Though his name has been synonymous with Nike for more than 20 years, LeBron James almost never signed with the company that helped make him a billionaire. In an appearance on Travis and Jason Kelce's "New Heights" podcast this week,

LeBron James was offered a multi-million dollar contract by Reebok in the early 2000s - but his mother told him to follow his heart.

Bron ended up siging with Nike for $87 million in 2003 which later turned into a lifetime deal worth $1 billion.

Before LeBron James had numerous sponsorships with the Lakers, he revealed his first major contract offer by Reebok.

The best pitch that I got, where I thought I was going to end up, was actually with Reebok. At one point, I went to their meeting, and I sat down across from their CEO and the guys