#4 LFC/Nike, LeBron James & Converse Collaboration

NBA very own Fan Relationship Index report reveal that 70 per cent of NBA fans have a high affinity towards European football teams.

Whilst Premier League rivals where securing long terms deals with their kit provider, 2019 LFC took then kit provider New Balance to court, winning a case that will change the future of kit partnerships. Despite activating a ‘Right to Match’ clause New balance believed they had matched all three of Nike proposals, Nike initially offered ￡80m year, New Balance Matched, Nike than offered ￡30m plus 20% of every item sold and 600 global doors, again New Balance matched. The determining factor was Nike influencers were deemed more influential and would provide a bigger reach, LeBron James was one of the three influencers that Nike advocated.

Since 2019 Nike & LFC have conducted a multi-layered approach to bring together LeBron James' 200m followers with Liverpool's fan base. 2020 Nike invested in LeBron SpringHill Entertainment Company, a culture firm co-founded with long-time friend and business associate Maverick Carter, himself an FSG partner. SpringHill board of directors also includes Serena Williams and has deals signed with Disney and Universal. March 2021 LeBron original two percent stake in LFC changed into one per cent of FSG's empire which itself is currently valued north of $10bn.

2021/22 LFC revealed record-breaking kit sales whilst launching 51 new ‘shop-in-shop’ locations and 19 international licensing deals, e-commerce grew by 60 per cent and shipping to over 190 countries. Liverpool also became the first sports team in the world to launch virtual merchandise through Meta's newly released Avatars Store. Users on Meta’s platforms will have the option of kitting out their digital avatars with Liverpool kits or items from the club’s lifestyle collection.

February 2023 launch Liverpool FC x LeBron collection and includes a pair of Nike XX Low shoes, early signs indicate this collaboration has been a huge success.

April 6th 2023 LFC/Nike launch their next layer a collaboration with Converse, both Converse and the LeBron James brand belong to Nike (Nike purchased converse back in 2003). Converse most notable basketball line was the ‘Chuck Taylor Footwear’ a shoe that has been a strong part of urban culture in the US for decades.?

LeBron has agreements with the NBA to own his own NBA franchise in the future, FSG's plan is to acquire an expansion franchise in Las Vegas and both Nike & FSG have agreed lifetime contracts with LeBron.?