‘It’s pretty damn cool’: NBA icon LeBron James expands personal empire to include ownership stakes in Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC

17-time NBA All-Star LeBron James has become the "first black partner" at Fenway Sports Group (FSG), expanding his stake in Premier League side Liverpool while also becoming part owner of iconic MLB franchise the Boston Red Sox.

James, 36, and his business partner, Maverick Carter, have expanded their investment in FSG, the conglomerate which maintains ownership of Liverpool, the Red Sox and US sports network NESN, as part of a new wave of investment in the group which also saw a $750 million cash injection from RedBird Capital Partners.

It has been reported that FSG intends to use these funds to help fund the purchase of further sports networks in addition to further straightening their investment in both Liverpool and the Red Sox. 

James has been a part-owner of Liverpool since 2011, owning a two percent stake in the reigning Premier League champions. But his newfound status in the Red Sox ownership box may raise some eyebrows given that his team, the LA Lakers, are fierce rivals with Boston's hoops team, the Celtics.

"It’s great to be with such a great group with FSG. They’ve done so many great things over the years. Just that collective group of people, they’re just amazing to be partners with," James said of the news.

"As far as the Red Sox [go], [they are] obviously a historical franchise. We know the history of the World Series championships that they brought back home to Boston and the players that have come through there and the legacy that they hold in that area.

"I think for me and my partner, Maverick, to be the first two black men to be a part of that ownership group and history of that franchise – I think it’s pretty damn cool."

Despite his advancing years, James has showed no sign of slowing down his legendary career on the court – but he has also stated his ambition to one day own an NBA team, something he is prohibited from doing as an active player.

"I believe if I wanted to, I could own a team or be part of a basketball team," he added.

"I know I've got so much knowledge of the game that I don’t want to, once I stop playing – I just [do not] want to get away from the game."

James' tenure as a Liverpool part-owner has coincided with the best spell of form in the club's recent history, with the club scooping both the Champions League and Premier League during that time, the latter of which ended a three-decade drought without winning English football's top prize.

The Red Sox, however, have been mired in poor form since winning the World Series in 2018 and are currently thought to be in a "rebuilding process" ahead of the forthcoming season – something which James' funding can surely only help with.