Billionaire LeBron James Multiplied His Money by Atleast 35 Times With a Visionary $1 Million Investment in Pizzas a Decade Ago

Remember the viral pizza prank video of NBA superstar LeBron James? Turns out, it was not another prank video or another commercial of the former MVP. It was one of many smart investments from the billionaire. And it has reaped some major profits now. James recently became the first active basketball player to be a billionaire.

And he has again proved that it has nothing to do with luck. The four-time NBA champion has been making a lot of investments over the years thanks to his NBA salaries and endorsements.

Now, he has multiplied his investment by a mindboggling 35 times at least. As per reports, James, his business partner Maverick Carter, and financial adviser Paul Wachter made an investment of less than $1 million in 2012 in Blaze Pizza, which has since turned into $25 million. And his endorsement payments could take James’ stake to $35 to $40 million.

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Blaze Pizza has sold an undisclosed percentage of the company for $250 million. And LeBron James owns about 10 percent. When he initially made the investment, he could not endorse Blaze Pizza because of his contract with McDonald’s. However, his involvement and investment in the company created a lot of hype.

The popularity of LeBron James

With three years left on his contract with McDonald’s, James decided to leave in 2015. With millions of fans around the world, James’ endorsement gave a huge boost to Blaze Pizza. And the YouTube video of LeBron James dressed up as ‘Ron’ went viral and brought in huge publicity. Furthermore, Blaze Pizza is reportedly now the fastest growing chain in North America. And they are not looking to slow down at any moment soon.

The success of LeBron James on the hardwood translated to off-the-court investments and endorsements. His popularity plays a huge role in landing huge endorsement deals. James is one of the faces of Nike and has a lifetime contract with the sports apparel giants. Recently, he joined an elite list of people like Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, etc to have buildings on the Nike campus named after them.

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The Los Angeles Lakers superstar popped open a champagne bottle and opened the new LeBron James Innovation Center. He was surrounded by hundreds of Nike executives who greeted him along the way as he walked to the opening ceremony. James said that he did not imagine anything like this. His contract with Nike reportedly earns him $30 million per year.

What do you think about Blaze Pizza and LeBron James’ investment skills? Share your thoughts in the comments below.