LeBron inks $15M deal with Polymarket

LeBron James is adding another major paycheck to his long list of endorsement earnings.

The NBA superstar has reportedly agreed to a deal with prediction-market platform Polymarket worth $15 million a year, according to Front Office Sports. That is nearly quadruple the annual pay from his two-year, $8 million contract with the 76ers.

The deal will focus on football rather than basketball betting. Polymarket expects James to deliver social media posts and other promotional content, though the agreement length remains undisclosed.

Why are people paying attention?
The timing is interesting because the NBA has recently faced questions about endorsement deals after penalizing the Los Angeles Clippers over arrangements involving Kawhi Leonard that investigators said helped circumvent salary-cap rules.

There is no evidence that James’ Polymarket deal has anything to do with the Clippers case, and no indication the 76ers were involved. 

Still, Polymarket reportedly took more than $40 million in wagers on James’ next team before he signed with Philadelphia, making the partnership likely to attract extra attention.