LeBron James opens up about how Jay-Z influenced his career, business mindset, and approach to understanding his own power, value, and position.
LeBron James has long spoken about the figures who shaped his approach to basketball, business, and life beyond the court. When it comes to basketball, James points to Michael Jordan. But when it comes to the way he moves through the world, he credits Jay-Z with playing a different kind of role.
“I’d say MJ was my biggest inspiration as far as basketball, but Jay is my big brother,” James told Rich Kleiman in the latest episode of Boardroom Talks at this year’s Game Plan Summit, which took place at Fanatics Fest. “He’s the one who’s given me so much game and has taught me so much.”
James first met Jay-Z when he was 16 years old. From there, he says he paid close attention to how the rapper and entrepreneur carried himself, taking in lessons that extended far beyond music.
“We really just watched Jay and how they moved and how he moved and was like a sponge,” James says.
For James, Jay-Z’s influence was evident in every aspect of his presence, from his business decisions to how he interacted with people.
“He moved how a person that know who he is and what he brings to the table is supposed to move from the business side to the way he walked, to the way he talked, to the way he greeted people,” James says. “It was just an aura about him and a professionalism and his respective genre that we all kind of learned and we all kind of took.”
That influence continues to inform James’ own decisions. As he has built a business portfolio that spans entertainment, sports, media, and investments, James says he still thinks about the example Jay-Z set for him as a teenager.
“I’m always thinking about him anytime I’m doing something business-wise or making a decision or whatever; thinking, is this going to make him proud because he gave me so much game as a 16-year-old kid.”
James also points to Jay-Z’s understanding of his own value, and his ability to use that understanding as leverage.
“He understood his position of power and how to use that as leverage for the betterment of himself and the people around him,” James says.
That lesson has been just as important as any business strategy: Know what you bring to the table, understand your position, and don’t take less than what you deserve.
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