Page 27 - Florida Sentinel 12-11-15 Edition

Sports
Reds: Alleged Domestic Violence Incident Halts Chapman Trade
LeBron James' Path To Becoming A Billionaire Just Got A Little Easier
Bucs Look To Sweep Series With Saints
Jameis Winston expected to be named Rookie of the Year.
KWON ALEXANDER
James signed a highly un- usual lifetime contract with Nike (NKE) on Monday. The company first signed James when he was a teenager, before he had played a single NBA game.
The new deal, the terms of which were not disclosed, in- sures that he'll stay on Nike's payroll long after his last game. James' previous Nike deal was reported to be worth $20 mil- lion a year.
James' net worth is esti- mated to be $300 million, ac- cording to CelebrityNet- Worth.com. But he's said pub- licly he hopes to hit the $1 bil- lion mark -- a goal that so far only one athlete is believed to have achieved -- Michael Jor- dan.
There's no question that Nike locked LeBron into a lifetime deal at least in part to keep him away from competi- tor Under Armour (UA), which has been aggressively signing top athletes such as Cam New- ton, Tom Brady, Steph Curry and Jordan Spieth. Last year, Nike gave Kevin Durant a reported $300 mil- lion over 10 years to keep him away from Under Armour. The new James deal undoubtedly tops that one.
For Nike, LeBron is clearly worth it -- he sells $350 million worth of basketball sneakers a year, more than any other ac- tive athlete. Most athletes' shoe sales fall sharply once they stop playing. But experts think that James, who's now 31, is one of those rare megastars who will keep selling shoes for Nike long after he leaves the court.
"I don't think we'll see Jor- dan-like numbers, but they can extend his commercial value well past his playing days," said Matt Powell,
sneaker sale analyst with the NPD Group.
James' list of sponsors in- cludes Kia, McDonald's (MCD), Coca-Cola (KO), Samsung, Beats by Dre and Chinese In- ternet provider Tencent, among others. Forbes esti- mates his endorsements pay out $44 million a year, a figure that is sure to climb with the new Nike money.
And James still makes plenty of money on the court. Spotrac estimates he's earned $169.6 million playing basket- ball, with a career high salary of nearly $23 million for the cur- rent season. And he's going to get a big raise when he signs his next deal at the end of this sea- son, since the salary cap is being raised.
Beyond sports, James may have a second career in enter- tainment. He got good reviews for his role in the movie Train- weck earlier this year. His en- tertainment company Spring- hill recently announced a deal with Warner Bros. to produce content for television, film and online. (Warner Bros. and CNN are both owned by Time Warner (TWX).)
James is also an investor. Back in 2007, the then 22-year old James befriended Berk- shire Hathaway(BRKA) CEO Warren Buffett, who men- tored the athlete. James set up a firm, LRMR Marketing, to handle his investments in start- ups, real estate and other com- panies.
He's already made a re- ported $30 million profit on an early investment in Beats by Dre, which Apple(AAPL, Tech30) bought for $3 billion last year. He's also a minority owner of the British soccer league's Liverpool Football Club.
LeBron James’ new deal is worth more than $300 Million.
This Sunday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will play host to the New Orleans Saints at Ray- mond James Stadium with their hopes clinging to a possi- ble playoff berth.
The Bucs (6-6) have already swept the Atlanta Falcons, and will be looking to do the same against the Saints (4-8), after beating them 26-19 at the Mer- cedes-Benz Super Dome in the second week of the season.
With the exception of the NFC South leading Carolina Panthers, the Bucs have held serve in the tough division this season. The Panthers remain the only undefeated team in the NFL this season.
The last time the Bucs made the playoffs was 2007, which was also the last time they swept the Saints and Falcons.
Buccaneer quarterback Jameis Winston has hushed all doubters about him being the first overall selection in the
draft by repeatedly leading his team to victory.
Winston is a sure shot to be named Rookie of the Year, and has already been recognized as the “Clutch Player of the Week.”
Buccaneer linebacker, Kwon Alexander, will sit out the re- mainder of the season on sus- pension for allegedly using performance enhancing drugs.
Saints running back, Heis- man Trophy winner Mark In- gram, is expected to miss this game and perhaps the remain- der of the season with a shoul- der injury.
That will still leave a lot of weapons for Drew Brees and he and his teammates attempt to salvage what’s left of their disastrous season.
Buccaneer wide receiver Mike Evans is expected to play as he recovers from a ham- string injury.
Kickoff will be at 1 p. m.
Aroldis Chapman and his girlfriend.
Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman allegedly fired eight gunshots in the garage of his Miami-area home following an October argument with his girlfriend in which she told police he “choked” her and pushed her against a wall, ac- cording to police reports.
No arrests were made after the incident, in which more than a dozen police officers were dispatched to Chap- man’s home in Davie, Fla., on Oct. 30. Chapman’s girl- friend exited the house and hid in bushes following the argu- ment that stemmed from something she found on Chapman’s cellphone, ac- cording to the police report.
"I've reviewed the facts as portrayed," Jay Reisinger, Chapman’s attorney, said Monday night. "On behalf of Mr. Chapman, we vehe- mently deny the allegations as stated.
The Reds have attempted to trade Chapman in recent weeks and were believed to have completed a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday until word of the inci- dent held up the deal. Through a spokesman, Major League Baseball confirmed that it would investigate the incident. Chapman defected from the Cuban national team in 2009.
Chapman, 27, is the hard- est-throwing pitcher in base- ball history and considered among the best closers in base- ball after six dominating sea- sons as a left-handed relief ace for the Reds.
The Champions Are 23-0 To Start The Season
The Golden State Warriors looked every bit the best team in the NBA for three quarters of Tuesday's 131-123 win over the Indiana Pacers, moving to 23- 0 and setting another record related to their best-ever start.
All-Star Klay Thompson torched the Pacers with 10 three-pointers (eight of them in the first half) on his way to a season-high 39 points on 13-of- 21 shooting from the field. Thompson joined Splash Brother Stephen Curry (29 points on 11-of-23 shooting) in helping the Warriors to a dom- inant 79-point first half. The margin got up to as many as 32
Klay Thompson rolled his ankle in the 23rd win of the season for the Golden State Warriors.
in the third quarter. Thomp- son was sidelined however with an ankle injury.
PAGE 14-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2015