Getty LeBron James in his Miami Heat swan song, 2014.
LeBron James hasn’t taken the floor for the Miami Heat since 2014, yet anything attached to the four-time world champion makes headlines. His former half-acre mansion in Coconut Grove recently sold for $12.75 million, per the Los Angeles Times.
James lived in the home from 2010-14 while helping the Heat win two titles in four seasons as part of the NBA’s first super-team. Called “The Most Opulent Estate in Miami” by Opulence International Realty, the primary residence covers more than 12,000 square feet, with five bedrooms and seven-and-a-half bathrooms.
Amenities include a gym, game room, gourmet kitchen, custom theater, wine cellar — plus an infinity pool with a swim-up bar and a concrete dock overlooking Biscayne Bay that can fit two 60-foot yachts.
The 17-time All-Star bought the property for $9 million in 2010, then sold it for $13.4 million in 2014. James also put his Los Angeles home in the city’s Brentwood neighborhood on the market last month for $20.5 million, per Mansion Global.
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‘Mixed Emotion’ First Year with Miami Heat
James conveyed “mixed emotions” about his first year in South Beach during a 2018 interview with “More Than An Athlete.”
“I had mixed emotions my whole first year in Miami,” James said, via All Lakers. “Just if I made the right decision. Should I stay? Should I (have gone)? I was 25 years old and I wanted to be liked by everybody. That’s why the emotions were there. From the time we landed in Miami, that first night we got there, we went to The W (Miami) and I was like, ‘What the hell just happened?’”
He went on to win two championships alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, but it was hard for him to watch Cleveland Cavaliers fans burn his jersey back home. Remember, James grew up in Akron, Ohio — less than 40 miles from downtown Cleveland. He would go on to deliver that franchise its first Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2016.
Wade Reveals Favorite Heat Teammate
Wade and James shared a unique brotherhood in Miami, one stemming from their awkward first encounter at a pre-draft workout in 2003. Wade had been waiting in line for a long time when James burst through the door and budged in front, telling Wade: “I’m the number one pick. This is my draft. Move out the way.” (via ESPN’s The Jump). The ill feelings didn’t last long as the two instantly struck up a conversation that day and sparked chemistry.
Wade was instrumental in getting James to join the Miami Heat in 2010. However, Wade mentioned another player when talking about his favorite NBA teammate of all time. The Heat legend revealed that Udonis Haslem was his most reliable sounding board in Miami, a “brother” who got him through a lot of tough times in his younger days.
“UD and I have this brotherhood,” Wade said. “We came in together but whenever I was in the club, whenever I was out anywhere in Miami, whenever I was on the court, UD has my back.”
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