LeBron James Has Found His Next Business Move After Leaving The Lakers For Philadelphia

LeBron James is turning his taste for birria into a business deal. The 6-foot-9 forward, who left the Los Angeles Lakers for the Philadelphia 76ers this summer, has signed on as an investor in Mike's Red Tacos, a Southern California chain built around slow-braised birria and a loyal following that started with a single food truck. The move adds another name to a restaurant business venture that already includes Blaze Pizza and Dave's Hot Chicken. James isn't just lending his face to a logo here. He's stepping into a brand that's already gearing up for national growth.

LeBron James' New Business Venture Is Tied To His Love Of Tacos

LeBron James announced the investment through a press release sent to E! News on September 16, joining founder Mike Touma along with CEO Andrew Feghali and Chairman Bill Phelps, the same leadership pair who helped turn Dave's Hot Chicken into one of the country's fastest-growing chains. James is already familiar with that group through his own stake in Dave's, so the jump into tacos wasn't exactly a leap into the unknown.

What pulled him into the business, by his own account, comes down to why tacos matter to him in the first place. "I see a group that is building something authentic with a long-term vision," James said, explaining his decision to back the brand rather than simply endorse it.

Feghali shared, "We're interested in founders building something enduring," he said, crediting Touma's approach for the chain's growth from a single truck to hundreds of franchise commitments. 

Touma himself traced it back to basics: "What we've built has always started with the food," he said, describing how customers lined up long before there was a name to put on a storefront. The chain is set to open its first Los Angeles County location in Pasadena this October, putting Mike's Red Tacos right back in James' old backyard.

LeBron James Shares Enthusiastic Taco Tuesday Video On Instagram

James shared the news on Instagram. The clip opens with him slumped over, claiming he wasn't having a good day, before he snaps back to life, grinning, as trays of birria come into view. The whole bit builds to a shout that anyone who follows him already knows is coming: it's Taco Tuesday. “Hey y'all, I'm just chillin' here, relaxing, and I'm not really having a good day. Sike, you know what today is! It's Taco Tuesday!" James said in the video. 

His caption kept the same energy, thanking Mike's Red Tacos team and calling himself proud to be part of it. It's a fitting way to introduce a deal rooted in something he's been doing for free on social media for years.