Random unsubstantiated rumor: LeBron James is a cheap tipper
Warning! Warning! Ridiculous athlete gossip below! Please proceed with caution!
According to Fortune Magazine, LeBron James makes about $170 million in sponsorship deals. He has a $90 million contract with Nike, $15 million with Coke, $6 million with Upper Deck, $4.5 million with Bubblicious, $7.5 million with Cub Cadet, and some sick sharing revenue deal with MSN. And oh, yeah, he also makes $13 million a year from bouncing an orange ball.
So it's a little surprising to hear that The Chosen One may not be the world's most generous tipper. In fact, if you believe the Cleveland Scene's "sources," LeBron James is basically Scrooge McDuck in a headband. The story:
LeBron pulls up in his Mercedes outside XO. People stop and try not to stare, but c'mon, it's LeBron James. He enters the restaurant with a group of friends. On this special occasion, the King decides to dine late. He keeps his group there until around 3:45 a.m. During this time the waiter obsequiously pours drinks and fetches anything else His Greatness needs.
The final bill comes to $800. By the feudal laws of decorum, which stipulate that the affluent should administer a 20 percent gratuity, staffers figured they'd be pocketing an extra $160. But when they fetched the autographed bill after His Heinousness bolted back to Akron, their expectation turned to disbelief, then anger.
LeBron stiffed them with a meager $10 tip.
Ouch. Just 1.25 percent. No tippin' Scottie Pippen thinks this is way too much.
