3 Lessons Entrepreneurs Should Learn From LeBron James.

Jeevan Kumar Karee ⚡
3 min readSep 22, 2020

While building a “Hall of Fame” resume on the basketball court throughout his NBA career, “LeBron James” has also built a diversified business empire.

LeBron is one of the most important people in sports, and he came from absolutely nothing. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest basketball players in NBA history.

Heading into his 17th professional season, the three-time NBA champion and four-time MVP is acquiring the rewards of strategic decisions as a business owner and entrepreneur.

It’s no surprise to those who pay attention to LeBron James’ career path that he has many interests away from basketball.

In 2012, He tried the pizza one day and was reportedly Impressed a lot by its quality. He Identified what he believed was a winning product and placed his bet on the success of that quality winning out in a crowded pizza space.

Between 2012 and 2017, LeBron James Invested in a No-Name Pizza Joint and Now He’s $35 Million Richer.

James now owns 19 Blaze Pizza franchises and counting. This investment, combined with several other smart financial decisions, have made him a very wealthy man.

James has proven to be one of the smart businessmen in all of the professional sports. His growing stake in “Blaze Pizza” is but a small testament to this that paints a bigger picture.

Once James said, Being an authentic brand or business means being true to who you are as a small business owner. Here’s what small business owners can learn from this success story.

  1. Believe in what you do

“I treated it like every day was my last day with a basketball”

LeBron has been playing basketball in the NBA since 2003, his passion for playing basketball is singular, and it’s that type of passion and devotion that makes it easier to put in the long hours often needed to relentlessly forge a path forward.

2. Competition and Collaboration makes us better.

“No matter how good one individual is, it takes a whole team to win a championship”

There’s no debate that LeBron is a tremendously talented athlete, and who as a leader, happens to be capable of playing just about any position on the court. However, hardly anyone does it alone. Replicates in business, trying to get a startup off the ground often requires a team.

3. Always ready to learn and be humble

“I never get too high on my stardom or what I can do”

When LeBron left Cleveland the first time, he was the target of an angry letter from his boss. However, he took the right decisions, which ultimately benefited him when he returned to the Cavaliers to play once again.

There will always be bumps in the road, but choosing to learn with modesty, is an attitude that should behoove every startup entrepreneur as this characteristic could carry them further even when lacking in other areas.

Not only on the basketball court, but he is also “KING” outside with his best decision making.

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