You might know LeBron James as one of the greatest players to ever step on a basketball court, but he's also proved himself to be a shrewd investor with one particular deal earning him a return of over 1,400 percent in just a few years.
Modern sports stars – especially those at the very top – earn a lot of money over their career, but we've often seen situations where players find it just as easy to lose it all.
With most careers ending before the player reaches the age of 40, it's a wise decision to think about how you can extend your fortune across your whole life, and leave a sizeable amount to your family after you pass.
Many players choose to do this with investments and stock purchases, as former NFL star Rob Gronkowski's smart punt on Apple showed in clear detail, but few have been quite as successful as LeBron James when it comes to growth.
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Despite being one of football's juggernauts, Liverpool F.C. was in a tough spot in 2010, with owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett placing the club on the brink of administration.
Boston Red Sox owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) swept in to save the club at the last minute, purchasing it in its entirety for around £300 million ($402 million) in October of that same year.
As reported by AlBat, LeBron James made the decision to join the Liverpool project shortly after in 2011, purchasing a 2% stake in the club for around $6.5 million, at a time when it was valued at just $325 million.
Between the year that LeBron first invested into Liverpool and 2021, the club not only achieved significant on-field success by winning both the Champions League and Premier League – the latter for the first time in 30 years – but also saw major growth on the financial side of things too.
This was in part due to the on-field success of the club as winning trophies alongside regular Champions League participation translated into higher revenues, but successful sales and improved commercial performance raised the club's profile considerably.
According to data from Forbes, Liverpool was valued at $4.1 billion in 2021, making LeBron's 2% stake now worth $82 million, roughly 1,161.53% more than he initially put into the club.
At that point the basketball star decided to up his investment by swapping his stake in Liverpool alone into holding 1% of FSG overall, with that now estimated to be worth around $129.5 million thanks to continued financial growth from Liverpool and the group's other sporting projects.
That in total represents a return on investment of $123 million, representing a total growth of around 1,892.3% across 15 years, and it only seems to be getting better as football revenues continue to increase.
Much like basketball, however, LeBron is still arguably behind Michael Jordan when it comes to investments, as the Chicago Bulls star has earned billions from a clever purchase that more than paid itself off over the years.