LeBron James and Blaze Pizza

Where LeBron Comes In

So, where exactly did Lebron James factor into Blaze Pizza’s success? Quite frankly, he deserves a sizable portion of the credit. Not only did Lebron have the foresight to get in early with a $1 million initial investment, but also giving the company instant credibility. According to former CEO Jim Mizes,

“LeBron helps us punch in terms of our brand awareness well above our weight.”

-Former Blaze Pizza CEO Jim Mizes

A Forbes article by Kurt Badenhausen highlights the partnership of Lebron James and Blaze Pizza. He pointed out that James was an initial investor in 2012. And, while playing for the Heat in 2013, he desired to become a franchisee himself. James and business manager, Maverick Carter, were connected with James with Larry Levy and the rest was history.

Fast forward to 2015, James and Carter made another bold decision. They decided to forgo a $15 million deal with McDonalds to go all-in on his Blaze investment. Then in 2016, LeBron and Blaze launched ads that went viral. Now, Blaze Pizza was officially on the map and became the fastest-growing restaurant chain ever.