in his life.
As a freshman at St. Vincent-St. Mary’s High School, LeBron led his team to two consecutive
Division III state championships.
After this, James quickly began attracting national attention for his basketball skills
and was equally good at football.
He truly did it all
James was taken as the number one overall pick in the NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He became the youngest person in NBA history to score 40 points in a game and became the
youngest person to win the Rookie of the Year award.
He was universally admired for his versatility, as he was used as a point guard, shooting
guard, and small forward.
His highlight-reel dunks and no-look pass thrilled his fans.
In his third season, he led the Cavaliers to the playoffs.
In his fifth season, he nearly single-handedly led the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals, only
to be swept in four games by the San Antonio Spurs.
LeBron is probably the best player in the NBA nowadays.
And of course, now that he’s at the highest level of his career, you can already imagine
his lifestyle.
LeBron James is on his way to being one of the wealthiest athletes ever, he currently
has a net worth of… wait, we’ll get to that later.
First, let’s take a look at his most successful businesses.
Fenway Sports Group Of course, an athlete is going to invest in
sports.
LeBron James made a lot of noise when it was announced that he and longtime business partner
Maverick Carter were now part-owners of the Boston Red Sox.
The reason this was possible was thanks to their investment and partnership in Fenway
Sports Group.
James also has a share in Liverpool FC, and now maybe in a position, along with Carter,
to have a say in major decisions that the franchises make.
Who would've thought LeBron would get involved in soccer?
SpringHill Entertainment SpringHill Entertainment is another business
owned by James, and it was his way into the filmmaking business.
The name SpringHill comes from the Section-8 housing project in which James spent part
of his childhood.
This company has produced shows as well as the new "Space Jam: A New Legacy" a movie
that James stars in, which is a remake of the original Space Jam in which Michael Jordan
appeared.
Blaze Pizza James got into the pizza game in 2012 when
he and his business team invested in Blaze Pizza.
LeBron started off investing 1 million dollars into the small pizza chain, and it has exploded.
Now, you can find James tweeting about Blaze Pizza from time to time while his investment
in the company continues to grow.
There was even the video of James working at a Blaze Pizza, claiming to be “Ron”
while behind the counter helping customers.
Ladder This is probably the least-known of the James-owned
properties so far, but he and his trainer, Mike Mancias, have created Ladder.
According to its website, Ladder is a “sports nutrition company dedicated to creating high-performance,
NSF Certified for Sport workout supplements for daily use.
We formulate products to complement a strong nutritional foundation and unlock the next
level in training and exercise.”
In this business, James is partners with legendary bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Uninterrupted When Fox News’ Laura Ingraham went on a
rant about James’ political interests, she finished it with the phrase, “shut up and
dribble.”
that incident was the reason behind LeBron’s brilliant idea.
James went on to create his own media narrative.
The company collaborated with HBO to produce The Shop, which is described by the network
as “a one-of-a-kind barbershop experience, which for many provides a sanctuary for free-flowing
and spirited discussions.
The series will visit barbershops around the country to gather distinguished individuals
who can speak honestly on sports, music, world events, business, and other subjects integral
to the culture.”
UNINTERRUPTED is a platform for athletes to tell their own stories.
It started as short videos on Twitter or Instagram, and now has evolved into podcasts and feature-length
films.
The tagline “More Than An Athlete,” allows athletes to express who they are on their
terms.
Now that we’ve been through some of the businesses James owns, let’s talk about
his endorsements with other brands.
James has endorsed a variety of products and companies such as Coca-Cola, Beats by Dre,
McDonald's, 2k Sports to name a few.
Nike is arguably the most well-known brand that James has been long associated with.
If we talk about Nike, then we talk about James.
LeBron James is currently working on his 18th signature sneaker, along with 14 versions
of his playoff shoe named the “Soldier,” and a lot of other releases.
But that’s far from the only brand he’s been associated with during his time as a
businessman.
LeBron has made millions off of Nike, but the interesting part is that he never signed
with the brand for the money.
Nike was never the highest bidder, but Nike was the brand that James associated with greatness.
Nike was what he grew up dreaming of wearing.
It didn’t matter to James that Adidas had dressed his high school basketball team, or
that Reebok offered more upfront and faster money.
What mattered to LeBron was that Nike was considered the best of the best quality and
design, a brand that James wanted to represent, and something he would work to be for his
entire career.
LeBron chose Nike because it represented his persona, the best of the best in every sense.
But if we put money in the conversation, LeBron’s biggest investment by far was in Beats by
Dre.
Initially, it was assumed that LeBron held a small stake in the company, enough to land
him a $30 million payout when Apple bought Beats in 2014.
LeBron negotiated his 1% stake back in 2008 at the very inception of Beats By Dre as a
company.
Over the years he frequently put on a pair of headphones in public and appeared in several
commercials for the company.
So he essentially was paid $5 million a year to wear a pair of headphones.
Plus, he obviously earned some extra million dollars just for appearing in their commercials.
The Lakers star also founded the LeBron James Family Foundation, which opened the “I Promise
School” in 2018.
The elementary school was opened for at-risk children in the area.
James intends to spend over $41 million in order to send all the students to college
and although not a business opportunity in particular, shows James is not just about
the money, he cares about real values.
By the end of his four-year, $153 contract with the Lakers James will be the highest-paid
player in the NBA in terms of on-court career earnings.
I mean, of course, they’re going to pay that much to their best player, he’s basically
the reason the Lakers are doing so well.
Some say the Lakers should pay LeBron even more.
However, despite a large amount of money earned for his athletic services, King James and
his business team will continue to invest in health and wellness, movies and TV, restaurants,
sports ownership, and various other industries and sustain his status as the best businessman
in the NBA today.
LeBron James now joins soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo as the only athletes to earn more
than $43 million off of endorsements.
Imagine combining that with the money they make playing for their teams, the numbers
are unbelievable.
These two winning maniacs also rank as the two most popular athletes in the world according
to ESPN, an obvious benefit of constantly being in the public eye.
And now the moment most of you have been waiting for, LeBron Jame’s net worth.