The Lebron James Money-Making Empire: His Connection to Fast Food
The Los Angeles mega star is one of the first athletes to become a billionaire. Of course, a nice chunk has come from his enormous NBA contracts. However, what also can’t be ignored is his many business moves outside playing basketball professionally. As you begin to peel back the Lebron James money-making empire you start to see how smart and savvy his decisions have been over the years.
For instance, Lebron has no doubt paid attention to the industries that seem to be longstanding and long-lasting. One being fast food. In 2021, Fast food restaurants in the U.S. earned $278.6 billion in revenue. And Statista confirms that the market size of the quick service restaurant (QSR) industry in the United States reached 387.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2023.
Fast food revenue only seems to be trending up. Which is a major outcome due to the fact that much of the world’s industries momentarily shut down during the Covid pandemic. However, the quick food industry has not only survived that challenge, but is flourishing. And Lebron has been enjoying getting a piece of the pie.
For some time now, Lebron James has been getting paid by various fast food brands and companies. For instance, in the past James enjoyed a partnership with fast food giant, McDonald’s. And more recently, he has invested in pizza entity, Blaze Pizza; an investment in which he gave up McD’s money over.
As Forbes revealed, “LeBron James has decided to leave guaranteed endorsement income on the table for a potentially much bigger piece of the pie down the road. James has decided not to renew his option with McDonald’s; he will lend his name and marketing power to fast-casual pizza franchise Blaze.
The end of his endorsement deal with McDonald’s [came] in 2015. James kicked off a deal with the fast-food chain in 2010 and later extended the relationship in 2012 for roughly $4 million annually. James didn’t renew the option in 2015.”
The Lebron James Money-Making Empire: His Connection to Fast Food
Yes, instead of sticking with Ronald and the Golden Arches; James with toppings, sauce and cheese. And it has still made him plenty of dough.
As Scripps news explains, “James was one of the original investors in the fast-casual pizza chain and owns 17 franchises in places like Chicago and South Florida. Blaze Pizza started with two locations in California. Back in 2017 [the company] had 200 locations around the U.S. and was on track to make $285 million in sales. Just five years old (2017); it was named the “fastest-growing restaurant chain ever.“
And what about beyond 2017? Ranked No. 178 on the “Franchise Times Top 400,” Blaze Pizza did $372.8 million in systemwide sales in 2022, up 1.9 percent from the prior year. So definitely there’s been growth.
As one can see, Lebron James has been smart on and off the court. And it has benefited his bank account. LeBron James now has a net worth of $1.2 billion as of September 2024. Plus, LeBron James is still a top-earning player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In the 2024-25 season, he will emerge with a salary of 48.7 million U.S. dollars and 80 million U.S. dollars in endorsements.
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