Although going Hollywood has been a popular move in the sports world for many decades, James has taken it to another level, as he has ambitiously (yet carefully) looked to build his own entertainment empire, developing multiple TV projects. The Akron, Ohio-based SpringHill gained an important foothold in Los Angeles last year when it partnered with Warner Bros.

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It's a relatively rare step. When you think of athletes in show business, you generally think of the long and varied history of sports figures eager to take their talents to the big screen: from Jim Brown in the Western "Rio Conchos" (1964) to Michael Jordan talking to cartoons in "Space Jam" (1996) to Terry Bradshaw as Matthew McConaughey's dad in "Failure to Launch" (2006).

And sure, James brought the laughs when he co-starred as himself in Judd Apatow comedy "Trainwreck" last summer opposite Amy Schumer and Bill Hader — same with his guest spot on "Entourage" in 2009. But now, like Magic Johnson starting a TV network or the retired Kobe Bryant launching a production company, the 31-year-old James is focused on building a brand in a behind-the-scenes capacity, thinking ahead to when his basketball days wind down and he wants to diversify beyond the sports arena.

"LeBron is kind of an engima because he's really passionate about entertainment, and I think regardless of whether there's huge ROI, he wants to do a good project," said Circe Wallace, an executive at the marketing and management company Wasserman who has worked with James's company. "He's not just your normal NBA all-star — he's actually a dynamic personality who understands youth and wants to have a big influence outside of just his athletic endeavors."

That includes giving back to Northeast Ohio, as James has frequently done. On "Cleveland Hustles," according to CNBC press materials, James and Carter "will give four up-and-coming local entrepreneurs the chance to realize their own dreams while also helping to revitalize a neighborhood in Cleveland." The entrepreneurs will receive money, a storefront and guidance from a group of business experts.

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Some of James's other projects so far include the Starz basketball comedy "Survivor's Remorse," loosely based on his own life. (Fortuitously, Season 3 premieres in July.) Recently, he sold docu-series "Becoming," a kid-targeted show that profiles various athletes, to Disney XD. IMDB lists several more untitled projects in the works, including that much-rumored role in "Space Jam 2." SpringHill is also behind "The Wall," a new trivia game show on NBC hosted by Chris Hardwick.

"Get ready for the game show from LeBron James where regular people achieve their dreams!" NBC exclaims on its website, clearly hoping that name­dropping King James will get viewers excited.

And while some big names get an executive producer credit and do nothing, James also stands apart from others because he's heavily involved, Wallace said.

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"I think LeBron's a unique creature in that he has good ideas, and when he puts his name on something, he puts energy into it," Wallace said. "He's shown himself as a dedicated participant . . . as opposed to just slapping his name on something."

*The author of this story may be from Cleveland.

(This post has been updated.)