LeBron James joined a growing list of athletes teaming up with prediction market services Saturday, announcing a forthcoming partnership with Polymarket via social media.
The Philadelphia 76ers star and future Hall of Famer’s partnership follows in the footsteps of stars such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bryson DeChambeau and Lionel Messi, all of whom revealed deals with Kalshi, a Polymarket competitor, earlier this year.
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James posted a 14-second video to his X account showing him stepping off of an elevator after pressing the floor for “sports.” Other floors shown inside the elevator included politics, crypto, economy, culture, weather, esports and technology. The post’s caption reads: “Welcome to Polymarket HQ. Coming soon.”
Welcome to Polymarket HQ. Coming soon. 👀
In partnership with @Polymarket pic.twitter.com/bNe5s1IkdO
— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 5, 2026
Polymarket bills itself as the world’s largest prediction market. The platform allows people to trade on the outcomes of future events — including whether or not LeBron will play with his son, Bronny, during the 2026-27 season.
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It’s unclear what role James is taking on in the partnership. In a response to James’ post on X, Polymarket’s account wrote, “Thanks for stopping by our HQ,” followed by a goat emoji. A Polymarket spokesman sent a message to The Athletic on Saturday promoting the “exclusive partnership” and promising more information to come Tuesday.
“With football season around the corner, we look forward to tapping into James’ love for the sport and exploring other ways to bring Polymarket to wider audiences,” the message read.
The trend of star athletes partnering with prediction market services in various capacities doesn’t appear to be slowing down.
Tennis star Maria Sharapova has promoted for Polymarket via social media, posting a video of herself trading on the app during a live tennis match. DeChambeau reached a deal with Kalshi in mid-January as its first athlete endorser, according to Front Office Sports. In February, Antetokounmpo became the first NBA player to directly invest in Kalshi when he announced his deal. And in June, Messi and the Argentina national soccer team also announced a partnership with Kalshi.
James, a four-time NBA champion and four-time league MVP, would become the first NBA athlete to sign an individual partnership with Polymarket.
Joe Vardon contributed to this report.