What would the transfer fee be for some of America’s biggest sports stars?
By David Rouben
1. LeBron James
Even though he lost the most recent NBA Finals, LeBron James’ legacy has been set. If he isn’t better than Michael Jordan, he’s certainly the best to ever play the game besides him. And even so, there might not be a single player with the same transformative impact on a team than LeBron.
As soon as he joined the Miami Heat, they made it to the Finals for the first time since 2006 and reached the Finals for four straight years. When he returned to Cleveland, they went from 33 wins to the NBA Finals and then champions the year after that.
The argument that the “LeBron is better than Jordan” crowd often makes is that LeBron has achieved more by the age of 32. He’s won more MVPs – 4 to 3 – more All-Star appearances – 13 to 10 – and he’s never lost in the first round. LeBron’s also been to more Finals in a row than Jordan has in his entire career. And the reason he has five Finals losses is because his team was the underdog in every one of those series, except for2011 against the Dallas Mavericks.
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Knowing there isn’t a single team in the NBA LeBron could go to where they wouldn’t instantly become championship contenders – including the Nets. Even if the Cavs enter this season with Derrick Rose as their starting point guard, nobody is convinced that they’re not the favorites to make it back to the Finals – he’s done it before with less talent at his disposal.
No amount of money for LeBron would be justifiably enough for a transfer, but if you’re setting a baseline, $500 million might have to be the bare minimum.
Potential transfer fee: >$500 million