“Only Six Hundred Were Made”: LeBron James’ Marketing Deal with Audemars Piguet Led to a $51,000 Limited Edition Watch

Credits: USA Today Sports and Twitter

LeBron James is one of the richest NBA player in the world and the only active billionaire in the sport. His enormous wealth is a result of millions of dollars of endorsements and deals. In 2011, LeBron James signed a partnership with Fenway Sports Group (FSG), which owns major sports clubs around the world, including the MLB’s Boston Red Sox and the EPL’s Liverpool Football Club. The partnership with FSG opened multiple avenues for LeBron in the world of endorsements.

After his association with FSG, the NBA superstar signed his first deal with a Swiss luxury watchmaker – ‘Audemars Piguet’. The deal was worth a million dollars, and in 2013, the company released its first special edition watch with the word ‘LeBron’ carved in it.

The luxury watch retailed for a whopping price of $51,500 and only 600 pieces of the exclusive timepiece were made by Audemars Piguet.

The Switzerland-based company has a long history with celebrities from this side of the world. Arnold Schwarzenegger has been associated with the watchmaker since 1998 and has enjoyed a wonderful relationship with the family-owned business. The former Mr. Olympia has been marketing the brand for more than two decades and has built a personal relationship with the company.

The success of LeBron James and Fenway Sports Group

According to an article by Forbes dated 2022, LeBron James piled up a net worth of a billion dollars making him the only active athlete to accomplish the feat. When asked about his accomplishment, he said to Forbes “It’s my biggest milestone, obviously. I want to maximize my business. And if I happen to get it, if I happen to be a billion-dollar athlete, ho. Hip hip hooray! Oh, my God, I’m gonna be excited.”

The partnership with FSG had a lot to do with him reaching the billionaire club. Both FSG and James have increased their wealth considerably over the past few years.

FSG currently stands as the 5th largest sports company in the world with an estimated net worth of 10.4 billion dollars. The stakeholders of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club have been enjoying great success and continue to look for new opportunities in the world of sports.