How LeBron James Builds a Sports Portfolio Beyond Basketball
Professional athletes have long dabbled in other sports after retirement. But LeBron James is writing a different playbook. He is still playing basketball at an elite level—he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2026 offseason—and simultaneously building a visible second career in golf. The partnership announced Tuesday between the PGA Tour and the LeBron James Family Foundation is the most concrete sign yet of that strategy.
The centerpiece is the LeBron James Family Foundation Invitational, scheduled for July 6–7, 2027, at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. The event will pair professional golfers from the PGA Tour’s Pathway to Progression Pro-Bound Five program with amateurs and mentors from James’s I PROMISE program, which serves Akron-area students and families. The competition on Firestone’s South Course adds a new chapter to the PGA Tour’s long history in Akron, while the off-course programming aims to introduce young people to golf who might not otherwise have access.
That access point is key. In an interview earlier this year, James said his goal is to open doors for kids from inner cities to play golf at country clubs by age seven or eight—not because they cannot afford it, but because they have a passion for the sport. The PGA Tour’s Pathway to Progression program, launched in 2023, invests in development of historically underrepresented communities. The synergy is intentional: the event is designed as a fundraiser and an opportunity pipeline.
James has also entered the YouTube golf space. In August 2026 he launched a channel with a 90-minute video featuring a reunion of the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers championship team during a golf trip to Scotland. The channel will publish monthly episodes documenting his golf journey. The production follows a proven template: on-course banter, personal dynamics, and behind-the-scenes access that YouTube golf audiences have come to expect from channels like Bob Does Sports, where James previously appeared.
None of this happens in a vacuum. Athletes across sports are increasingly building portfolios that include ownership stakes, media ventures, and competitive involvement in other sports. NBA players like Stephen Curry and Michael Jordan have invested heavily in golf. James’s moves go further: he is not just endorsing the sport but actively programming an official PGA Tour event while his own basketball career continues. That blurs the line between current athlete and league official.
The partnership also signals how sports organizations view athletes as long-term partners rather than short-term spokespeople. PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said the tour believes golf can create opportunity and bring communities together, and that James and his foundation have shown what is possible when that commitment is backed by action. The event is designed to honor Firestone’s history while shaping golf’s future by connecting young people in Akron with the sport and supporting up-and-coming athletes through the Pathway to Progression program.
LeBron James is not waiting for retirement to build his second sports identity. He is constructing it now, one YouTube video and one partnership at a time. The result is a model that other athletes are likely to follow—using active career years to invest in the sports they love, creating infrastructure for the next generation, and proving that a sports portfolio can start before the final buzzer sounds.