LeBron James hasn’t had much success basketball since winning the NBA championship 2020. Space Jam: A New Legacy made $163.7 million at box office. That’s not bad considering that it had a budget of $150 million. The Lakers made it to the postseason in 2021 but lost in the first round against the Phoenix Suns. They traded for Russell Westbrook’s huge contract, but missed the playoffs completely the next season. The Lakers are off to a slow start this year.
James is smart enough to diversify his portfolio outside of the court. One of these moves could prove to be a huge success.
Fenway Sports Group is working with Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs to explore a possible sale of Liverpool FC. James and Maverick Carter, his business partner, own a roughly 1% stake in Liverpool. However, the club’s total value is $5 billion. Even a 1% stake in Liverpool is worth $50 million.
Over the past decade, sports franchises have seen a dramatic increase in their value. Fenway Sports Group purchased Liverpool from George Gillette & Tom Hicks for $476 million in 2010. FSG partnered in the following year with LRMR (James’ marketing agency) to increase his international appeal. This agreement provided a share of Liverpool in the amount of $6 million to $7 million.
FSG paid about 10x the price for Liverpool today. Liverpool won the most recent title in 2020, the same year as that of the Lakers. James then traded his Liverpool stake in 2021 for a part of FSG. FSG also owns Liverpool, the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Penguins. FSG also owns Fenway Park, a stake in NASCAR teams, and the NESN television channel.
James will be the richest on-court player in NBA history. However, he has made smart business decisions. Blaze Pizza, Calm and Lobos 1707 Tequila are his stakes. He also has a Nike lifetime contract worth more than $1 billion. SpringHill Entertainment, Uninterrupted media platform, and Robot brand strategy company are all part of his SpringHill Company. SpringHill expects to generate more than $100,000,000 in revenue this year.
James and Carter will be celebrating Liverpool’s exchange of hands if it happens. It’s not bad for a mere 1% stake.
LeBron James’ net worth makes him the richest active NBA player — ever
Without LeBron James there would not be a complete list of the greatest basketball players ever. He’s actually the greatest ever basketball player in certain ways. This is based on statistics like how many points he has scored and how many blocks he has amassed. He is also the most successful athlete of all time. However, his wealth is not just from playing basketball. James has also dabbled in fashion, made investments in restaurants and appeared in your favorite TV shows and movies. James is the most successful active athlete when it comes to net wealth.
His mother struggled to provide for him and his family as a child. James was able to manage money thanks to financial advice from his family. In an UNINTERRUPTED podcast episode, James recalls that his uncles taught him how to save money. They’d give me a dollar, and I’d say, “Listen, nephew. Go spend 35c of it. Then, keep the rest 65.” Or, if they gave you two dollars, they would say, “Go ahead, spend a dollar, but save the other dollar.”
Continue reading to find out how James made more than $1B and how he is preparing for his future.Six Ways LeBron James Makes Millions 1. Basketball
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James’s life was forever changed when he was drafted by the NBA right out of high school. His net worth has exploded since that time. He has made more than $600,000,000 on the court during his 20-year career as a professional basketball star. This does not include merchandise bearing his name, number or likeness.
Here are all the contracts James signed, along with their values (according to Spotrac which tracks all major sports organizations, including salaries and contracts).2003-2006 – Cleveland Cavaliers – $18.8 Million2007-2010 – Cleveland Cavaliers – $60.4 Million2010-2013 – Miami Heat – $110 Million2014 – Miami Heat $42.2 Million2015-2016 – Cleveland Cavaliers $47 Million2016-2017 – Cleveland Cavaliers – $100 Million2018-2021 – Los Angeles Lakers – $153.3 million2022-2023 – Los Angeles Lakers – $85 million2. Clothing & Accessories
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James signed his first Nike deal in 2003, when he was only 18 years old and just starting his career. Forbes reports that the deal cost $90 million over seven years. It wasn’t the first offer James received. Celebrity Net Worth reports that Reebok and Adidas were also interested. However, the latter company offered more ($115 million) but the player decided to stay with the firm he was happy to work for the long-term.
James signed a new Nike contract in 2015 and made history. According to his business partner, the player signed a lifetime contract with Nike, which reportedly pays him tens to millions of dollars each year. It could eventually reach $1 billion. Forbes reported in 2019 that James had made $32 million from his Nike shoe deal.
James founded UNKNWN, a Miami store, after his success in the footwear industry. This store, with its own basketball court and its own brand, sells apparel and sneakers.3. Sports
James has earned hundreds of millions of dollars playing basketball, but he also has used his money to invest in other sports-related ventures that have helped him increase his net worth over the years.
He invested $6.5million to buy a minority stake in Liverpool FC, a U.K.-based soccer club. The down payment that the basketball player made to purchase a 2% stake in Liverpool FC, U.K.-based soccer team, reportedly multiplied over seven years as the team’s success grew. According to ESPN, sports investment banking sources said that his share had reached $45 million by 2018.
He transferred the 2% ownership stake to Fenway Sports Group in 2021. This group purchased the Liverpool-based soccer club. The conglomerate also holds the Roush Fenway Racing and Boston Red Sox as well as the cable channel NESN. Forbes estimated the group’s value at $7.35 billion at the time. James’ ownership stake was approximately $70 million. FSG was valued at nearly $10 billion by 2022. James’ small stake in the company is likely to surpass $90 million.
In 2018, James joined forces with Arnold Schwarzenegger, an actor and former bodybuilder, to start a company called Ladder. The company claims to be a sports nutrition company that creates high-performance, NSF Certified For Sport(r), workout supplements for daily usage.” James is said to have been inspired by performance-related cramps. Forbes reports that James could have made as much as $28million in stock for trading the company to fitness platform Openfit.
