The Stern Warning LeBron James Gave His Financial Advisor To Prevent Them From Stealing His Money

NBA superstar LeBron James got candid on his wife's podcast about the stern warning he gave to people close to him, including his financial advisor and accountant.

LeBron James' revelation comes a few days after ex-Miami Dolphins player Reshad Jones was awarded millions in a settlement after falling victim to a money laundering scheme orchestrated by his ex-financial advisor, Isaiah Williams.

While speaking with streamer Kai Cenat on his wife, Savannah James' podcast, "Everybody's Crazy," the Los Angeles Lakers star got real about the intense conversation he had with people close to him early in his career.

"It's hard for me sometimes to take risks," he said, explaining that he tries to find the balance between his "more risky friends" and "friends [who] are less risky."

James then said there's one area in his life where he's quite firm: business.

"But for me, like, when I’m talking to my business partners and sh-t like that, financial advisors, you know, accountants, all that type of sh-t," he said. "My financial advisor, the first thing I told him when he wanted to manage my money was, 'If you steal my money, bro, or if I’m broke, bro, I’m letting you know, bro, it ain’t going to be good for you,'" the NBA champion said.

James continued, "I swear to God, I'm really like that, because I can't start over."

The 40-year-old NBA legend added, "There’s no way. None of us sitting here can start over. I’m not Monopoly-ing this. I’m not starting back at, ‘Pass go and you collect $200 to start back at go,’ No, too far gone at this point."

According to SportRac, the Akron, Ohio, native has made over $528 million throughout his career, during which he has played for teams such as the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and, of course, the Lakers.

During his time on Speedy Mormon's "360" show with Complex, James got even more candid about money and revealed his reported net worth ($1.3 billion) is "way less" than that figure.

"It's way less," he said. "It's a couple, like, thousand in my bank," he joked.

James' recent statements went viral on social media, including Reddit, where several users reacted to the father of three's intense warning to his business partners.

"I get it," someone wrote before questioning whether the NBA star truly believed he'd face financial troubles in his adult life. "No way will LeBron ever have to start over. Even if he loses everything, he can go buy a LeBron game used jersey, then sign it and sell it for 50x."

Another user offered a different perspective, saying, "I think people are forgetting this was probably when LeBron first entered the league and didn't know he'd be worth so much. I mean, he retained his relative cheapness, but I think he knows by now that spending a couple grand on an outing isn't gonna make him go broke."

James has been open in the past about his spending habits, revealing that he doesn't like to overconsume. His frugality has also been the topic of conversation amongst other NBA stars, like Dwayne Wade, who joked in 2017 about the "Space Jam" actor being the "cheapest" guy in the league.

James, however, seemed unfazed by the title, admitting he limits his data roaming on his phone and previously used the free version of music streaming apps like Pandora.

"I'm not buying no apps," he said. "I'm not paying for it. I'm not paying."

It's probably for the best that James issued such a stern warning to his past business partners, considering former Miami Dolphins player Reshad Jones was the victim of a money laundering scheme that left him scammed out of more than $2.5 million.

According to CBS News, Isaiah Williams, a former financial advisor at Merrill Lynch, reportedly abused his access to Jones' personal bank account and stole millions from the NFL player for monetary gain.

Law enforcement officers said Williams stole more than $1.5 million across 130+ wire transfers from Jones' account between 2022 and 2024. Reports reveal Williams used the funds to pay for flights, hotels, strip club tabs, car rentals, jewelry, and more.

And the disheartening news doesn't end there. Between October 2019 and September 2021, Jones lost another $1.03 million after police say a woman named Octavia Graham laundered money from Jones' account to Williams using handwritten checks and over 80 Zelle transfers.

"This is yet another troubling example of a professional athlete being exploited by a wealth management firm he trusted," Jones' attorneys said in a previous statement. "In this case, the wrongdoer was a Vice President at one of the world's largest financial institutions -- Bank of America's investment management division, Merrill Lynch. We have filed a lawsuit to hold Merrill Lynch accountable and are working to recover all damages our client has suffered."