Over the years, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James’ attitude towards spending money has become well-known. Many members of his inner circle, including former teammates such as Dwyane Wade, have highlighted James’ stinginess and unwillingness to spend money.
Given that James is one of the richest athletes ever, with a net worth well exceeding a billion dollars, his attitude towards money has been viewed as a “mask” or simply a persona that he puts on in an attempt to appear humble.
While that may still be the case, the four-time NBA champion was recently interviewed and questioned on this subject. He ended up revealing more about the true reason behind his “cheap” attitude.
LeBron James Admits to Having a Terrifying Fear of Starting Over
Although James is just 40 years old, he has already found great success both on and off the court. His relationship with Savannah James and their longstanding bond are something that his fanbase has been aware of ever since James joined the league.
Savannah hosts a podcast called Everybody’s Crazy and managed to convince her husband to make a special guest appearance. The league’s all-time leading scorer shared details regarding the early years of his relationship with his wife.
James highlighted the different situations under which the two of them were raised and revealed that he grew up in poverty. As a result, he is hesitant to spend unnecessarily even today. He believes that a few bad decisions could send him back to the very beginning, something that would devastate him.
“It’s hard for me sometimes to take risks. I have a lot of more risky friends, and friends that are less risky. But for me, like, when I’m talking to my business partners and sh** like that, financial advisers, you know, accountants, all that type of sh**, my financial adviser, the first thing I told him when he wanted to manage my money was if you steal my money, bro, or if I’m broke, bro, I’m letting you know, bro, it ain’t going to be good for you.”
It is indeed amusing for NBA fans to hear that James faces the same paranoia about losing his money that most of them deal with daily. Growing up without a comfortable financial background can certainly leak into adulthood, and James’ stinginess appears to be a futile attempt to prevent himself from returning to what he faced in the past.
His “cheap” attitude might just be futile, given that James has invested millions in various dealings and has a well-established financial empire. If he is paranoid about spending on luxuries, one can only imagine the amount of due diligence he undertakes before investing in any company.