Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has had an enormous impact on the NBA ever since he was so talented in high school that teams started tearing down their rosters in an effort to be bad enough to draft him.
But James’ off-the-court impact has also been enormous. He became the first athlete to sign a billion-dollar contract with Nike when he inked a lifetime deal with the brand in 2015, and he has been a tremendously marketable athlete throughout his tenure in the league.
James has also influenced younger players in the league, some of whom grew up watching him. In a funny moment last year, rookie Jabari Smith Jr. hammered home James’ age by informing the 21-year veteran that he played with Smith’s father.
Even stars in other sports have felt James’ impact. In a recent interview with GQ in France, PSG star Kylian Mbappe described how impactful it was for him to meet James.
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The superstar soccer forward said he met James during a Nike campaign “a few years ago,” noting how much he respects the level James has reached.
“He has a much more advanced career than I do, and projects outside sports that have cemented his place as a legend,” Mbappe told GQ (as translated by Goal.com). “Being able to ask such inspiring personalities for advice is a chance to adjust my projects and create my own thing that is as effective as possible for today’s young people.
“These projects grow with me and make me particularly proud. It’s important for me to convey values like dialogue and sharing by surrounding myself with partners who support but above all understand and validate my societal commitment.”
James has approached his financial career from a number of different angles. In addition to the max contracts teams happily dole out to employ him, James makes endorsement money from corporations like Nike, PepsiCo, Beats and plenty of others. He also has business ventures like his Blaze pizza chain and the SpringHill Company, which is an entertainment development and production company, as well as equity in the Fenway Sports Group, which owns Liverpool FC, the Boston Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Meanwhile, James also created The LeBron James Family Foundation, which started by giving away backpacks and bikes to kids but eventually created a public school that serves hundreds of third- to eighth-graders in Akron, Ohio. The foundation also provides rent-free housing to families and plans to build 50 units of affordable housing.
In other words, if Mbappe is looking to James for career advice, he should take notes. He can draw inspiration from a lot of different angles.
James and the Lakers take on the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday in an ABC showdown at 8:30 p.m.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.