How LeBron James turned a $6 million investment in Liverpool into $100 million

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LeBron James invested just $6.5 million into Liverpool FC in 2011, and it has proven to be one of his most lucrative financial decisions ever.

James is one of the wealthiest athletes in the world, racking up $1 billion in earnings across his legendary 23-year NBA career.

But one decision in 2011 to expand his investment portfolio inadvertently led James down the path of becoming even richer, and also paving the way for him to be a future NBA team owner.

LeBron James’ Liverpool FC investment pays off massively

In 2011, LeBron James decided to acquire a 2% stake in Liverpool Football Club, just a year after the team was purchased by Fenway Sports Group (FSG).

This 2% stake cost James $6.5 million at the time, a drop in the bucket considering he was just a year into his six-year, $109 million contract with the Miami Heat.

Since then, James has joined FSG in 2021, trading in his initial 2% equity in the team for a larger 1% stake in FSG as a whole.

Fast forward to today, Liverpool are currently worth a staggering $6.2 billion, while FSG as a whole is worth $10 billion with all their combined assets.

This means James has managed to get a 1,567% return on his initial $6.5 million investment, as he owns 1% of FSG, therefore, owns $100 million worth of its equity.

LeBron James and Liverpool connection proved valuable for the team

With James’ initial investment, his involvement with Liverpool was barely visible. However, as time went on, and Liverpool managed to turn around their poor start to the 2010s, James began associating with the club more regularly.

In 2020, FSG managed to secure a lucrative five-year contract with Nike. Given James is one of Nike’s biggest assets, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if his involvement with the team played a part in them getting such a lucrative deal.

And while Liverpool would ultimately leave Nike for Adidas last year, the revenue they earned across those five years was among the highest in Premier League history for a deal of its kind.

James has mostly stayed out of Liverpool matters when it comes to his involvement with FSG, but the team did help put out a special LeBron James-themed jersey a few years ago that was massively successful as a collaboration for Nike.