LeBron James teases Polymarket partnership — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- LeBron James posted a 14-second video on X captioned "Welcome to Polymarket HQ. Coming soon," showing himself in an elevator at the company's headquarters heading to its sports floor.
- The James-Polymarket campaign is expected to focus on football, with further details anticipated in the week ahead, according to a person familiar with the matter.
- NBA rules restrict players' financial interests in companies offering league-related wagering or similar products, including limits on ownership stakes; terms of James' deal were not disclosed.
- Polymarket holds existing partnerships with Major League Soccer, Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, MLB's New York Yankees, and NHL's New York Rangers.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo became a shareholder in competing prediction market Kalshi earlier this year, though his stake is passive and the platform's rules bar him from trading NBA-related markets.
- Polymarket recently hired Travis VanderZanden — formerly of Uber and Lyft, and founder of e-scooter company Bird — as chief growth officer to oversee its marketing operation.
- James signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers in July for his record-extending 24th and final NBA season, a steep pay cut from the $50 million-plus he earned with the Lakers last season.
Why it matters: Prediction market platforms are racing to lock in star-athlete credibility before a packed fall sports calendar, with James following Antetokounmpo's earlier Kalshi deal — but NBA restrictions on player ownership in wagering-adjacent companies will structurally cap how deep any athlete's financial involvement can go, keeping these mostly endorsement plays rather than equity stakes.
Ask SkimNews
