Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James is currently the NBA’s only active billionaire, amassing his amazing wealth over his storied 20-year career.
However, while other sports stars may only focus on building their collection of luxury cars or adding to an unparalleled sneaker collection, James' primary focus when it comes to his spending appears to be business investments.
The 38-year-old James owns 14 Blaze Pizza franchises. He has his own production company in SpringHill Entertainment. He's one of the major investors in 1017 Lobos tequila and a part owner of the Fenway Sports Group, which owns franchises such as the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool F.C. He signed a $1 billion lifetime deal with Nike.
Then there's his philanthropic activities, such as building the I Promise School in his hometown of Akron. LeBron also invested heavily in the development of Akron while providing scholarship opportunities to I Promise and University of Akron students.
According to a recent report, James' goal is to give 10 percent of his wealth to various causes and communities:
“His goal, I believe, is to have 10% of his wealth go to causes and support communities, which is an amazing goal,” said Lisa Delpy Neirotti, a professor of sports management at George Washington University. “I would say he’s maybe above and beyond others, just on that aspiration alone.”
While LeBron is one of the wealthiest athletes in the world, it's important to remember his humble background.
Hailing from a city that's been mired in crime and poverty, he missed 100 days of school in the fourth grade as he moved nearly half a dozen times. His father was in jail, and he was living on welfare.
When assessing who LeBron is as a human, remember what he remembers. That should give you all the insight you need.
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