On the court, he’s as good as the come – and with his latest venture off the court, LeBron James is building a media company to rival the rest.
LeBron James is a busy man. On the court, he’s made a name for himself: he’s won more individual accolades than you can count, and he’s claimed titles with more teams than most others. He’s counted amongst the best basketball players to ever play the game. On the court success, you see, comes with huge benefits. Sponsors aside (free supplies of watches and crocs are a huge plus, we hear), dominating one of the world’s most popular sports comes with another huge benefit: a place in popular culture.
He’s tried his hand at fashion, switching between tailoring perfection and casual elegance. And when you count the likes of Jay-Z, Kevin Hart and Drake as friends, you’re bound to end up flirting with the temptations of music, film and entertainment. Spreading his wings into other things – much like other basketballing greats before him – seems to come naturally to the man. His direct and natural ability to get others to like him has played well, earning him an almost cult-like legion of fans.
So, when news broke his new $725 media venture, few eyebrows would’ve been raised. He’s not new to the shiny lights and cameras of the big screen, and nor is James a stranger to the world of media. From Space Jam to animation characters, he’s tried his hand at the big screen, sparking an inevitable interest in the companies and powers behind the shows, films and music we all love.
With that came SpringHill, a media company he co-founded. The mission? Simple, really: “to create the most culturally-inspired brands, entertainment and products.” Ambitious, then, much like the man himself. And like the man himself, that ambition is backed by results: to date, they’ve produced a slew of popular shows, products and audio. Take The Shop, for example, a series focusing on unfiltered conversations about everything, from police brutality to music legends. It counts the ever-popular Barack Obama and Jay-Z as guests, making it very popular and beneficial to the James’ company.
And the films and shows they’ve been involved with aren’t bad, either. SpringHill has produced the likes of Self Made: Inspired by the life of Madam CJ Walker, The Shop and Space Jam: A New Legacy (of which LeBron played a leading role). All of this was bound to drum up some interest from others – and specifically, investors. Last week, the entertainment company announced it was selling a minority stake to a consortium of high profile, including (you guessed it) Nike. The deal values the James’ company at a cool $725 and makes James one of the leading Black entrepreneurs in media and entertainment.
With projected revenues of $100m for its next four quarters and an ambition to reach audiences across the pond, they’ve got their work cut out for them. But then again, it’s Lebron – so anything’s possible.