Basketball superstar LeBron James is in contract to buy a mansion in Beverly Hills from the estate of a fabled soap opera creator, sources close to the transaction told The Real Deal.
The home at 9955 Beverly Grove Dr., belonging to the estate of “The Bold and the Beautiful” co-creator Lee Phillip Bell, was being marketed at $39 million. It’s unclear what James is paying for the 13,000-square-foot property, which sits on a 2.5-acre plot and boasts seven fireplaces, a pool house with two baths, lighted tennis court, and screening room.
Bell, who also co-created “The Young and Restless,” spent decades as a popular daytime talk show host on WBBM radio in Chicago. Her estate officially put the home on the market April 30 with Jeff Hyland and Rick Hilton of Hilton & Hyland. Messages left with Hyland on Friday were not immediately returned.
This is the third L.A. County mansion purchase for James, who signed as a free agent with the L.A. Lakers in the summer of 2018. Before signing with the Lakers from the Cleveland Cavaliers, James bought two homes in Brentwood for $23 million and $21 million each.
James is a three-time NBA Champion, four-time Most Valuable Player, and widely considered the best basketball player since Michael Jordan. He’s continued to play at an MVP level in his 17th NBA season, and the Lakers are a title contender when the season resumes next month in a quarantined Orlando enclave.
James’s four-year, $154 million contract with the Lakers expires in 2022. A source said that James was looking to further establish his Los Angeles foothold, and had also been looking at Beverly Hills land owned by the estate of Paul Allen. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos signed a contract to buy that parcel for $90 million in February, only to later back out of the deal.
It’s unclear who is representing James on the purchase. Santiago Arana of The Agency has worked with James on past deals, and a message left with Arana Friday was not immediately returned.
The post Another palace for the king: LeBron James buys Beverly Hills mansion: sources appeared first on The Real Deal Los Angeles.
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