LeBron James Talks Future Hollywood Plans

In terms of success, longevity and ubiquity, LeBron James is like the Amazon.com of the NBA. It’s only fitting for him to be the face of Prime Day 2025.

James is not just a basketball superstar-turned e-commerce pitchman. He’s also a podcaster (Mind the Game, distributed by Amazon’s Wondery), a Hollywood producer and an entrepreneur. (James’ men’s grooming line The Shop is getting in the holiday spirit with 35 percent off during Prime Day).

But what’s next for James, who has already played 22 seasons in the NBA? He’s got to be tired of that question. James must be so sick of it that he spoofed the concept in a Prime Day (July 8-11) ad that sees him trying out everything from hibachi chef (he’s decent!) to lounge singer (he’s terrible).

“Prime Day is our biggest moment of the year to make Prime members feel special and valued,” Jo Shoesmith, Amazon’s global chief creative officer, said in a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter. “Who better than LeBron James to show how getting a great deal can make anyone feel excited and ready to embrace ‘what’s next’?”

Great question; we’ve got some of our own.

OK LeBron, so we’re here officially about Prime Day. You’re a billionaire — does LeBron James shop on Amazon?

You know what? I send my requests to my wife. My wife does all the online shopping things for the household. So anytime I want something or need something, I send it through to my wife Savannah. She takes care of the whole family — myself, my daughter, the two boys, everything — she takes care of all that.

But so, yes, technically, yes, I do.

So like the rest of us, your (much bigger) house is filled up with Amazon boxes?

Oh, absolutely, absolutely — just flooding the house with Amazon boxes.

Does she go H.A.M. on Prime Day deals like the rest of us?

I mean, I would guess. There’s so many deals going on that day. I wouldn’t be surprised if my wife does a lot of shopping during [those days], that’s for sure.

Amazon says you personally chose Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” for the lounge singer scene in your Prime Day ad. Why did you choose that song?

I mean, I love the song. Obviously, it’s legendary. Everyone you know knows the song or has heard the song either in their headphone sets or their household or somebody playing it — it’s just a great song, man. You always feel like you can actually be Phil Collins when you sing the song, but then you hear yourself and you’re like, “Oh my God.” That’s why Phil Collins sings it and not one of us. So that was pretty cool to be able to shoot that part.

It’s also one of those songs that one could really butcher…

Oh, no question about it. You could have everybody thinking they love the song until you actually start singing it. Then it’s like, “I never want to hear it again.”

Your Amazon partnership includes your podcast, Mind the Game, an appropriate title considering your’s and co-host Steve Nash’s basketball knowledge. You’ve played 22 seasons in the NBA — can you still learn basketball from him?

Oh, absolutely. Every time we get an opportunity to have a sit down — the cadence that we have together as we continue to build and continue to shoot more and more episodes, you continue to learn from one another. The basketball knowledge, the love of the game.

So, like, absolutely. I’m always trying to continue to learn, no matter where I’m at in my career; two decades-plus into the NBA. But I’m still always trying to learn, and to have the ability to sit across from Steve Nash, one of the greats to play our game, is definitely a luxury.

Your current coach, JJ Reddick, had a very popular basketball podcast before getting the Lakers job. Perhaps it helped him get the job. What have you learned from him about podcasting specifically?

I think when it comes to podcasting specifically, not only being committed to doing it … but also just being very knowledgeable about the game, breaking down things. And his nuances: having the stats, having the data to be able to back up some of the things that you’re saying.

So when I had this season one with JJ, the one thing is that he was always super-duper-crazy prepared. And it makes sense why he is the coach that he is now. My one year that I’ve had with him so far, you see how incredibly prepared he is. It doesn’t matter if it’s broadcasting [or] if it’s podcasting or coaching. You could see it all translate to one another where it comes to being prepared — the preparation that he takes into it. You can learn from that in any field, it doesn’t have to be sports. It could be anything in life, just being prepared. And I think that gets you so much further along the curve than not being prepared.

JJ’s game was shooting deep, deep bombs. Sort of like Steph Curry before Steph Curry. Steph followed the path you paved into Hollywood — did you ever get a chance to watch his Peacock series Mr. Throwback?

No, you know, it’s funny. I never got an opportunity to dive into it, you know? And so, yeah, I’m not hip on it.

