Despite getting a taste of superstardom right from his high school days, LeBron James has never allowed money to corrode his soul according to his friends.
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There have been many sporting superstars over the years who’ve made headlines with their razzmatazz. It is quite common and understandable for these multi-millionaires to splurge lavishly on themselves.
Sports have unearthed thousands of millionaires over the years, and they’ve all got lifestyles of the rich and famous. Part of the allure of pursuing sports as a career is to live this lifestyle.
However, there are a select few athletes who have the level heads needed to put this generational wealth to good use. They remember to pay their dues to those who’ve helped them along the way. You can count LeBron James among the ranks of those people.
LeBron James’ former PR manager recounts a heartwarming gesture from the King
Chris Dennis was among the first people to spot the incredible talent of LeBron in high school. He took James under his wing and began the publicity campaign for the youngster.
Dennis was the one who reached out to Sonny Vaccaro at Nike with a tape of James’ freshman year highlights. This outreach eventually turned into a 7-year, $90 million contract in LeBron’s senior year.
He also served as the content manager for lebronjames.com in its early stages. He was quite close to Gloria and LeBron during his high school games, often spending evenings with James and his friends.
In a 2019 interview for James’ 35th birthday, Dennis recounted a gesture by James after landing his first paycheck from Nike:
“In 2003, LeBron received his first endorsement check, which actually came FedEx to my house from Nike. After I hand-delivered it to him, LeBron took that multimillion-dollar Nike check, deposited it and came out with maybe $2,000 in cash.”
“He never spent or indulged in a frivolous manner when the money came. He did take his closest friend to an amusement park but didn’t immediately purchase any new cars [he did have a Hummer] or homes.”
James has helped create careers for his childhood friends Rich Paul and Maverick Carter
It would be no exaggeration to say that a few of James’ friends owe everything to him. Rich Paul, Randy Mims and Maverick Carter are but 3 of those whom James has set up for life.
Rich Paul is the CEO and co-founder of Klutch Sports Group, the agency James is signed to. Klutch represents 30 NBA players currently, including 4 All-Stars other than LeBron.
Maverick Carter was a former high school teammate of James. 3 years older to him, Carter serves as his media manager and runs Springhill Entertainment and Uninterrupted.
