Just Do It: The Business of The LeBron James Shoe

The 9-time all-star and league's reigning Most Valuable Player has lead his team to the three consecutive NBA Finals appearances, won the gold at last summer's Olympic Games, in addition to making the 2013 All-NBA first team and the NBA All-Defensive first team. The Miami Heat's LeBron James is arguably the NBA's most talented active player. But when it comes to being the best sneaker salesman in the market, there is no argument.

Let's pose it this way: if you do not own a pair of LeBron James' signature Nike sneaker, you are the minority. Nike has successfully ushered in the LeBron James sneaker into a massive appeal zone and the majority has responded, overwhelmingly. According to a recent Forbes Magazine report, the Nike sneakers are currently the most popular athlete-endorsed shoes in the country. During the 2012-2013 regular NBA season, The LeBron James X generated more than $300 million in sales.

 Where does that figure fare? Glad you asked. While Michael Jordan is the pinnacle of pinnacles as far as sneaker sales are concerned, the LeBron James signature managed to top the likes of Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant. The Kobe Zoom signature helped Nike garner $50 million in sales in the last year, while Carmelo Anthony's Jordan Brand registered approximately $40 million in sales. The Oklahoma City Thunder's superstar Kevin Durant, watched his line come in at a respectable $35 million with Nike and Chicago Bulls franchise player, Derrick Rose gave adidas a solid boost earning about $25 million, despite the injury that kept him out this entire year.  SportsOneSource analyst, Matt Powell told Forbes, “The first thing is the aesthetics. The shoes look great and [LeBron's] star stature continues to rise... The media attention on him helps him sell more footwear.”Well, Matt couldn't have been more correct in that statement.Photos courtesy Getty Images.