Why Did 18-Year-Old LeBron James Walk Away From $10 Million? The Scientific Link Between Self-Control and Intelligence

In LeBron’s (almost literal) shoes, what would you have done? The answer could reveal a little something about your level of intelligence.

EXPERT OPINION BY JEFF HADEN @JEFF_HADEN

LeBron James. Photo: Getty Images

Think back to when you were a high school senior, then imagine you were offered you a cashier’s check for $10 million, as well as a contract to pay you nearly $90 million in years to come. Would you have taken the check? High school senior me would have.

High school senior Lebron James didn’t.

In May 2003, Reebok, Adidas, and Nike all hoped to sign LeBron to a shoe deal. His first meeting was with Reebok executives hoping to win the competition before it even started.

According to Brian Windhorst’s LeBron, Inc: The Making of a Billion-Dollar Athlete:

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The idea came from Steve Stoute, a former music industry executive who launched the careers of dozens of artists from Will Smith to 50 Cent to Nas. Soute was working for Reebok and urged (them) to do what he’d done with many talented teenagers who had come from poverty: show them the money, and it closes the deal. ‘This happened all the time in the music business: give the guy a big advance and they do the deal,’ Stoute said. ‘This wasn’t short money. [By “short money,” think big advance, but less dollars overall.] We were offering him the deal he wanted… ‘We assumed if we gave him his price, he’d take it.’

The idea came from Steve Stoute, a former music industry executive who launched the careers of dozens of artists from Will Smith to 50 Cent to Nas. Soute was working for Reebok and urged (them) to do what he’d done with many talented teenagers who had come from poverty: show them the money, and it closes the deal.

‘This happened all the time in the music business: give the guy a big advance and they do the deal,’ Stoute said. ‘This wasn’t short money. [By “short money,” think big advance, but less dollars overall.] We were offering him the deal he wanted…

‘We assumed if we gave him his price, he’d take it.’

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