LeBron James’ Influence on Naomi Osaka’s Million-Dollar Investment in Pickleball Explained by Tennis Icon

Naomi Osaka has been somewhat of a trailblazer amongst female athletes when it comes to investing. She is ranked among the highest-paid athletes with an estimated net worth of around $50 M in 2024. The Japanese superstar has bought stakes in pickleball and soccer. In 2022, she decided to follow in the footsteps of several sports icons and make a heavy investment in Pickleball. But who influenced her the most to invest in America’s fastest-growing sport?

Naomi Osaka recently spoke to Bloomberg in Abu Dhabi about the influence of NBA star, LeBron James in her pickleball decision. She also spoke about her new production company and sports management ventures. 

Naomi Osaka speaks on the sudden rise of the popularity of Pickleball in the sporting world

LeBron James and his friends initially invested in a pickleball team in September 2022. Then after seeing the heavy involvement of the superstars in American sports, Osaka decided to invest in Major League Pickleball. She made a significant investment in the league and introduced Miami Pickleball Club alongside Australian tennis star, Nick Kyrgios in 2022. Just after making that investment, Naomi Osaka took to social media to express her excitement at being part of another sport and MLP league through a Miami-based team.

Recalling the influence of LeBron James to make her investment in Pickleball, Osaka said, “Pickleball was kind of unknown for me. I think it’s a sport that obviously has been around. But it feels like it just blew up. And, learning about it and seeing I guess LeBron and Matt’s investment in it was something that kind of led me more towards thinking it was a good idea.“

However, there are quite a few names in the sporting world that Naomi Osaka looks at for her her investing and business ideas. Who are those superstars?

READ MORE: Not ‘Ashamed’ of Her Past Regrets, Naomi Osaka Delivers a Strong Statement for Her Younger Self

Osaka calls Serena Williams’ venture capitalist firm to be ‘really cool’

When asked whom she look at from the world of sports while making her investment plans, Osaka said, “I definitely looked up to Kobe (Bryant) a lot and LeBron, obviously. Serena started her own venture capitalist firm, which I thought was cool. It’s funny bumping into people doing business. I know Patrick Mahomes is doing a lot and Tom Brady. There are quite a few people.“

Naomi Osaka was recently caught up having fun playing pickleball with Nick Kyrgios and Frances Tiafoe on Rooftop at QT in Melbourne. She donned an oversized floral shirt with black shorts and a pastel cap. Share your thoughts on the craze of pickleball among tennis stars.

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