Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC… and now Starbucks?! LeBron James adds coffee shop to investments

LeBron James added a unique venture to his list of out-of-court investments: a Starbucks coffee shop that offers professional training certificates in the hospitality industry.

The newly opened House Three Thirty in Akron, Ohio occupies a renovated nightclub/banquet venue that James’ charitable foundation purchased in 2020, according to The Athletic.

And on Wednesday morning, the shop with its 46 employees was in full swing.

“It has changed my life a lot,” store manager Alexis Schuler told The Athletic.

“Going from being a barista at Starbucks to being a manager has given me a whole new perspective on hospitality as an industry. It gave me an insight I didn’t have before.’

LeBron James’ charity is giving back to the Akron, Ohio community again

In addition to the acquisition of vocational training certificates, the employees receive an hourly wage

While House Thirty Three is just a Starbucks right now, it’s going to be a lot more.

The same space will eventually house a sports bar, taco shop, ice cream shop, and clothing store.

It will eventually even be open for wedding receptions, where the staff will be trained.

While James has poured countless dollars into his hometown of Akron, House Thirty Three’s goal is for his goodwill to be sustainable.

“I would say it’s ‘work forever,'” said Michele Campbell, executive director of the LeBron James Family Foundation.

“The world will always have problems to contend with; we here in Akron are just a microcosm of it. But I feel like what we’re building, and it will continue long after my life is over, is how to run a community differently and how to think differently and how to be thoughtful and strategic and meet people where they are.

James has previously impacted the Akron community with the I Promise School, which opened in 2018 for at-risk children and offers scholarships to all University of Akron students.

Additionally, James is a sports owner in three different leagues.

The NBA star bought a small stake in Liverpool – owned by Fenway Sports Group – in 2011 and increased his stake in the company 10 years later.

This move made him a co-owner of the Boston Red Sox, also owned by FSG, while later that year he also received a stake in the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins when FSG acquired the franchise.

The Lakers star returned to the court after 13 games last Sunday with a foot injury.