LeBron James is officially a member of Red Sox brass. The all-time great will become part of Fenway Sports Group’s ownership group along with his longtime friend and associate Maverick Carter.
Fenway Sports Group is the parent company of the Red Sox and Liverpool F.C. James, who first signed a partnership with FSG in 2011, previously owned shares of Liverpool.
FSG will also receive an infusion of cash from a private investment firm.
“We are pleased to welcome to our ownership group LeBron, Maverick and Paul (Wachter), with whom we have enjoyed successful collaboration for over a decade,” Red Sox principal owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner said in a statement. “Their addition is an important milestone for FSG and expands and deepens a longtime friendship and relationship.”
James and Carter will become the first Black owners in Red Sox history, a milestone James addressed earlier this month.
“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,” James told reporters.
The Red Sox were the last MLB team to integrate, infamously passing up opportunities to sign Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays — at least according to legend. James joining the team’s ownership is a transcendent moment in franchise history. It could lead to him buying his own team one day.
Currently, Michael Jordan is the only Black principal owner in the major sports leagues.
“My goal is to own an NBA franchise,” James said to reporters recently. “It’ll happen sooner than later.”