James, along with Maverick Carter and Rich Paul, co-founded LRMR Marketing, a sports marketing company. It was founded in the kitchen of one of the men. The company has been involved in marketing campaigns for many projects. Perhaps the most notable was James’ primetime TV show, The Decision. It was about James announcing that he would be leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat. ESPN reports that although it was not well received, the event raised millions of dollars for charity.
- Food & Beverage
When James was just starting his tenure in the NBA as a top player, he signed an agreement to promote McDonald’s. The partnership was expanded in 2012 by James. According to the Washington Post, he signed up for $4 million per year thereafter. Forbes reports that he ended the partnership in 2015, even though the fast-food option offered him $15million.
James chose to leave McDonald’s and take a chance on Blaze Pizza instead. At the time, Blaze Pizza was a new restaurant chain. ESPN reports that he invested $1million in the company in 2012 and received a 10% share in the brand. According to Bleacher Report, his share of the company could now be worth between $35 million-$40 million. Forbes reports that he has 17 franchises and that Blaze Pizza could surpass $1 billion in sales by 2022.
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The Wall Street Journal reported in November 2020 that James continued to invest in the food business with his first venture into the liquor industry. He became an angel investor at Lobos 1707 Tequila Brand, for an undisclosed sum.
- Endorsements & Investments
Forbes says that James’s worth is partly due to the fact that his deals with companies are not for large lump sums but for equity in brands he partners with. Forbes claims that this gives him a cut of what the upside is rather than a quick paycheck.
Although this may seem true, James has also been signed up to be a spokesperson. He could earn millions through appearances at events and in advertisements for companies across a range of industries. He has been associated with brands such as AT&T and Audemars Piguet (and Dunkin Donuts In Asia), Calm, Candy Crush and Crypto.com.
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James was an investor in Beats By Dre headphones and owned 1% at one time. According to Celebrity Net Worth, he made $30 million when Apple bought the brand in 2014. Some outlets claim that he earned as much as $700 million, though this has not been confirmed.
- Film, TV & Media
SpringHill Entertainment was formed in 2007 by several companies connected to James. The brand has been behind films like What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali?, Space Jam: A New Legacy?, House Party, Hustle, and many others. The company helped bring TV shows like Survivor’s remorse and Million Dollar Mile to small screens, Shut Up and Dribble and The Shop, and The Shop. SpringHill Entertainment has been a major player in the industry for the past few decades, including Warner Bros. and ABC.
Forbes reports that investors invested in the production company in 2021. It was valued at $725 million at the time. James estimates that the firm is worth $300 million. Uninterrupted is an online media outlet that targets players and their supporters. It’s part of SpringHill Entertainment. According to the company’s website Uninterrupted, an online media outlet aimed at players and their fans, was funded by at least $15.8million in funding.
What is LeBron James’ Net Worth in 2019? $1 BILLION
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Forbes reports that James earned $1.2 billion pre-tax money during his career. More than $900 million of this was from activities off the court. Forbes estimated James’ net worth at $850 million in 2021. This sum jumped by approximately $150 million in less than a year, making him the second NBA player to reach the billionaire mark, after Michael Jordan. Forbes placed James second in the list of highest-paid athletes in the world with earnings exceeding $121 million in 2022. He broke his own record for earning the most money by an NBA player in one year. His previous record was $96.5 million.
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LeBron James, Lakers’ owner of the NFL, says that his interest in ownership is ‘possibly’ undersold
LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers star, has stated that he would like to own a team one day. He could also be considering buying an NFL franchise in the near future.
Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times: James stated that we may have undersold his interest in purchasing an NFL team.
James is currently part-owner of Boston Red Sox. He joined Fenway Sports Group March 2021. The group also owns Roush Fenway Racing, Liverpool Football Club and the regional sports network NESN.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein reported Monday that FSG had put Liverpool up for auction, with Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs being retained to assist in the sale.
Woike was also quoted by James, who said that he has “ongoing conversations with his business partners” about potential opportunities and “we’ll watch what happens” regarding Liverpool’s sale.
James has previously spoken out about the problem of lack of diversity among NFL owners.
James stated that the NFL has “a bunch of old white men owning football teams” and has a “slave mentality toward players” during an episode of The Shop, December 2018. (h/t Ben Golliver from The Washington Post).
Mellody Hobson was the first Black owner of a team in the NFL, as she was part of Walton-Penner’s group that bought the Denver Broncos. The only two non-white owners of a majority stake in an NFL team are Shahid Khan (Jaguars) and Kim Pegula (Buffalo Bills).
James, who played a preseason match at T-Mobile Arena Las Vegas last month said that he would love to own a NBA franchise if the league brought one to the city.
On Oct. 6, he said that “it was amazing.” It’s the most loyal fan base anywhere, and I would love for a team to come here someday. It would be incredible.
James has been hinting for years that he would like to become an owner after his playing career ends. Maverick Carter, his longtime business partner, told Variety’s Audrey Cleo that James would be “owning a basketball or football team in approximately 10 years.”
James will most likely be an owner if he does retire as a player. Chase Peterson-Withorn, Forbes’ Chase Peterson-Withorn reported that he was the first NBA player to have a net worth over $1 billion.
Forbes rates the Cincinnati Bengals as the NFL’s least valuable franchise at $3 billion. Tanya Snyder and Dan Snyder have recently hired Bank of America Securities for the purpose of exploring selling the Washington Commanders.
It is not clear if the Snyders will be selling all or part of the franchise.
Forbes reports that the Commanders are currently sixth in NFL value at $5.6 billion.