Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff lauded LeBron James Tuesday for what he considers a breakthrough for African-Americans at the highest levels of sports management.
Bickerstaff reacted to multiple reports that James and his business partner Maverick Carter are becoming part-owners in the Boston Red Sox, subject to approval from Major League Baseball.
James and Carter, both graduates of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, will be the first Black partners in Fenway Sports Group, according to the Boston Globe.
“These are barriers that are being broken down right in front of us,” Bickerstaff said in a pregame Zoom before the Cavs took on the Miami Heat in AmericanAirlines Arena.
“I think it’s a huge step. When you look at him in particular and his forethought to be able to put himself in position to change generational wealth has been amazing. And you look at not only what he’s done for himself, but what it allows him to do for other people, it’s something that inspires and something for others to marvel at.”
James, 36, and Carter will become partners in Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC of the English Premier League, Roush Fenway Racing, regional sports network NESN, Fenway Sports Management and FSG Real Estate. James already owned 2% of Liverpool, according to ESPN.
Bickerstaff praised James and other NBA players for their business endeavors that are inspiring others, especially youth.
“I think the guys in our league as a whole, there was an article I read the other day about the guys that are investing in tech startups out in Silicon Valley,” Bickerstaff said. “These guys have figured out how to turn basketball into business that can then impact generations to come. They’re opening doors for other people where people weren’t allowed to go before. They’re creating exposure for ideas where people didn’t have these ideas before.
“There was a time where you made your basketball money and it was enough. Now these guys are making enough money, opening doors and inspiring young kids to get involved in tech, to get involved in Silicon Valley, to have aspirations to own teams. I think that is impressive in itself. It’s something to be celebrated.”
The LeBron James Family Foundation recently purchased Akron’s iconic Tangier restaurant for use as a retail, dining and community event space. James said in January his vision for his hometown includes much more than that.
James and Carter also partner on James’ SpringHill entertainment company, which produces television shows and documentaries.
Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, who saw James help lead the Heat to four consecutive NBA Finals and two championships from 2010-14, joked about James being a New York Yankees fan, saying, “I think that makes it fun.”
Spoelstra said he never talked to James about his ownership goals, but knows what James is capable of in the business world.
“You knew he has a great eye and passion for business and he doesn’t set any boundaries on where he can take it. Probably a lot of fun for him to be involved now as a part-owner in two different sports,” Spoelstra said in a pregame Zoom in reference to Liverpool and the Red Sox. “He’s obviously a sports enthusiast, but he’s got great business acumen.
“I think it’s great that he can expand his platform to be able to get into businesses in different ways and to continue to expand, think bigger. The more people say it’s not possible, then he’s going to be even more motivated to make it happen.”
Bickerstaff also looked at James’ venture into baseball, along with what his peers in the league are doing, from a society-changing perspective.
“The thing that I think is the most special part about it is what they do next,” Bickerstaff said. “These guys aren’t going out right now and breaking down these barriers simply for themselves. They’re doing this in order to go and fund something and pull other people up and expose them to something new.
“And that’s what’s remarkable when you think about it as a whole, bringing a light to something and giving people a dream or a vision of something that they’ve never been able to have before. I think that’s what makes so special and that’s why I applaud it so loudly.”
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Cavs at www.beaconjournal.com/cavs. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ.
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