LeBron James says he had a word of warning when he first started working with a financial advisor: Don’t screw over the NBA legend because that won’t end “good for you.”
LeBron recently sat down with his wife Savannah James and her co-host April McDaniel on their Dear Media podcast, Everybody’s Crazy, for an episode debuting Oct. 14. The couple talked about being together since high school and differences in their upbringings, according to People.
The NBA star described his childhood “in the projects in Akron, Ohio, and not having shit,” while Savannah James “comes from a two-parent household and siblings in the house,” he said.
LeBron said because of his past, it’s “sometimes hard to take risks,” including trusting new people like his wife when they first got together—or his financial advisor.
“I have a lot of more risky friends, and friends that are less risky,” LeBron said. “But for me, like, when I'm talking to my business partners and shit like that, financial advisors, you know, accountants, all that type of shit. My financial advisor, the first thing I told him when he wanted to manage my money was, 'If you steal my money, bro, or if I'm broke, bro, I’m letting you know, bro, it ain’t going to be good for you.'"
The four-time NBA MVP last month told Complex his net worth is "way less" than Forbes' estimated $1.2 billion, joking that he only has a "couple thousand" in the bank.
On the podcast, LeBron also talked about how that reluctance to trust also showed up when he moved in with his wife when they were young.
As a kid, LeBron said, "it was my mom and my uncles, and then just friends and girls and guys just coming in, you know? Shit that's what I grew up on.”
He continued: “So, me settling down and deciding that she’s going to be the one that's in the house, giving her the key or the garage door code, that shit was different, bro.”
They were married in September 2013 and have three children: Bronny, 21, Bryce Maximus, 18, and Zhuri Nova, 10.
The Los Angeles Lakers are starting their season without LeBron, as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer is reportedly undergoing treatment for sciatica and will sit out the first few weeks of his 23rd pro season.