The world’s biggest basketball star, LeBron James of the Miami Heat, has become a part owner of Liverpool Football Club.
James was given a stake in the club as part of a deal with Liverpool’s owners, the Fenway Sports Group (FSG) in return for allowing an FSG subsidiary the right to become his exclusive worldwide agent.
According to the Wall Street Journal, this is the first time that such a deal has occurred, where a professional athlete has taken part ownership of a team of Liverpool’s stature.
Whether this will mean that LeBron will start hanging out with John Henry and his chums at Anfield every now and again remains doubtful, but it will certainly do the club no harm for the club to be linked with one of the most recognised athletes on the planet.
“We’re not interested in talent or athlete representation but we think he is one of the most remarkable athletes of his time,” said FSG co-owner Tom Werner.
“We believe we can open doors for LeBron, and LeBron can open doors for us.”
Nicknamed ‘King James’, Le Bron has been a superstar in the NBA ever since he was picked as the number one draft pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003. He was named as the NBA’s most valuable player (MVP) in the 2008/09 and 09/10 seasons and has been named on the all-NBA and All-Star selections every year since 2005.
Last summer, he was involved in a highly controversial move from the Cavaliers to the Miami Heat and has helped lead his new side to the NBA Play-Offs this season.
He earns a salary of nearly $16 million (€11 million) per annum and as one of the most marketable athletes in the world, he also rakes in something in the region of $30 million (€21 million) per year through sponsorship deals with the likes of Nike and Coca Cola.
