LeBron James is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time. His leadership qualities are reflected not only in sports. He successfully realizes himself as a businessman, philanthropist and even a Hollywood movie actor.
How many businesses does LeBron James have? While the exact number is not publicly known he has over 10 businesses and invests money in different ventures. LeBron has his own media empire as well as shares in English club Liverpool and owns different stores.
According to the media, LeBron is also a very important public figure of his time. Let’s see what a basketball player makes in addition to sports and what he invests in.
His Pizzeria is in Top 5
Not so long ago, the Blaze Pizza pizza chain was recognized as the best in the United States. The company has been making progress towards this success for six years. The network of these establishments was called the fastest growing organization in the history of the United States. They opened their 200th franchise just 4 years after their inception (now there are more than 300 of them). The explosive growth is due to the fact that LeBron James invested in the organization.
Back in 2015, playing for Cleveland, he refused to renew his sponsorship agreement with McDonald’s and became the official face of Blaze Pizza. The terms of this deal were never declassified, but it was assumed that James, under one of the clauses of the agreement, became the owner of 10% of the company’s shares. Blaze Pizza later sold part of their shares for $250 million to a private joint-stock company, after which the 10% stake in the player jumped from $1 million to $35-40 million. The player has multiplied the value of his investment at least 30 times over several years.
It would seem that everything is obvious, James invested in a little-known network and, with the help of his popularity, increased its value. But not everything is so simple. Before investing that same million, LeBron opened two of his own restaurants under the Blaze franchise in 2012 in Miami and Chicago.
Investing in Liverpool
Back in 2011, the Merseyside club barely made it to the Europa League, finishing 8th in the Premier League. The team looked lousy, and there was no trace of the brilliance and vibrancy of the mid-2010s.
The basketball player was not afraid to invest $ 6.5 million in an unstable team in 2011, thereby becoming the owner of a 2% stake. Before the team came to serious success, it was battered a lot over the course of nine years. But reaching the Champions League final and winning the tournament a year after pushed James’s stake to $45 million.
It is generally believed that James will be looking to acquire the Cleveland Cavaliers hometown in the near future, and his experience of owning Reds stock could help him a lot in forming the NBA club and working with it as an owner.
Partnership with Nike
Perhaps the best business decision in a player’s career was the signing of a lifetime sponsorship deal with Nike. In September 2015, Nike signed a lifetime agreement with the player. This contract was preceded by three previous agreements between the player and the company. In order to negotiate a lifetime deal with the star player, Nike had to win a war against Adidas and Reebok. The amount of this agreement is still kept secret.
Conquest of Hollywood
The player made his first attempts in this direction back in 2007. He appeared on Saturday Night Live and, in 2010, produced his own show called Decision. These attempts by LeBron did not bring anything good, except for the waves of hatred of the haters.
But in 2008, he founded the production company SpringHill Entertainment, which today has made him his man in Hollywood. He named the company after the area where he grew up. James had just started sixth grade when he and his family moved to Akron’s new Springhill area. They settled in a small apartment on the 6th floor in a regular residential area. The player has his own room for the first time in his life. It was in it that little LeBron felt himself cosy and comfortable, the memory of those days will always remain with him.
Later, this company became the basis for the filming of the movie “More than a game” about the player’s school years. SpringHill Entertainment was behind the filming of Space Jam 2, with the player as lead actor and director of Black Panther Ryan Coogler as producer. SpringHill Entertainment is also working on the documentary. The company plans for today about 11 TV series and 3 films.
The company is headquartered in Hollywood, Warner Bros., so in part, the assumptions by fans and basketball experts that the player is less interested in basketball and more and more business and Hollywood are correct. Since moving to the Lakers, SpringHill Entertainment has stepped up their work in the production of films, TV series and other video content. James aims to become a Hollywood icon in the manner of wrestling superstar Dwayne Johnson. Most likely, Space Jam 2 is just the beginning of a player’s career on the big screen. We will most likely see a whole series of impressive projects from SpringHill.
In addition, the player’s production company is engaged in his platform Uninterrupted, where the main topic is the player’s life and his opinion on a variety of topics. This platform has a YouTube channel.