LeBron James has long been scoring in the world of Business Celebrities as well as on the basketball court. Listed fifth on Forbes’ highest-paid athletes list of 2020 with earnings of $88 million (£63m) and an estimated net worth of $450 million (£325m), the Los Angeles Lakers player has bolstered his sports salary and endorsement deals with savvy investments. For example, James founded sports nutrition company Ladder alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2018, selling on a majority stake to fitness app Openfit just two years later, and is partly invested in 19 pizza franchises across Chicago and South Florida. The sports star also has his own production and media companies. Click or scroll on to find out about his stakes in some famous sports teams…

LeBron James
Thearon W. Henderson / Contributor
Since 2011 LeBron James has owned a 2% stake in Liverpool Football Club, which he bought for £4.7 million ($7.6m). But this month James has increased his links to the English Premier League club by becoming a minority partner in Fenway Sports Group (FSG), which owns the rest of Liverpool FC as well as the Boston Red Sox. The move means that James and his business partner Maverick Carter are the first Black partners at FSG.

But LeBron James is not the only celebrity to have a side-hustle or three. Click or scroll through to see which other famous faces have made a fortune from their business interests…

Jay-Z
Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for Armand de Brignac
Jay-Z has long looked beyond his music career to make money, and his investments in sports teams, music streaming, clothing and alcohol made the hip-hop superstar a billionaire in 2019. And this year Jay-Z, who has boasted that he has a “million ways to make money”, looks like he has started to cash in. In late February Jay-Z sold 50% of his Armand de Brignac champagne brand to luxury French group LMVH, which also owns big-name champagne brands such as Moët Hennessy, Dom Pérignon and Veuve Cliquot. No financial details of the deal were released, but in 2018 the Armand de Brignac brand was valued at $250 million (£180m).

The following week Jay-Z sold a majority stake in his music streaming service to Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey’s mobile payments company Square for $297 million (£214m). The deal means that Tidal’s other celebrity investors, including Beyoncé, Rihanna and Madonna keep their stakes, and Jay-Z joins the Square board. But Jay-Z isn’t the only one in the family with an eye for an investment opportunity…

Beyoncé
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Beyoncé has also developed her career beyond being one of the world’s most famous music stars, and in 2016 she invested in WTRMLN WTR, a company serving up cold-pressed watermelon juice. Deemed an ultra-nutritious “superdrink”, Beyoncé claimed she invested in the brand because it’s “the future of clean, natural hydration”. The singer, who’s worth an estimated $400 million (£280m) according to Forbes, also has her own clothing line in collaboration with Adidas called Ivy Park (the partnership was formerly with Topshop until 2018), as well as a stake in Sidestep, a concert merchandising app that lets fans buy merchandise in advance.

Kate Hudson
Fabletics Facebook
In 2013, Kate Hudson co-founded Fabletics, an online subscription retailer that specialises in women’s sportswear. The monthly service offers its members personalised sportswear based on their lifestyle and fashion preferences.The company brought in more than $400 million (£300m) in revenues in 2019, and is the fastest-growing activewear brand in e-commerce history. What’s more, Fabletics now has 50 retail outlets in North America alone.

Mark and Donnie Wahlberg
Andy Kropa / Invision/Press Association Images
When they’re not acting, famous siblings Mark and Donnie can be found with their chef brother Paul Wahlberg (middle) working at the family burger chain Wahlburgers. What started as a simple eatery in Massachusetts has now grown to 29 locations across the US and Canada, and the brothers also set up a London restaurant in May 2019, although it was closed due to financing issues in June 2020.

Susan Sarandon
Michael Buckner / Getty
The award-winning actress has turned her hobby into a hot money-making business, opening a chain of ping pong clubs that are frequented by celebrities. Rumours are the late Prince was a big fan. SPiN now has seven locations across the US and Canada, with more due to open their doors in the coming years. With retro décor and an extensive cocktail list, this is an adult’s playground.

Drew Barrymore
Victoria Will / AP/Press Association Images
The actress launched her very own make-up line, Flower, at Walmart in 2013. The products can also be bought at major retail chains including Kroger, Ulta, Chemist Warehouse and Superdrug in countries including the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, Mexico, India and China, with industry sources estimating Flower is worth $125 million (£90.3m).

George Clooney
Casamigos
Casamigos is a tequila brand founded by actor George Clooney, along with friends Rande Gerber and Mike Meldman, in 2013. They sold it to global drinks giant Diageo for a hefty $1 billion (£812m) in 2017. Diageo reportedly initially paid $700 million (£568m) for Casamigos, followed by an additional $300 million (£244m) based on the performance of the brand over the next decade.

Maria Sharapova
Daniel Boczarski / Getty
She’s a whiz on the court, but she’s even better in the boardroom. During a hiatus from her tennis career, Sharapova kept busy with her other interest: confectionery company Sugarpova. The business, which she started in 2012 with a $500,000 investment, has triumphed, selling in 22 countries. In 2018, Forbes reported that the company is worth $195 million (£147m).

Jessica Simpson
Mark Mainz
She might not be the first celebrity to launch a clothing line but she’s certainly one of the most successful. The singer-turned-actress launched The Jessica Simpson Collection in 2006, with lines selling in big department stores including Macy’s. Now it has more than 30 different product lines including swimwear, jewellery, luggage and even kid’s clothes. The brand makes an estimated $1 billion (£709m) in retail sales annually, although Simpson sold part of her ownership for an undisclosed sum in 2015.

Tony Bennett
Matthew Fearn / PA Archive / Press Association Images
He’s known around the world as a legendary entertainer but the crooner makes a nice chunk of change for something entirely different than his vocals – painting. Working under his birth surname Benedetto, his paintings can go for $10,000 (£8k) a pop. He’s been commissioned by the United Nations twice, one of which was later purchased by Oprah, while three Benedetto originals are in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington.

Sofia Vergara
Helga Esteb/ Shutterstock
She’s one of the highest-paid women in television, earning $44.1 million (£33.2m) in 2019 according to Forbes. But it’s not just her Modern Family paycheque that’s keeping Vergara’s coffers high. The actress co-founded talent management and marketing firm Latin World Entertainment 20 years ago to promote Hispanic talent in the entertainment world. And that’s not all. The Colombia-born star also has her own perfume, and in 2017 launched EBY, a subscription underwear service that hopes to not only empower the women who wear the clothing but those making them. The company has chosen a manufacturer that is part of the “Women Go Beyond” programme, which helps to improve working conditions in Sri Lankan garment factories.