It was pretty good. Unfortunately it only lasted the one season, so it’d be easy to catch up on.

I will. I appreciate the insight there. I’ll have to tap into it [and watch] season one.

Your production banner The SpringHill Company recently merged with Fulwell 73. Can you comment on the merger?

The merger that we’ve done to create Fulwell Entertainment will only strengthen our brands like The Shop and Mind the Game globally, and makes us one of the best entertainment companies across unscripted and live in the world.

Do you have a five-year plan for the company — or even for yourself individually as a producer? Is there somebody you’d like to model your Hollywood career after?

No, I don’t have a blueprint of someone I want to be like in industry. I want to continue to do what we’ve been doing, and I want to continue to keep storytelling at the forefront of everything that we do. I think storytelling is the most incredible thing we can do, not only for ourselves, but for our fanbase and for our families. People can actually be in their households and watch certain documentaries or watch certain movies or listen to podcasts — storytelling really brings people together.

I’ve known I’ve always wanted to do that since I was younger, and I will continue to do that beyond my playing days. And it’s not a five-year thing, it’s not a two-year thing — it’s just like, let’s just continue doing what we’re doing. I think by doing the things we’ve been doing and showcasing what we’re capable of, it’s only going to continue to get better and better. And we continue to learn. We’re not done learning. You know, life is all about learning throughout the course of your journey.

You’ve also acted. You were hilarious in Trainwreck (2015), in which you played sort of a heightened version of yourself. You’re so big — both in physical stature and in fame — do you think you can play an actual character?

I think that all will boil down to the creative writing and to the role. If the role is appropriate and I feel like I can nail it, then I wouldn’t mind doing that at all. I feel like I could turn and be someone else that’s not LeBron James. In Trainwreck, my name was not LeBron James. But it was a version of me, my typical self, [just] playing Bill Hader’s best friend during that movie. But, yeah, I would love to explore, and if the scripts start to roll in and there’s an opportunity for me to do some acting and I have the time — obviously, post-career — I don’t mind looking at it and seeing if I can make it happen, for sure.

The Redeem Team was great. The documentary, which you executive produced, but also the accomplishment — it really moved me.

I appreciate it. I appreciate the kind words. We understood that going into the (2008) Beijing Olympics, that it had nothing to do with the names on our backs — it had everything to do about the red, white and blue in the “USA” on our front. And we understood that we were carrying the whole country. We had a couple of down years in USA Basketball during the transition period, and that’s why the name “Redeem” was— it was the most appropriate name for that team. We went out to Beijing with that on our shoulders, in our hearts and in our souls. To go out and not only dominate on the floor, but also dominate off the court by being role models and speaking out and doing the things that we need to do to continue to push our unbelievable sport forward — but us as humans as well. So yeah, we were very, very proud to be able to stand on that podium and listen to our national anthem. The group of guys had one common goal, and that was to bring home gold and make our people proud. And I think we did.

You won again in 2012 and took a break in 2016 and 2020 — both were still gold medal years for the U.S. You played again and won gold again in Paris (in 2024). Afterward, you said it doesn’t seem probable that you’d play in the 2028 Summer Olympics, which is in your adopted hometown of Los Angeles. Any update on that?

Nothing has changed. Where we at, man, 2025 right now? (Laughs.) Nah, nothing has changed. I mean, if I had to look at it right now through a microscope, I would say that, me being able to support Team USA for the rest of my life — that’s for sure. But me actually going on and playing, I don’t see it happening.

I’ve given everything that I have, and I will always be appreciative and loyal and dedicated to Team USA and USA Basketball.

Let’s bring it back to Amazon to finish. Prime Video is one of the NBA’s new partners (along with NBC). What do you want to see from them in terms of presentation and partnership?

First of all, when I thought of the (analyst) lineup that they chose — legends like Dwayne Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Candice Parker — [Prime Video] is going to automatically be put in a position of great things. [With them, Prime Video] has so much knowledge and [so many] people that know the game and appreciate the game and talk about the game in such a positive manner. So, I think Amazon Prime Video, they’re gonna do a great job showcasing our sport; [the talent] love(s) our sport. Great intellect, great commentary, great insight — I really look forward to that. And like I said, those guys that they have signed up for it, they’re gonna do great things.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.