LeBron James Borrowed $300 Million in Financial Deal Tied to Guggenheim

LeBron James borrowed practically $300 million by non-public bond offers involving insurers linked to Guggenheim, as per Bloomberg printed Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026.

LeBron James’ $300M Financing Deal Revealed

The financing started earlier than James joined the Los Angeles Lakers and was tied to revenue from his enterprise and endorsement offers, not his NBA contract. The offers had been made by King James Funding, an LLC managed by James. According to the report, two Midwestern life insurers purchased practically $300 million in non-public bonds related to the corporate.

The insurers, North American Company for Life and Health Insurance and Midland National Life Insurance Co., are owned by Sammons Financial Group. Guggenheim suggested the insurers on the belongings they bought.

The first deal started whereas James was nonetheless with the Cleveland Cavaliers and earlier than he signed with the Lakers in 2018. The bonds carried a 4.8% rate of interest and will not be scheduled to mature till 2049. James later paid down a part of the quantity, however the insurers nonetheless held about $245 million on the finish of 2025.

In August 2022, across the time James signed a $97 million extension with the Lakers, the insurers bought practically $60 million extra in bonds. Those bonds carried a 5.75% fee and had been set to run for 34 years.

The construction allowed James to obtain money primarily based on future revenue with out promoting the belongings that produced that revenue. Some of the revenue tied to the financing got here from sources outdoors basketball, together with his lifetime Nike sponsorship deal.

LeBron James Denies Affiliation With Guggenheim

According to TBL, a spokesperson for James mentioned the transactions concerned his private, non-basketball earnings and had been a traditional monetary device utilized by rich people.

“Both transactions were independently credit rated by a third party and the 2022 transaction was fully approved by NBA,” the spokesperson mentioned.

The spokesperson additionally mentioned James had no affiliation with Guggenheim, Sammons, North American Co. or Midland National past their involvement within the transactions.

The Guggenheim connection is notable as a result of the corporate is led by Mark Walter, who later grew to become the controlling proprietor of the Lakers. Walter took management of the group in 2025 after first turning into a minority proprietor in 2021.

Walter has since agreed to promote the Lakers to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger for a reported file value, though the sale nonetheless requires NBA approval. James left the Lakers this summer season and signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Bloomberg’s report additionally famous that there isn’t a connection between James’ bond offers and the federal investigation involving different Walter-controlled insurers. The insurers concerned in James’ financing will not be the businesses below that evaluation.