LeBron James has opened up on his pride over becoming a part-owner of Fenway Sports Group.
The group, led by principal owner John W. Henry, owns the Boston Red Box, as well as Liverpool, and now have the NBA legend as a partner alongside his business associate Maverick Carter.
James already held a two per cent stake in Liverpool, and held a personal connection with the club by being a supporter.
“It’s great to be with such a great group,” said James of FSG.
“They’ve done so many great things over the years, and just that collective group of people, they’re amazing to be part of. The Red Sox are a historical franchise. We know the history of the World Series championships they’ve brought back to Boston, the players that have come through there and legacy they hold.”
Despite already being a legend in the world of basketball, James also opened up on his future ambitions to be the owner of a franchise.
“My goal is to own a team, own an NBA team,” the Los Angeles Lakers star said after a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night.
“I got so much to give to the game, I know what it takes to win at this level, I know talent and I also know how to run a business as well. So that is my goal. My goal is to own a NBA franchise, and you know it’ll be sooner than later.”
The deal sees James and Carter become FSG's first black partners and comes on the back of a $750m investment, which is set to be concluded imminently, from Gerry Cardinale's RedBird Capital Partners firm in the FSG business.
And James went on to talk about what the deal would mean to both him and Carter on a personal level, as he looks to continue building his profile away from the playing side of sport.
“For me, and for my partner Maverick (Carter), to be the first two black men to be a part of that ownership group, in the history of that franchise, I think it’s pretty damn cool,” said James.
“It gives me and people that look like me, you know, hope and inspiration that they can be in a position like that as well, that it can be done. It gives my kids at my primary school more and more inspiration as well.
“It’s a pretty amazing thing and for me to continue to build my Portfolio off the floor also in a beautiful game like baseball.”
