NBA legend LeBron James is set to earn big following Liverpool's new $6 billion valuation
He invested a modest $6.5 million stake in the club back in 2011 through Fenway Sports Group
James later quietly converted that stake into an even bigger ownership position elsewhere
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NBA legend LeBron James is set to earn big following Liverpool's new $6 billion valuation. He invested a modest $6.5 million stake in the club back in 2011.
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LeBron James' modest 2011 Liverpool investment is paying off big after the club's new $6 billion valuation. Image credit: ESPN UK.
Source: Twitter
Liverpool's valuation came into fresh focus after news broke that a consortium led by British-Indian businessman Amit Bhatia had expressed interest in acquiring a minority stake in the club.
Bhatia, a former investment banker who spent 18 seasons as a director and co-owner of Queens Park Rangers, is married to Vanisha Mittal, daughter of steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal.
The proposed investment, which has not yet been finalised, would reportedly value Liverpool at more than $6 billion, prompting renewed attention on James' early involvement with the club.
How LeBron James' Liverpool stake became bigger
James's connection to Liverpool dates back to 2011, when he and longtime business partner Maverick Carter struck a deal with Fenway Sports Group, the John W. Henry-owned company that had just taken over the club.
Under the arrangement, Fenway's marketing arm took charge of representing James commercially and handling his sponsorship deals worldwide.
In return, James walked away with a 2% slice of Liverpool. With the club valued at roughly $325 million at the time, that made his share worth about $6.5 million.
Fast forward to Liverpool's freshly reported $6 billion price tag, and that same 2% would now be sitting at around $120 million, close to 18.5 times what James originally put in.
There's a catch, though: he doesn't actually hold that stake anymore.
James, Carter and business partner Paul Wachter gave up their direct ownership in Liverpool back in March 2021, swapping it for equity in Fenway Sports Group as a whole.
The deal coincided with RedBird Capital Partners pouring money into FSG, pushing its valuation to roughly $7.35 billion at the time.
Rather than staying tied to one club, James found himself with a piece of the entire operation, spanning Liverpool, the Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park, the New England Sports Network, and, later, the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins.
The X post by ESPN UK explaining LeBron's huge payday after $6.5M investment is shown below.
LeBron James' Fenway Sports Group stake today
When Forbes named James a billionaire in June 2022, it estimated he owned approximately 1% of Fenway Sports Group, valuing that stake at around $90 million at the time.
Fenway Sports Group has grown considerably since then, and in June 2026, CNBC ranked it as the fourth most valuable multi-team sports empire in the world, worth an estimated $15.37 billion.
Assuming James still holds roughly 1% of the company, his stake would now carry a theoretical value of around $154 million, comfortably more than the $120 million his original Liverpool shares would be worth today.
LeBron James opens up about 20-year marriage
YEN.com.gh earlier reported that James opened up about the realities of his more than two-decade relationship with his wife, Savannah, admitting that their marriage has not always been picture perfect.
The pair, high school sweethearts from Akron, Ohio, have been married since 2013 and share three children, Bronny, Bryce and Zhuri.
James said the keys to a lasting marriage were communication, honesty, and being comfortable with occasional discomfort, adding that the relationship has endured its share of hardships despite its public image.
Source: YEN.com.gh