Media Executives Believe LeBron James' Farewell Tour Could Fetch Between $40-75 Million In A Streaming Bidding War

At first I thought this might be a stupid "story" to blog about. But that's never stopped me before. If not being stupid was a prerequisite for content at Barstool, our company would cease to exist. 

I thought these reports seemed a bit silly, because LeBron has necessarily stated that he plans to sell the rights of his farewell tour to a streaming service. Any popular athlete could make a sizable amount of money if they gave Netflix full-access and allowed a documentary crew to film them everywhere they went. When it comes to LeBron, he could make millions of dollars doing a lot things. He's one of the most famous athletes in the world. And for all we know, LeBron could be in the midst of his final NBA season right now. He might just retire at the end of this year and ride off humbly into the night without the pomp and circumstance of a big fancy "look-at-me" farewell tour.

Lmao I'm just kidding. That's insanity. I'll defend LeBron James for a lot of things. I often think it's crazy how quickly the internet is to jump down his throat for every little thing. The most infamous moment his career involved him raising $2.5M for the Boys & Girls Club. 

But let's be real, when it comes time for LeBron to retire, he's going to throw a farewell tour the likes of which this world has never seen. ESPN won't bother coming up with any additional programming all year long. The Oklahoma City Thunder could start the season 50-0, and the casual fan wouldn't even know it. LeBron James could have a teammate break Kobe Bryant's single-game scoring record, and the first question asked at his post-game press would be, "What does it mean to break the record in front of LeBron on his last game at Sacramento."

The circus is going to happen whether LeBron makes a documentary or not. So honestly, if LeBron James would be willing to take the veteran minimum and supplement his income with "LeBron James: The Farewell" (or whatever the hell he calls his documentary) to free up cap space and give his team a better chance to win... well that's the least he could do to make up for the chaos he's bringing along with him.

Or maybe LeBron just signs another max contract and makes millions of dollars in streaming money on top of it. Who's to say? He's got a family to feed after all. He's a father of three.

Regardless of his contract, how fitting would it be for LeBron James farewell tour if he goes back to Cleveland for a third time, and spends his final NBA season playing alongside a kid who was in the audience when he first announced to the world he was getting the fuck out of there (a kid who was actively cheering for him to leave for Miami).

Buckle up sports fans. The LeBron James farewell tour is coming whether you like it or not. If you think the media is insufferable with their LeBron James coverage now… then might I recommend giving the NHL a shot that year. Although now that NHL games are streamed on ESPN+, they might just find a way to shoehorn LeBron into their hockey coverage as well.