LeBron James' historic NBA moment on Tuesday night, pointing out a special guest in the stands. Amidst a packed crowd at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Phil Knight, the famous co-founder of sports apparel and equipment giant Nike, was seated courtside and watched James create history.
LeBron James, a long-term Nike athlete himself, became the NBA's all-time leading scorer in a 38-point scoring performance in the LA Lakers' contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder. In a picture clicked by photographer Andrew Bernstein which has now gone viral, showing James setting up for the shot that he made NBA history with while fans watched intently, Maria Sharapova spotted something unique.
With almost every fan standing behind Knight capturing the moment with their phones, Knight sat quietly and watched James perform with a smile on his face. Sharapova, who herself was associated with Nike for many years during her playing career, lauded Knight for truly and thoroughly enjoying the historic moment.
"Phil Knight. No screen. No need," Maria Sharapova wrote, sharing the famous photo and highlighting the Nike chairman.
LeBron James, 38, first signed with Nike 20 years ago and has been associated with the brand ever since. He signed a lifetime endorsement deal with Nike in 2016 which is expected to earn the basketball legend a whopping $1 billion over the course of his lifetime.
Maria Sharapova reminisces about life-changing deal with Nike as an 11-year-old
Maria Sharapova revealed that her first brand signing was with Nike, speaking during an interview last year. The Russian tennis superstar said that her first contract with the brand came when she was only 11 years old, and while it was a "small contract" that did not involve monetary compensation but free clothing and equipment, it was monumental for her.
Only two years later, she signed a new contract with Nike worth $25,000-$50,000. Sharapova reflected upon her first two deals with Nike with great fondness.
"I was about 11 years old, which is pretty crazy to look back. But at the time it wasn't much of a contract," Sharapova told The CMO Podcast.
"It was just free clothes and clothing that I would just float in because it was so large for me, they didn't have a junior collection at the time, so I would roll everything up and my mom would stitch it and cut it and it all together, make it into my size."
"And then a couple of years after, I think, I had maybe a 25 or $50,000 contract which, you know, at that time was a lot of money," Sharapova further revealed.
Sharapova's $70 million deal with Nike in 2010 was the world's most lucrative endorsement deal for a female athlete at the time.