Years before they built the SpringHill Company — an entertainment and development brand recently valued at $725 million — Maverick Carter and LeBron James were just two kids from Akron, Ohio who loved playing basketball. Over the past two decades, their friendship and ambitions have grown stronger as they have defied assumptions of what athlete-driven business ventures can be. In this episode of The Limits, Carter — CEO of SpringHill — sat down with Jay Williams to share how he and James succeeded on their own terms, why LeBron's mother initially doubted their vision, and what Carter really thought about LeBron's decision to return to Cleveland. For sponsor-free episodes, weekly bonus content, and more, subscribe to The Limits Plus at plus.npr.org/thelimits. Follow Jay on Instagram and Twitter. Email us at thelimits@npr.org.