LeBron James, John Legend Join $2 Million Financing Round for Matthew Berry’s Sports Media Startup

Fantasy sports and betting media company Fantasy Life nabbed $2 million in venture capital from several Hollywood stars and athletes, including LeBron James and John Legend.

In an interview with Axios, Fantasy Life founder and NBC Sports analyst Matthew Berry said the new funding would go toward expanding the company’s list of products, Fantasy Life’s staff count and paid marketing campaigns.

The list of investors from sports and entertainment included Legend, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, Los Angeles Charges running back Austin Ekeler, LeBron James’ investment firm LRMR and sports marketing businessman Maverick Carter.

YouTube cofounder Chad Hurley and Wasserman CEO Casey Wasserman also contributed to funding and will serve as on Fantasy Life’s board along with Carter and others.

This comes just a week after ESPN and Penn Entertainment launched their joint platform ESPN Bet, highlighting a rise in sports betting.

Just three years ago, Fantasy Life began Best Fantasy Football as a daily email newsletter. Today, per its site, Fantasy Life “provides rankings, waiver wire, start sit, traders, tools and more.” Today, the platform producers content for its media partners, including a weekday show that airs on Sirius Xm Fantasy Sports Radio. It also hosts a Fantasy Life Pick n’ Play game for Facebook.

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