Everyone knows and admires LeBron James’ ‘Chosen One’ story. The story of a boy from Akron turned the spotlight on him even before setting his foot on an NBA floor. But what most of us don’t know is the mind that enabled the superstar to excel over anyone in front of him. However, this same mind once pulled a trick on him when millions of dollars were on the line! Take a breather, King James’ high school coach Keith Dambrot recently narrated an inspiring backstage story, involving Michael Jordan’s sneaker exec.

Sunny Vaccaro is undeniably an influential icon in the sports world. He was the man behind cracking Michael Jordan‘s Nike and Kobe Bryant‘s Adidas deals. And the kingmaker was on a mission to make it a triple treat, setting his eyes on the Akron Hammer.

So he ultimately flew down to San Francisco to witness the raw talent with his naked eyes. Without any doubt, Vaccaro left the place, saying, “I just saw the greatest high school player I’ve ever seen.” But before Vaccaro could utter those golden words, LeBron James had to battle through a seemingly lazy day. Keith Dambrot revealed Bron’s strong mental ability with which he can “beat to his own drum”. James, however, wasn’t having a great day and struggled to find his rhythm until he was pulled him aside.

Coach Dambrot told Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective, “I don’t know whether his shorts were too big or he just didn’t feel like playing, but he was messing with the shorts the whole time and really wasn’t playing very good. So I took him out in the hallway and I said, ‘Bron, do you know who that guy is’ and he says, ‘Yeah’. I said, well you know you’re gonna cost yourself millions of dollars if you quit messing around.”

Following that tough push from the coach, a 15-year-old Bron turned on the switch in him, “Sunny drove the price up,” and the rest was history. But this brings to mind a key question.

Did LeBron James sign the deal with Sunny Vaccaro?

Everyone knows that James has had a loyal relationship with Nike since the start of his career. So, here’s the twist. When Sunny Vaccaro approached the superstar, he wasn’t representing the Swoosh brand, but Adidas. After the hooper impressed him in San Francisco, Vaccaro offered a $60 million deal. However, it didn’t match with Nike’s $87 million deal. And, of course, the would-be superstar went with the higher offer, crashing Sunny’s clean record.

Notably, Bron had turned down Reebok’s 115 million deal to go with Nike instead. It’s a simple example of how King James had a visionary business perspective at a very young age. Nike and Bron went on to rule the NBA world following that deal. At the same time, his bold decision to turn down Sunny Vaccaro, given his track record of signing deals with MJ and Kobe Bryant, it would be a default decision to go with Vaccaro no matter what.

But James, in turn, went against the tide to create his own path. Moreover, with only a few seasons remaining in his illustrious career, the fans could expect more such anecdotes coming their way in the coming years. Watch this space for more stories.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.