Report: LeBron's sub-$1M stake in pizza chain now worth $35M-$40M

LeBron James' investment in Blaze Pizza appears to have been a wise one.

After putting less than $1 million into the pizza chain in 2012, the four-time MVP's stake in the restaurant is now worth between $35 million and $40 million, sources told ESPN's Darren Rovell.

The 32-year-old owns roughly 10 percent of Blaze Pizza, which hopes to hit $1 billion in sales by 2022.

"LeBron and I have always been about finding companies that we truly believe in and putting real money into them," James' business partner Maverick Carter told Rovell. "We're not talking putting in $15,000 or $20,000. It's real money plus the expertise, understanding, and knowledge that we bring, as well as bringing LeBron's name and likeness to the product."

Related: LeBron-backed pizza chain becomes fastest-growing restaurant in U.S. history

By opening its 200th restaurant earlier this month, Blaze Pizza became the fastest-growing chain in American history - going from two to 200 franchises in roughly four years' time.