The Cleveland Cavaliers had their fair share of fame back in the 90s when the team had Larry Nance Sr., Brad Daugherty, and Mark Price on their roster. However, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls never let the team get past them in the playoffs back then. Eventually, the Cavaliers’ net worth plummeted by the early 2000s. But things quickly changed when the team got their hands on the number one pick in the 2003 NBA draft.

The Cavaliers went on to draft a young LeBron James straight out of High School and the team’s fate went on change drastically. This even led one of the biggest pop stars of the 2000s to make a very smart investment.

Usher has LeBron James to thank for his investment

The Cleveland Cavaliers were finally on the map soon after drafting LeBron. The current owner of the Cavs, Dan Gilbert bought the team by paying half of $375 million back in 2005, two years after James’ arrival.

James was able to take his team to the NBA Finals in 2007 without the help of any other star.

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But while Gilbert became the majority owner, popstar Usher too threw his hat in the ring for a 1% stake in the Cavs for about $9 million. And since then, Gilbert has seen the improvement of the Cavaliers in every aspect possible.

As the team’s condition improved, thanks to LeBron James, Usher’s investment too skyrocketed as each year passed. And it finally paid off when the Cavaliers won their first NBA championship in franchise history back in 2016.

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As per Forbes, Usher’s $9 million investment went on to grow exponentially as the Cavaliers’ net worth rose to $2.05 billion now. And it can be credited to LeBron James and his amazing performances in a Cavs jersey that helped him quadruple his money within years and not just the media deals that came along with it.

Will anyone follow in Usher’s footsteps?

Usher was a teen sensation back in the 2000s to early 2010. However, he did not want to be a performer all his life. This led him to make smart business decisions to increase his wealth.

Apart from some savvy business ventures, Usher’s franchise investment is still considered one hell of a move even by his financial advisers. 

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Usher made the smart move by investing in a great talent that could improve the team rather than investing in a team with a great history. The San Antonio Spurs can go the Cleveland way after drafting the French sensation, Victor Wembanyama.

Wembanyama is touted as the biggest draft prospect since LeBron James’ arrival in the league. But the question is, will any big name will invest in Wemby the way Usher invested in LeBron James?