LeBron James: The Prodigal Son's Big Payday

Published
ETONLINE

LeBron James is headed back to Cleveland with a king-sized paycheck.

After four years with the Miami Heat, King James has signed a two-year contract to once again play for the Cleveland Cavaliers for $42 million.

Leigh Steinberg, the super agent who inspired Jerry Maguire, spoke to ET's Rob Marciano about what the deal means.

"You have LeBron -- maybe the best basketball player in the world -- not very popular, not well loved, and in one foul swoop he transcends the genre of sports to enter the pantheon of American heroes," said Steinberg.

Related Gallery

While $42 million is nothing to sneeze at, LeBron could have gotten even more money. So why was the two-year option a good idea?

"He has all the money in the world," said Steinberg. "He has some rings, but to go back and do it in Cleveland, his hometown, and take that team to the playoffs -- that will be seen as epic."

According to Forbes, LeBron is worth about $300 million.