LeBron James sees the light and buys a piece of Liverpool -- the soccer club, not the city

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When he is not fretting about the antics of his mother (see earlier post), LeBron James apparently spends a good deal of time checking his portfolio.

That portfolio has grown in an interesting fashion of late with the news that the Miami Heat player has managed to buy himself a piece of Liverpool FC. In other words, the NBA’s James now owns a little bit of one of the English Premier League’s highest-profile teams.

‘The first time I stepped on an NBA court I became a businessman,’ James told the Wall Street Journal. ‘This is a great opportunity for me.’

The 26-year-old gained a minority interest in the 18-time English champion and five-time European champion when his marketing firm reached an agreement with the Fenway Sports Group, owner of Liverpool and the Boston Red Sox, to represent James internationally.

How soon James will show up at Anfield to watch a Liverpool game is uncertain, but his ownership status does give him an edge over another of the NBA’s soccer fans, Lakers guard and avid FC Barcelona supporter Kobe Bryant.

Liverpool, meanwhile, announced Thursday that it will go on a preseason tour of Asia this summer, playing games in Guangzhou, China; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and Seoul, South Korea, in July.

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--Grahame L. Jones