![]() ![]() He is also Nike's most prominent and valuable client. Nike is important to Liverpool's growth, and James is an important part of FSG's broader strategy. Carter and Paul Wachter, a long time business associate of James, also joined FSG as partners. One of the most prominent investments that followed the RedBird deal in March 2021 was the decision by FSG to invest in James and business partner Maverick Carter's SpringHill Entertainment company, a move that also saw them invest alongside current club kit partner Nike and Epic Games. What followed from that investment was the acquisition of the Pittsburgh Penguins, capital made available to pursue infrastructure growth to raise team and business values and other investment opportunities. It was a move that was facilitated by the closing of the $750m investment into FSG by New York investment firm RedBird Capital Partners, who acquired an 11 per cent stake in the Liverpool owners. James, now into the twilight of his playing days, has grown into a billionaire, with the majority of his wealth having arrived from how he has managed to leverage his talent on the court into savvy business decisions.Īmong those decisions was to accrete his stake in Liverpool into one per cent of FSG's overall $10bn empire that also included the Boston Red Sox, RFK Racing, FSM, the NESN sports cable TV network and Fenway Sports Group Real Estate. There were some collaborations along the way in terms of shoes and the odd appearance from James in a Liverpool shirt during the NBA pre-game walk (where fashion is the US focus) that helped raise the brand slightly in America, but for the most part it was a relationship that didn't affect the trajectory of the business too much.įast forward to March 2021 and things start to change. READ MORE: Liverpool's 17 central midfielders signed in the FSG era ranked READ MORE: Liverpool's next expected fixtures after Premier League and Champions League decisions What happened was a meeting in the middle, where James would come under the wing of Fenway Sports Management while FSG would, in-turn, hand over a two per cent stake in James' favourite football team, Liverpool, to the basketball icon. Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group wanted to represent one of global sports' biggest and most recognisable athletes, while NBA star James wanted to grow his investment portfolio. When LeBron James first began his association with Liverpool back in 2011 it was a move done for the benefit of both parties.
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