NBA || The Investments That Have Made LeBron James The Next Billionaire

LeBron James among the elite of basketball as one of the best players ever is unmatched. But what he's been able to do off the pitch is almost as impressive . Throughout his career, he has always been one of the most commercially profitable athletes on the planet . The way you have handled yourself not only as a sponsor, but also as a partner, has been different from the rest.

LeBron has not only been the typical sportsman who stars in advertisements telling consumers to buy a certain product; in a sense, he becomes part of the product and, in many cases, it is he who benefits . James is not just a sponsor, he is sometimes at least a co-owner, if not an owner, of the business involved.

His association with Nike as a symbol of greatness

At the age of 18 the biggest basketball shoe companies knocked on his door. Adidas, Reebok and obviously Nike all wanted James to wear their shoes when he made the jump to the NBA. Nike wasn't the highest bidder, but Nike was the brand James associated with greatness - it was what he grew up dreaming of wearing. It didn't matter that Adidas had outfitted James' high school basketball team, or that Reebok offered more money up front. What did matter was that Nike was considered the best of the best , a brand that James wanted to represent and something that he would strive to be throughout his career.

Nike is arguably the best known brand that James has been associated with for a long time. He now wears his own 18th-branded shoe , along with 14 versions of his playoff shoe called " Soldier," and a handful of other releases. But that's far from the only brand he's been associated with throughout his time as an entrepreneur.

Has majority shareholding in several companies

While James has some traditional endorsement deals with companies like AT&T, Pepsi and Calm , he also owns shares or is majority owner of several companies that have helped him become a billionaire . These are the main ones according to sources at basketballnews.com:

Fenway Sports Group - Team Owner

It was recently announced that James and his longtime business partner, Maverick Carter , were now co-owners of the Boston Red Sox. That was made possible by his investment and partnership in Fenway Sports Group. James also has a stake in Liverpool FC, and may now be in a position, alongside Carter, to participate in the important decisions those franchises make.

SpringHill Entertainment: Film Business

SpringHill Entertainment is another James- owned entity, and it's his gateway to the motion picture business. The name SpringHill comes from the Section 8 dwelling in which James spent part of his childhood. This company has produced shows, as well as the upcoming movie "Space Jam: A New Legacy" starring James.

Uninterrupted: own communication company

When Laura Ingraham, of Fox News, he began to rant about the political interests of James, which ended with the phrase, "Shut up and dribbles". That moment helped awaken James's ability to control his own media communication, creating his own media company. Unninterrupted is a platform for athletes to tell their own stories. It started as short videos on Twitter or Instagram, and has now grown into podcasts and feature films . With the motto "More than an athlete" , it allows athletes to express who they are on their own terms.

Pizza Blaze: Food Business

James got into the pizza game in 2012 when he and his business partners made a small investment (by his standards) in Blaze Pizza. The group invested roughly $ 1 million in the small pizza chain and it has exploded. Now, you can find James tweeting about Blaze Pizza from time to time as his investment in the company continues to grow. There was even the video of James working at a Blaze Pizza, claiming to be "Ron" while behind the counter helping customers.

Ladder: sports nutrition company

This is probably the least known of the properties owned by James so far, but he and his trainer, Mike Mancias , have created Ladder. According to its website, Ladder is a "sports nutrition company dedicated to creating NSF-certified high performance training supplements for sport® for everyday use. We formulate products to supplement a strong nutritional foundation and unlock the next level in training and exercise." In this company, James is associated with the legendary bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Beats by Dre: Millionaire Ball with Headphones

Years ago, James was reputed to have "the largest cash capital payment for a professional athlete in history," according to ESPN. He received a stake in Beats by Dre in exchange for promoting the headphones , so when the company was sold to Apple for $ 3 billion, James received a check for $ 30 million.

LeBron has always done things his own way and has been tremendously successful, on and off the court. And with the way things are on the business side, it is certain that he will continue to prosper greatly in business after he retires . Like one Michael Jordan. Does it ring a bell?