Serena Williams 'can't wait' for her daughters' reaction to $1.2B-worth LeBron James' special Barbie doll

Serena Williams recently received LeBron James’ special Barbie doll. As the tennis star unboxed the gift, she revealed that her daughters were big fans of the toy and that she couldn't wait for them to try out this one.

In April 2025, it was announced that James, valued at $1.2 billion by Forbes, would become the first professional athlete to have a Ken doll released in his likeness. The doll is an inch taller than the standard Ken doll and features multiple outfits and accessories, including the basketball star's signature ‘I Promise’ band.

On Saturday (May 3), Serena Williams shared a video of herself unboxing LeBron James' Ken doll in an Instagram story. The 23-time Grand Slam champion showed her excitement about the doll and revealed that she was looking forward to seeing her daughters, Olympia and Adira’s, reaction to the toy.

“So when I first read about this, I was like ‘how dope is that’. Look at this, LeBron James Barbie, isn't this crazy, like the first Ken Doll. And you know, my girls love Barbie so I'm so excited for you. I love this, I can't wait for the girls to play with it. That's so cool," she said.

Serena Williams' IG story (via @serenawilliams on Instagram)

When Lebron James heaped praise on Serena Williams

James and Williams at the Gucci Cocktail Party For Ffawn (Image Source: Getty)

Serena Williams and LeBron James are both widely considered to be the two greatest athletes their sports have ever seen. In her two-decade-long tennis career, Williams won a combined 39 Grand Slam titles and spent 319 weeks ranked world No.1. On the other hand, LeBron is a four-time NBA champion, three-time Olympic champion, and the NBA's all-time leading scorer.

In 2022, after Williams hung up her racket, James reflected on the tennis star's impact. In an appearance on ‘The Shop’ podcast, the Lakers' power forward heaped praise on Williams for ‘breaking barriers’, saying (at 34:26):

“I mean, just from a dominance standpoint, from a Black girl of power standpoint, with the influence that she has and community for little Black girls, for Black boys as well, just trying to be anything in life, she broke so many barriers. Especially in a sport, for our color, that wasn't looked at. Like, you know, you sprinkle in a little bit here, a little bit of there in tennis, but it wasn't looked at like that.”

Since retiring from tennis, Serena Williams has explored new strengths. The American is a mother to two daughters and the CEO of venture capital firm Serena Ventures and makeup brand Wyn Beauty.