*By Max Godnick*
LeBron James is ready to add another title to his already gilded resume: Hollywood mogul.
The three-time NBA champion and four-time MVP redrew the professional basketball landscape when he announced he will join the Los Angeles Lakers. The move allows him to work and live closer to his already impressive entertainment empire. His production company, SpringHill Entertainment, is based on the Warner Bros. lot, just a few miles up the 101 Freeway from his new primary office, the STAPLES Center.
"The ease of him being in the heart of Hollywood is really setting up the next stage of what his professional career is going to be," said Sean O'Connell, the managing editor at Cinemablend, in an interview with Cheddar on Tuesday.
James's slate of upcoming projects includes a remake of the 1990 comedy "House Party," multiple series and documentaries in the works at Netflix and HBO, and the long-rumored sequel to the Michael Jordan-Bugs Bunny collaboration, "Space Jam." He'll be physically much closer to their development, production, and marketing processes in Los Angeles than he was in Cleveland or Miami.
The basketball star is still months away from suiting up as a Laker for the first time, but he's already drawing comparisons to some of the entertainment industry's biggest names.
"I think he's primarily going to become a dominant producing force and maybe becomes like an Oprah-type person who launches his own channel, and it's loaded with content that speaks to his interests," said O'Connell.
The current Hollywood landscape puts a premium on A-list talent with worldwide fan bases. The past few months have seen Winfrey ink a multi-year content partnership with Apple, while Barack and Michelle Obama signed a deal with Netflix.
ESPN recently ranked James second on its [annual list](http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/page/WorldFame/espn-world-fame-100-2018#) of the most famous names in sports - only trailing international soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo. While he clearly doesn't need any help expanding the scope of his fame or influence, James's new home could allow his ambitions and portfolio to reach even higher heights.
"LeBron is a household name and a household face before he even steps into the entertainment realm," said O'Connell. "He can become a true media mogul and make this transition."
For the full segment, [click here.](https://cheddar.com/videos/lebron-james-brings-his-entertainment-empire-to-hollywood)
Austin Dillon, who won the Daytona 500 race over the weekend, says this win will add to his grandfather's legacy.
This Sunday the Daytona 500 Race went into an exciting overtime when 27-year-old Austin Dillon finally pulled into first place during the final lap. The Daytona 500 winner joins Cheddar to explain the emotions that came with the big win.
We're a week into the Olympics and by now most viewers have noticed that Ralph Lauren, Nike and Under Armour are the official sponsors of Team USA gear. Joining The Long and The Short to discuss the benefits of outfitting Team USA is Nick Martell and Jack Kramer, Co-Founders & Co-CEOs of MarketSnacks.
Dwyane Wade made headlines for his recent trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers back to the Miami Heat, but the NBA star is also busy with a film that hits close to home. Alyssa Julya Smith caught up with the basketball player at a screening of his new film "Shot in the Dark," which he acted as executive producer alongside fellow Chicago-born star Chance the Rapper.
Billionaire Tom Steyer is putting his personal fortune behind an effort to get President Trump out of office. Special counsel Robert Mueller has indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities for allegedly meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Coinbase users took to social media and Reddit to complain about glitches on the platform. Coinbase says the root of the problem is credit card processing managed by Visa. But, Visa says they didn't cause the problem.
The NBA star says, "Anytime I can give any word of advice, anytime I can be a role model to anybody, I try to be there because I know who I was, and I know what it took and how many people it took to help me get to the point of success."
Your Future Home: Housing trends and tips with Quicken Loans. On Between Bells: "Black Panther" finally hits theaters. plus, a night of near misses for Team USA at the Winter Olympics. We're joined by FHM, Citi, LiveScience, and more.
At this year's Winter Olympics, young stars are making big statements across a number of events. Mikaela Shiffrin, 22, took home gold in the giant slalom last night - setting up a big showdown between Shiffrin and skiing legend Lindsey Vonn in the downhill race later this week.
NBA All-Star Weekend is here. The League's best will go head to head in a number of contests, but with injuries plaguing many of the NBA's top players, will people still tune in?
Angela Ruggiero, Olympic gold medalist and CEO and co-founder of Sports Innovation Lab, joins Cheddar live from PyeongChang, South Korea to share her thoughts on the first week of the Olympics. She also discusses the technology she's been seeing at the games.
