LeBron James Adds Mike's Red Tacos to a Growing Investment Empire Spanning Sports, Fashion, Tech and More

LeBron James has joined Mike's Red Tacos as an investor ahead of the fast-growing birria chain's expansion into Los Angeles, the latest addition to an investment portfolio the 41-year-old NBA star has built into one of the most extensive among active professional athletes as he prepares for what may be his final season on the court.

James joined Mike's Red Tacos just days before the company opens its first Los Angeles-area location in Pasadena. In a statement announcing the investment, James explained what drew him to the brand. "I love tacos, and I especially love how they bring people together to create traditions and share great moments around the table with family and friends," James said. "In addition to having an incredible taco, Mike's Red Tacos brings those same values to life in a fresh, new way for consumers." He went on to describe his confidence in the company's leadership. "With this leadership team, I see a group that is building something authentic with a long-term vision, and I wanted to be part of helping bring that experience to more communities."

Mike's Red Tacos Chief Executive Officer Andrew Feghali welcomed James's involvement, framing it as part of a broader strategy of backing founder-led brands rather than fleeting trends. "We're not interested in trend-chasing brands," Feghali said. "We're interested in founders building something enduring. Mike did that with a focused menu, chef-driven food, and a loyalty most brands never earn." Feghali said James's involvement would help accelerate the company's growth. "Adding LeBron and an experienced restaurant leadership team gives Mike's the megaphone it deserves, the resources to scale what's already working, and the platform to become a category-defining brand."

The specific financial terms of James's investment in Mike's Red Tacos have not been publicly disclosed.

The Mike's Red Tacos deal is only the latest addition to a sprawling investment portfolio James has assembled over the course of his more than two-decade NBA career. His holdings now span Fenway Sports Group, the ownership group behind Liverpool FC, the Boston Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Penguins; The SpringHill Company, his own media and entertainment venture; pizza chain Blaze Pizza; headphone maker Beats by Dre; fitness wearable company Whoop; Canyon Bicycles; fitness technology firm Tonal; sports data company StatusPRO; Fantasy Life; skincare brand Neutral; ride-hailing company Lyft; and a Major League Pickleball franchise, reflecting a deliberate strategy of diversifying across sports, media, consumer products, fitness technology and hospitality rather than concentrating his outside business interests in any single sector.

That pattern of investment activity has continued even as James enters a season many around the league view as likely to be his last. James signed with the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-year contract that includes a player option, the smallest playing contract of his career, as he begins his 23rd NBA season. Despite the modest size of that on-court deal relative to his earlier contracts, James has continued layering additional income streams on top of his playing career through both endorsement deals and equity investments in a wide range of companies, a strategy that has made his total earnings considerably larger than his official playing salary alone would suggest.

James has spoken publicly and often about his approach to retirement in recent seasons, without committing to a firm timeline for stepping away from the game entirely. As he enters this stretch of his career, attention has increasingly turned to how he plans to build out his post-playing business interests, with his continued pace of new investments, including the Mike's Red Tacos deal, offering one indication of the kind of ventures he intends to remain engaged with once his playing days conclude.

James's business ventures have generally centered on brands he describes as authentic and community-oriented, a theme reflected clearly in his stated rationale for investing in Mike's Red Tacos specifically. That approach mirrors the framing James has used for several of his other investments over the years, often emphasizing founders with a clear, focused vision and products with genuine consumer loyalty rather than businesses built primarily around short-term trends or his own personal brand alone.

Mike's Red Tacos, known for its slow-braised birria served with a signature consome for dipping, began as a single San Diego food truck before expanding into a broader network of restaurants and franchise agreements across multiple states. The company's move into the Los Angeles market, one of the country's most closely watched and competitive dining scenes, represents a significant test of the brand's ability to scale beyond its original Southern California customer base, a challenge James's investment and public endorsement are intended to help the company navigate as it continues its national expansion.

With James continuing to add new ventures to an already extensive investment portfolio even as he approaches what could be the final season of his playing career, his business interests appear likely to remain an active and closely watched part of his broader public profile regardless of when he ultimately decides to step away from professional basketball.