Nike president Charlie Denson, attending an event at Chelsea Piers today to promote Team USA’s August training camp in the Big Apple, said NIKE is “OK” wherever LeBron James signs, feeling he will go where he can win.
Asked if Nike would like James in New York, Denson said,
“One of the most talked about events in basketball right now is free agency. Obviously LeBron is a big part of that . . . It’s great for the game. I think where LeBron winds up is totally up to LeBron. We’ll all support him. He wants to put himself in the best position to win. That’s the most important part. LeBron will try to pick the best place where he can win. Wherever that is, we’re OK with that.”
Speculation has been Nike prefers him with the Knicks in a bigger market where he’d sell more Nike products. But his latest Nike contract, agreed upon in March, had no incentives for signing in New York. Rather sources emphasized the incentive was based on winning championships that will make him more globally appealing.
Nike and Team USA are jointly staging a World Basketball Festival in New York to coincide with Team USA’s camp preparing for the World Championships in Turkey.
As reported last week in The Post, Team USA will face France in a Garden exhibition Aug. 15th followed by Puerto Rico vs. China. The team will practice at John Jay College and at the Knicks practice facility.
A World Basketball Festival will be held Aug. 12th at Times Square in which Team USA will participate. The New York training camp runs from Aug. 10 to Aug. 16.
James is likely not going to play for Team USA in the Worlds, but is expected to attend the festival in New York.