The deal and the athlete
LeBron James has worn a Whoop for more than a decade and credits it with helping him stay ready as he enters season 24 at age 41, his first with the Philadelphia 76ers. Both James and Whoop say he will become a brand ambassador, and he is already an investor in Whoop Inc., which did not disclose his stake size or any partnership terms.
"I've spent my career doing everything possible to keep my body at peak performance," James said in a statement. "For the last 11 years, Whoop has been part of that." The company says he has maintained a 100% wear rate in 2026 and places within the top 10% for sleep efficiency among all members.
What Whoop is building with James
Founder and CEO Will Ahmed said the partnership includes a limited-edition Whoop band developed with James' input, similar to a previous collaboration with football star Cristiano Ronaldo. "For us to have the caliber of athlete like LeBron wearing our product was a big deal," Ahmed said. "It was validating."
Whoop's numbers and IPO posture
Whoop, headquartered in Boston, raised $575 million in March, which set its valuation at $10.1 billion. At that time, the company reported having more than 2.5 million members, being cash flow positive in 2025, and that subscriptions had doubled compared with a year earlier.
About a year ago, Ahmed said the company was considering an IPO but was not organizing the business around a specific listing timeline. "We want to have the option to go public when the business is ready, the market is right, and the timing makes sense," he said.
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The competitive field and the investor angle
Wearables that analyze health, recovery, and sleep are expanding fast. IDC estimates first quarter shipments grew about 4% to 145.7 million units. Competition is intense, and brands lean on star athletes to stand out: Alphabet's Google-owned Fitbit named Stephen Curry an ambassador last year and released a special edition band designed with him. Oura Inc. postponed an IPO earlier this year, citing market uncertainty.
The bottom line: Whoop is adding more celebrity firepower as it scales subscriptions and readies optionality on a listing. If wearables keep gaining share in consumer health, partnerships like James' show how subscription hardware players are vying for attention that could translate into growth.
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