Getty LeBron James, Lakers
During his 17-year NBA career, LeBron James has known quite a few zip codes. He started by playing his first seven years in Cleveland, spent four years in Miami, went back to the Cavaliers for four years, and has spent the past two seasons in Los Angeles.
He is eligible to hit free agency next summer at age 36 so there is a chance—however slim—that he could pack up and leave Lakerland as his career hits its twilight.
If his real estate maneuvers are any indication, though, James’ commitment to Southern California is iron-clad. According to The Real Deal, a publication specializing in Los Angeles-area real estate, James is buying a prized estate in one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in the country, known as Beverly Hills Post Office. The price tag on the listing was $39 million, though it is unclear if that was the final cost for James.
And that’s reassuring news for Lakers fans who might have been wary of James’ wandering ways throughout his NBA career.
As The Real Deal reported: “A source said that James was looking to further establish his Los Angeles foothold, and had also been looking at Beverly Hills land owned by the estate of (late Portland Trail Blazers owner) Paul Allen.”
James has Been an MVP Candidate for the Lakers All Year
It’s especially reassuring considering how good James has been for the Lakers this year. He has averaged 25.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 10.6 assists, which leads the NBA. He has spent the bulk of this season running as the point guard for the Lakers, a position he had only played in spurts in the past.
James is among the favorites to win the league’s MVP award, though he is likely trailing Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Lakers are two weeks away from re-opening their 2019-20 season at the NBA restart on the Disney World campus in Orlando. They enter as the No. 1 seed and the favorite to win the Western Conference, with an excellent chance to send James to the 10th NBA Finals of his career.
It was only a year ago that things seemed shaky for James’ tenure in Los Angeles. Before the team pulled off the trade that brought Anthony Davis to L.A., Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke told ESPN Radio that James would bolt the Lakers if the summer did not go well.
“I’m hearing that, if they whiff on free agency, and if they whiff on a trade — which I don’t know how likely that is — but if that happens, they’ve got big trouble with LeBron,” Plaschke said. “Why would LeBron — I mean, the LeBron era could be over before it starts here.”
House has a Long Hollywood History
The Davis trade allayed those fears. Now there’s the $39 million real estate purchase, a property that is steeped in history.
The house is 13,000 square feet, sitting on 2.5 acres of property. According to Variety, the house was built in the 1930s by Charles Boyer, an accomplished leading man in that era. The house passed to RKO Pictures, then owned by Howard Hughes before eventually winding up with Lee Phillip Bell, a soap opera creator and Chicago talk-show host. Bell and her husband bought the house in 1986.
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Among the features of the house: seven fireplaces, a pool house with two baths, lighted tennis court, and screening room.
According to the Zillow listing, the house also has, “a large motor court and courtyard welcomes you to spectacular views from downtown Los Angeles to the ocean and the Santa Monica mountains.”
Sounds like an ideal place for James to stay as he whiles away his remaining NBA years.
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What LeBron James’ $39 Million Real-Estate Deal Could Mean for Lakers