In 2018, Lebron’s investment was valued at approximately $32 million—going off of Forbes' valuation, that number is probably closer to $38 million in 2019. f the team goes on to win the Champions League then that will earn the club $100 million on top of the added revenue they generate by being in the Champions League Final, so that number will only increase. LeBron has to be smiling—recently he enjoyed watching Liverpool's recent comeback against FC Barcelona to send them through to the Champions League Final.
Investing in sports teams and franchises is not uncommon for athletes & celebrities. In the same year that LeBron invested in Liverpool Football Club, Will Smith bought a percentage of the Philadelphia 76ers. Jay Z briefly owned a percentage of the Brooklyn Nets before selling his stake (for a massive profit) in 2013 so he could become a sports agent. Diplo has a stake in the USL team Phoenix Rising. With soccer in particular getting more and more popular in the United States—and pro sports team values only increasing—don’t be surprised if we see more celebrities getting involved in the U.S. soccer market.
It will be interesting to see how this investment continues to grow, as it looks like Liverpool are not slowing down anytime soon on and off the pitch. LeBron has always been a prescient business mind—Liverpool is just the most recent investment to pay off.
