LeBron James is poised to make history as the first NBA player to enter into a personal partnership with Polymarket, further enriching the roster of athletes engaging with prediction market platforms.
The four-time NBA champion and MVP shared the news of this collaboration on Saturday morning, just over a month ahead of the 2026-27 NBA season.
James, who plays for the Philadelphia 76ers and is anticipated to be a Hall of Famer, unveiled the partnership through a brief 14-second video on his X account. In the clip, he is seen exiting an elevator that features a floor labeled “sports,” while other floors included politics, cryptocurrency, economy, culture, weather, esports, and technology.
“Welcome to Polymarket HQ. Coming soon,” he captioned the video, adding, “In partnership with Polymarket.”
In response, Polymarket's account commented, “Thanks for swinging by our HQ,” accompanied by a goat emoji.
A spokesperson for Polymarket reached out to The Athletic on Saturday, describing the collaboration as an “exclusive partnership” and indicating that more details would be revealed on Tuesday.
“With football season approaching, we are excited to leverage James’ passion for the sport and explore additional avenues to introduce Polymarket to broader audiences,” the spokesperson stated.
Polymarket positions itself as the largest prediction market globally, allowing users to speculate on the outcomes of upcoming events. One of the markets available on the platform revolves around the possibility of James playing alongside his son, Bronny, in the 2026-27 season.
This agreement with James comes amid a trend where prediction market operators are increasingly forming partnerships with athletes. For instance, golfer Bryson DeChambeau became the first athlete endorser for Kalshi in mid-January, while Giannis Antetokounmpo announced his own Kalshi deal in February, marking him as the first NBA player to invest directly in the company. Additionally, Lionel Messi and the Argentina national soccer team entered into a partnership with Kalshi in June.
Polymarket has also collaborated with tennis icon Maria Sharapova, who showcased the platform on social media by sharing a video of herself using the app during a live tennis match.