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LeBron James’ longtime business partner has been laying the groundwork to grow the basketball superstar’s business when he steps away from the game.
In an appearance at last week’s Semafor World Economy gathering, Maverick Carter said that changes in the tech and media landscape allowed James some flexibility in terms of his next moves once he retires — which could be as soon as later this month, if the Lakers fall to the Houston Rockets in the first round of the NBA playoffs, or after next season.
Carter told Semafor that 15 or 20 years ago, James’ primary option for remaining in the public eye would’ve been a career in sports broadcasting. But the evolution of digital media has allowed Carter and James to build up their independent entertainment business.
“We have a team of people that can produce and create at a high caliber,” Carter said. “So he is actually going to come to us with what his vision is. How does he want to keep creating content and telling stories that connect with his fans? And how do we build a suite of shows around that? And then the beauty of it is, today, distribution is everywhere. So someone like LeBron’s caliber is a big draw. You can get distribution anywhere and really connect with people and build a show, just us, without anybody else.”
One of the primary focuses of their efforts, Carter told Semafor, would be continuing to grow Fulwell, the media and entertainment company he owns with James. Carter and James agreed to merge their media and entertainment production company SpringHill with Fulwell in 2024. He explained that SpringHill was “way ahead of” Fulwell when it came to its digital properties like the Mind the Game podcast. But he said that Fulwell’s live production capacities were superior, and noted the combined company had a number of high-profile upcoming live projects in development, including the broadcast of the Grammys and the 2028 Olympics’ opening and closing ceremonies.
James’ future plans remain up in the air: Multiple reports say he hasn’t made up his mind yet about when to retire, a point Carter seemed to confirm. Asked what advice he gives James when the duo discuss his future and their future as business partners over a glass of wine, Carter joked: “It depends, it changes between glass one and glass nine.”
He continued, saying he’d tell James: “[It’s] incredible what you’ve done. Don’t worry about what people think. Just continue to be you. Whenever you decide you’ve had enough, be done with it and live your life and enjoy your family and more wine and your kids. Who gives a sh*t what happens? It’s been an amazing ride. We’ve done amazing things.”
Carter added: James “loves his community. He gives back to his community a bunch. Really continue to do what fulfills you, what makes you feel good, because that’s what the rest of the world is doing too. We all assume that people care about everything we do. No, everybody’s too busy caring about themselves. So I try and tell him to make sure you focus on yourself.”
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As James’ longtime confidant and adviser, Carter has become one of the most notable figures in the business of professional basketball.
During Wednesday’s interview, Carter also sounded off on the state of the game globally. While he said he was encouraged by improvement in basketball ratings this year, he said the NBA was “absolutely going to have to make some changes” in order to maintain fans’ attention, and “add stakes to more of the games,” he said.
He also noted the opportunity for the growth of basketball leagues outside the United States. Asked about “Project B,” a global basketball league set to launch in the coming months, which has sought Carter’s advice, he said it was aiming to be “a truly global league” like Formula 1 racing.
“If you think about F1. You know, NASCAR is fantastic, but F1 is truly global. They race all around the world,” he said.
Carter also told Semafor he never wanted to be an on-camera personality, but when he was starting The Shop with James on HBO, executives at the company pushed for him to do it. “Who am I to tell HBO what the hell to do?” he said.