Rumors

In 2021, James and his long-standing business manager Maverick Carter swapped that stake in Liverpool for a piece of FSG itself, which made them co-owners of baseball’s Boston Red Sox and ice hockey’s Pittsburgh Penguins, too. Two years later, they were given more shares in FSG to deepen the bond.

New York Times

LeBron James: THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING AND MORE!! You are one helluva manager and you’ll never be forgotten and more importantly YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE!! The Reds will miss you!! 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🔴🔴❤️ espn.com/soccer/story/_…

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The LA Lakers basketball star, who boasts over 200 million followers on Instagram and Twitter/X combined, is a minority shareholder in FSG. Liverpool strengthening ties with one of the most recognisable athletes on the planet has opened doors as they target new markets. “Any time you can bring two iconic sporting names together, Liverpool and LeBron, that’s going to be a winning combination,” Hogan says. “Certainly, we’ve seen that with the interest level in the most recent collaboration. There’s a benefit to both of us – those folks who may not be Liverpool supporters but might be fans of LeBron, and vice versa.”

The Athletic

The Liverpool FC x LeBron collection includes a couple of special jerseys -- one soccer, one basketball -- as well as a hoodie, shorts, long-sleeve workout tops and a pair of custom sneakers. The LeBron football shirt -- modelled by Anfield stalwarts Andy Robertson and Jordan Henderson -- is black and dark grey with red pinstripes and features a repeating print motif bearing the letters "YNWA" and "SFG". The first batch of initials represent Liverpool's famous club anthem ("You'll Never Walk Alone") and the second represent James' own personal mantra ("Strive for greatness.")

ESPN

Liverpool have confirmed a new range of clothing as part of the collaboration with NBA legend LeBron James. James is well known to be a Liverpool fan, and even has a one percent stake in Fenway Sports Group, having previously held a two per cent stake in the club itself. Ever since the Reds’ kit deal with Nike was confirmed in 2020, the partnership between the club and James has continued to grow.

Liverpool Echo

Kerr is also famously a soccer fan and supports Liverpool, a connection which also relates to his time in Egypt: Pharaohs star Mohamed Salah. But while Kerr loves Salah's work on the field, he's also a big fan of his humanitarian work off it: "I started following the Premier League maybe five or six years ago and I had seen Mohamed Salah play and read about him. "I was just so impressed by his character and what he had done in his hometown, helping to build a school. "I knew how beloved he was in Egypt, so I said: 'That's my guy!' I wanted to cheer for Mohamed Salah and when I found out he played for Liverpool, I said: 'Ok, that's my team!' So, I've been a Liverpool fan ever since."

ESPN

Vivek Jacob: Why yes I did ask Pascal Siakam for a Chamions League final prediction, he's going with Real Madrid. "Shoutout Karim Benzema, I think he's supposed to win the Ballon d'Or. He's playing incredible." pic.twitter.com/t4MfKzqgVq

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According to Liverpool Echo journalist Matt Addison, the said idea will definitely do all parties involved good and a project should be done sooner rather than later. Based on Addison’s assessment, through adverts starring Salah and James, it will just be a matter of time before Liverpool can “catch up in revenues” with its London rivals Manchester United, who has Cristiano Ronaldo on its squad. “There’s almost a bit of me that wonders if Liverpool have got enough out of him [Salah] commercially, marketability wise in all sorts of countries,” Addison said on the Liverpool.com podcast. “We talk so often about the Nike kit deal, one of the areas in which Liverpool can help them catch up in revenues with Manchester United. They could’ve made even more of Salah given the status he rightly holds.”

Clutch Points

On Wednesday, RedBird Capital Partners invested $750 million into Fenway Sports Group, the controlling company of not just the Sox, but another iconic franchise, Liverpool F.C. Coinciding with that transaction, LeBron and his longtime friend and business partner, Maverick Carter, traded in their 2 percent ownership of the English football club to join the Fenway ownership group at large. Three hours after the deal was finalized, the chairman of both storied organizations, Tom Werner, spoke with The Athletic to discuss what it would mean to have LeBron, 36, and Carter, 41, onboard like this. At one point, Werner was asked, specifically, how Liverpool had already benefited from being associated with an NBA legend like LeBron? Unprompted, this is what Werner said:

The Athletic

“We want to feel that the Red Sox are an inclusive place where everybody feels welcome. And while that may seem like an obvious notion today, the Red Sox have had a very complicated history when it comes to race relations. We work very hard to create a more diverse and inclusive organization from top to bottom. And I’m excited that LeBron and Maverick are owners of the Boston Red Sox because I believe this helps provide better representation of baseball to our fans.”

The Athletic

What does that mean for Liverpool? This is a move that could change the landscape of sports in the U.S., and will certainly have an impact on Liverpool. Werner clearly thinks LeBron and Carter could transcend all of Fenway Sports Group, including the defending Premier League champs. Nothing will be off-limits to them. “I will be surprised actually if they don’t weigh in (on management decisions of either team), I would welcome their thoughts,” Werner said. “I think that the relationship that the consumer has with a sporting team is an emotional one. I consider Maverick to be one of my closest friends, and I’ve spent hours with him talking about strategy, coaching, the lessons that I’ve learned from (Liverpool manager) Jurgen Klopp, and the lessons that he’s learned as an astute observer of basketball.

The Athletic

While Henry remains the principal owner of Liverpool, Werner has the second-highest number of shares. RedBird’s investment means it now has the third-biggest stake in the club, ahead of Mike Gordon — who effectively serves as Liverpool’s general manager. Neither LeBron nor Carter will suddenly be providing input on the balance of Klopp’s midfield or who should be targeted as Georginio Wijnaldum’s replacement this summer. But they will have a significant role in the direction of the club’s commercial strategy, and their contacts will at some point benefit recruitment — which impacts on-pitch strategy.

The Athletic

Evan Turner: Another reason he shouldn’t have to “shut up and dribble”

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Last June, Forbes said Liverpool was the eighth-most valuable soccer team in the world at a value of $1.49 billion. But the trip to the UEFA Champions League final will guarantee an award of more than $100 million to Liverpool. One sports investment banker told ESPN that given the team's rise to prominence combined with its history, which includes the second-most titles in English soccer (18), the team could be sold today conservatively for $1.6 billion. That means James' investment has grown nearly five times ($6.5 million to $32 million) in seven years.

ESPN