LA Lakers star LeBron James has bought a brand new watch, and has been seen flexing the £100,000 time piece on Instagram.
James is one of the richest athletes of all-time, so it comes as no surprise that he boats an impressive portfolio of properties, cars and accessories. But there is a new addition to the collection, as he's acquired an legendary Audemars Piguet 41mm Perpetual Calendar Royal Oak in a brand new, blueberry-blue ceramic case and bracelet.
The watch retails for £100,000, and James has been seen modelling the shiny piece on his Instagram story. And due to it's vibrant blue colour, James has nicknamed it 'Papa Smurf'.
James' story was even more flashy as usual, as his new watch glistened in the light. The 37-year-old was clearly happy with his newest accessory, that came from the legendary Audemars Piguet.
The applied indices and facetted hands on the watch are 18-carat white gold and filled with luminescent material, with a 22-carat gold open-worked oscillating weight. And the luxury time piece is sealed inside a blue ceramic 41mm case diameter, with an impressively thin 9.5mm thickness and 20m of water resistance.
James is a known watch collector, and has a different piece for every type of outfit and occasion. GQ magazine reported that James has watches from the likes of Richard Mille, Patek Philippe and Rolex, with that list only scratching the surface.
In June 2022, Forbes stated that James was officially a billionaire, making his the first active NBA player to make the list. After earning a reported £111.5million in the last 12 months before taxes and agents’ fees, Forbes added him to an elite list.
The four-time NBA Champion is now heading into his 20th season in the league, and is chasing two all-time NBA records in the upcoming year. The 37-year-old is on the verge of breaking the all-time scoring record as well as passing Magic Johnson on the assists list.
But James insists he isn't thinking about records, explaining: "The only time I've thought about it is when someone's posted something on my social media and I've been scrolling through my feed and I see it. And every single time I'm kind of in awe of it, like 'Wow.'
"I've never played my career thinking about records, just making sure I'm in the best shape possible going into the season and being available. But to sit here knowing I'm on the verge of breaking the most sought-after record in the NBA, is super humbling for myself and super cool.
"To be able to be in the same breath as (Abdul Jabbar) who wore this same uniform and was a staple of this franchise, it's super-duper dope to be in that conversation.
"I'm not going to put too much pressure on (the record) throughout the season. But it's a historical moment when it gets there, and as long as my family and friends are there to see it, that's the most important thing."
