Do Cleveland and the NBA Need to Worry About Greece Poaching LeBron in 2010?

No amount of Euros could possibly top the endorsement money that James has going on here in the States.James surely wants to play with the best and be considered among the alltime greats,he can't do that in Europe or anywhere else.

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Yea, he's not leaving.

A 40 million dollar contract is a lot of money, true.

However, would LeBron really want to live...... in Greece? Away from his friends and family stateside?

That's a little hard to imagine.

Besides, the 20 million dollars he'd be leaving on the table is more than made up for by his endorsement deals.

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So do people really think that endorsement dollars are only available in the US? A strong Euro makes for strong buying power overseas.

Does it bother everyone that by 2013 there will be an NBA Euro division, starring London, Paris, Athens, Rome and Barcelona?

You thought Vegas was bad? Wait until the All Star Game is in Amsterdam!

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Its easy to be a company man when said company is unquestionably the destination to make the most money and is completely in love with you as well. A chance at a 1 year European vacation of the 40-50 million tax free variety just might challenge that allegiance.

If he takes off for a year he isn't going to lose much in the way of endorsements and he may even make more long term due to his expanded European exposure. If the euro stays as strong as it is any multinational corp. like Nike would love a chance to boost its market share in Europe and Bron-Bron would definitely help get that accomplished.

In the end though I don't see LeBron burning any of his prime years overseas. A year or two at the end of his career would make a lot more sense.

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LeBron could not pass a steroids test if he had to, unless Stern intervened, which he would.

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A merger? The league is already watered-down by expansion and adding a whole league of European players will only make it worse. Second, can you imagine the horendous scheduling conflicts a worldly league would generate. Think of an NBA season where half the games played are on T.V. in the States at six in the morning. A merger would weaken the league and destroy U.S. Basketball. Also, lets stop comparing players to Jordan. It was a differant time with differant players. Kobe's not Jordan; LeBron's not Jordon; There was and only will be one Jordon. Let it go.

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An unbelivable article. I am a extreme LeBron fan and wanna watch a game early that has my favorite player. If LeBron leaves the NBA the NBA will be over. If LeBron leaves it 's gonna lead 2 superstars like Kobe Shaq Dwight Howard T-MacJ. Kidd, C. Pau, and K.G l. Also the nbas best shooters will be gone like Ray Allen or Michael Redd. tHE nba IS GOING TO BE GONE SOONER OR LEATER IF eUROPE TAKES OUR BEST

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James can't be rightfully entered into any tired conversation (the average sports fan's need to compare athletes incessantly is flat nauseating) regarding Jordan's true heir until he wins his first title, simple as that.

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The point about LeBron wanting to be recognized as one of the best basketball players of all time needs to be emphasized. It's not all about money with him.

Playing in a european league against watered down competition is no way for you to become a top-5 basketball player of all time.

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I agree with the first poster...

NBA is where it's at... if he wants to go down as the best ever, he needs to stay and win 3+ championships
http://www.collegefastbreak.com/

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LeBron may be flaky for wearing a New York Yankees ballcap at Cleveland sporting events but biting th hand that feeds him (the NBA) to play in Greece? LeBron would be homesick playing overseas in a matter of months.

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So many of you seem to be forgetting LeBron's goals. He wants to be an international icon. Many people have read about how LeBron has been learning chinese because he wants to be that big of a phenomenon. He wants those foreign endorsement dollars. He has the ability in taking a deal to play in Greece, to become a player that's bigger than the scale of how we view even Jordan. I don't mean that in terms of ability on the court, but what they mean to sports on the whole. Jordan transcended the game not because of his play but because he was everywhere. He modernized the concept of endorsements. He had every award in the book. They even made a movie as an excuse to grow his brand and image.

LeBron wants to be bigger than the game, and by going to Greece, could move toward that goal. If he himself could cause the NBA to create not one new allied team, but several, as suggested by Matt, he would do something no one has ever done.

Whomever suggested he would never leave because he'd get home sick...please stop being so ethnocentric. Here's a few sports that players jump at the chance to leave their home country to come to the USA to play and make more money than they could where they're from: hockey, basketball, baseball, golf, MMA.

Besides, no one gets home sick being away from Cleveland.

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The NBA might need to worry about Lebron leaving for Greece, but Cleveland doesn't. They have no chance of retaining him when he becomes a free agent in 2010. At least if he goes to Greece he won't be competing against the cavs.

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"For all his ambition, though, LeBron is a bit of a company man. I think he believes in the NBA as much as the NBA believes in him. And with everyone -- including his home town in Cleveland, and his idol's team in Brooklyn -- lining up to pay him $20 million, he'll have plenty of reasons to stay...." This sounds like wishful thinking to me.
You know it is a wonderful thing watching capitalism at work. "Let the market work it out", every "capitalist" in America will tell you that when any discussion of market regulation comes up. I guess the same should hold true for this new class of international superstars.

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Lebronze will go where the money is...he's already declared his loyalty...while Kobe and others want to make history, Lebronze has said, he wants to be a billionaire...you don't hear his major goal as being "most championships ever" or anything remotely resembling, loving the game...he's in it for the kwan...and if Greece offers, I bet he goes...

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WHO CARES, WE NEED MORE EDUCATED BALL PLAYERS

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Let LeBron and Kobe both go. Don't come back. It is not about the team, it is about the money. Getting rid of selfish players and getting players that love the game would make basketball a better sports. See ya later.

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