LeBron James to become a part-owner of the Boston Red Sox
The King wants to be an emperor.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James has built his profile as a global icon thanks to his tremendous basketball talent and skill.
But he has also done a significant amount of growing outside of basketball, and he is again upping the ante in that respect, this time with his eyes set on becoming a part-owner of the Boston Red Sox.
James' partnership with the Fenway Sports Group is the latest in a series of moves that show he aims to be more than an athlete.
James has used his status as one of the NBA's greatest players to build an empire outside of basketball, including creating SpringHill Entertainment with business partner Maverick Carter, starting the "More Than A Vote" initiative to fight voter suppression of minorities and opening the I Promise School for at-risk youth in his hometown of Akron, Ohio.
Interestingly, James' joining the Red Sox ownership group was predicted by Fenway Sports president Sam Kennedy in a 2019 story written by Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.
"I see LeBron owning multiple teams someday," Fenway Sports president Sam Kennedy said at the time. "Not just NBA, but perhaps international soccer and maybe in esports. One thing we've learned working with LeBron is that he sees the big picture. He has a track record of making smart decisions and looking for opportunities. He's also been very successful financially, and that's what you have to do to become a sports team owner."
With this partnership with the Red Sox, James continues on the path to becoming an owner of multiple franchises. The Red Sox are the second team in which James will hold an ownership stake, as he purchased 2% of soccer club Liverpool F.C. in 2011 at a value of $6.5 million. As of 2020, his stake in the club had grown to be worth $43.6 million, with the club's total value sitting at $2.13 billion.
With an MLB franchise and an EPL club checked off his list, perhaps an NFL or NBA franchise could be next on the board.
During the NBA's All-Star weekend in 2019 in Charlotte, the home of the Hornets franchise owned by NBA icon Michael Jordan, James said that owning an NBA team was on his list of priorities.
"It's not that it's intoxicating to me, and I don't think about it on a day-to-day basis. I believe if I wanted to, I could own a team or be part of a basketball team. I know I got so much knowledge of the game that I don't want to, once I stop playing, I just [do not] want to get away from the game."
James has reached immortality on the hardwood with a résumé that stacks up with those of the all-time greats.
Now he is aiming for the same thing off the court, and this latest move signals that he is heading in the right direction.
