LeBron James' Liverpool and FSG connection as NBA icon inspires USA comeback at Olympics

LeBron James may be known as one of the greatest players to ever grace a basketball court but his minority investment in Liverpool football club in 2011 also helped to create another legacy in the United States .

The Los Angeles Lakers star is coming off the back of yet another remarkable feat in his career, having led the US national basketball team to its 18th Olympics final on Thursday, an event which it has dominated since its introduction in 1936.

The USMNBT will now take on hosts France on Saturday in a bid to earn a fifth successive gold medal in the men's basketball competition, having produced a staggering 95–91 comeback against Serbia at the Bercy Arena in Paris after trailing 76-63 after three quarters.

READ MORE: Curtis Jones takes advantage of Liverpool connections to secure LeBron James meeting

READ MORE: Virgil van Dijk parties with LeBron James and Jude Bellingham at Snoop Dogg launch in London

And in the same week that "King James", as he is commonly known, prepares for his third Olympics final this weekend, Liverpool has just returned from its pre-season tour of the United States as the club continues its attempt at cracking the US market.

New Reds manager Arne Slot led his side to victories over Real Betis, Arsenal and Manchester United in front of a combined total of 190,117 fans while Stateside, breaking numerous records for attendances for soccer matches in America as the Reds visited Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Columbia.

For the 2-1 victory over Arsenal on August 1, a record attendance for soccer at the Lincoln Financial Field was recorded as 69,879 supporters turned up for the pre-season friendly in Philadelphia. Three days later, a crowd of 77,559 packed out the Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia for the 3-0 victory over Man United - the biggest at a non-US football match.

As well as the Reds, both the Gunners and the Red Devils are also either owned or part-owned by American investors, a trend that was trailblazed by James when he first took a stake in Liverpool in 2011 . At the time, it was a major novelty for US athletes to invest in English soccer.

Now, American investors, owners and sponsorships are littered through the English football pyramid, while the NBA legend's stake in Liverpool and latterly FSG has evolved significantly over the years. When he was first awarded a two per cent take in the club as part of a marketing deal with the Boston-based group, it was valued at around $6m (£4.7m/€5.5m).

He technically got rid of those shares in 2022, trading them in for a one per cent stake in the overall FSG empire, which included the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Penguins and a share in the NASCAR team RFK Racing. According to The Mirror , the 39-year-old's Liverpool shares had increased in value by approximately $45m (£35m/€31m) by the time he divested himself of them.

Nowadays, James's stake in FSG has increased by an unspecified amount after agreeing a lifetime arrangement for a marketing partnership that gives Liverpool's owners the right to "secure exclusive, global marketing and sponsorship opportunities" for the US sports icon.

As a result, LeBron has become a more visible part of the Liverpool operation in recent years, with the club releasing two 'LFC x LeBron' merchandise ranges alongside Nike that have proved to be a commercial hit. The clothing line merges the fashion and themes of both parties.

James' stake in Liverpool is reported to be two per cent and although it may seem like a small number, Liverpool's recent success on the pitch throughout the Jurgen Klopp era has seen the club's value rise at a steady rate.

Thanks to the Champions League glory in 2019 and a Premier League title triumph in 2020, in particular, Liverpool's worth was put at $4.5bn (£3.6bn/€4.1bn) by Forbes in May 2022, placing it as the fourth most valuable club in the world, behind Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United.