LeBron James wears leaked special edition Liverpool kit on arrival for Los Angeles Lakers match

LeBron James has all but confirmed an upcoming clothing range with Liverpool after being photographed arriving at a Los Angeles Lakers game wearing a special edition kit.

The shirt matches images leaked from a Liverpool fan Twitter account earlier this month.

James arrived at the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday wearing a special-edition kit, which is expected to be released in the LeBron and Liverpool collection.

Lebron James wore a special edition Liverpool kit ahead of the highly anticipated launch of a clothing range

The shirt matched an image leaked earlier this month of Lebron James’ collaboration with Liverpool.

The shirt features their logo in the center and is black with red stripes.

The Liverpool and Nike logos are also featured, while the lettering YNWA (You’ll Never Walk Alone) is included as part of the design.

James also wore Nike Air Max 1 sneaker on Wednesday, which features his badge on the heel, as well as the Liverpool logo.

The 38-year-old star shared images on social media following the LA Lakers’ 113-104 win over the San Antonio Spurs, showing his support for Liverpool.

The four-time NBA champion reposted images of the Liverpool-inspired merchandise.

An upcoming release of the Nike LeBron 20 Liverpool trainers has also been teased, featuring Liverpool’s red colors central to the design of the latest collaboration.

The launch of a clothing range between James and Liverpool would build on the existing relationship, as footwear has been produced since the basketball legend took a minority stake in the Premier League club in 2011.

The four-time NBA champion, he first bought a two per cent stake in Liverpool in 2011 for £4.7m with business partner Maverick Carter, the same year FSG bought Liverpool for £300m.

The Premier League team’s value has skyrocketed to what Forbes estimates at £3.6bn.

James, pictured wearing a Liverpool kit in 2020, first bought a stake in the team in 2011

James, pictured at Anfield in 2011, when he first bought a stake in the Premier League side.

This followed Liverpool’s Champions League triumph in 2019 and Premier League title victory in 2020, as well as the renovation and expansion of the club’s historic Anfield stadium and a profitable television deal.

James converted his stake in Liverpool into a one per cent stake in the global FSG empire in March 2021.

In addition to Liverpool and the Red Sox, FSG also owns the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team, 80 percent of New England Sports Network and half of Roush Fenway Racing. Forbes last year estimated James’ FSG stake at £74m.

The LA Lakers star has previously collaborated with Liverpool and Nike on a range of footwear.

James and Liverpool have long-term deals with Nike, and the star has a lifetime deal.

Both James and Liverool have longstanding deals with Nike.

The basketball great first signed a contract with the sportswear giant in 2003 at age 18, before signing a lifetime contract in 2015, which is claimed to be worth “tens of millions” a year.

In June 2022, Forbes named James the first active NBA player to become a billionaire.

Liverpool chairman Tom Werner had told the Boston Globe in 2021 that a product line featuring James had been planned, with seven or eight products produced by Nike.

The collaboration was compared to Michael Jordan’s landmark deal with Nike, which began with the release of Air Jordans in 1985 and has become a highly successful brand.

The FSG announced last November that they were considering new stakeholders at Liverpool.