LeBron James-approved Blaze Pizza to open 5 more restaurants in Greater Cincinnati

You'll soon get more opportunities to eat like The King.

Blaze Pizza penned a deal to open five more locations in Greater Cincinnati, the company announced in a press release.

Basketball star LeBron James is a well-known co-owner and investor in the "Fast-Fire'd Pizza" franchise. A 2022 "Mashed" article reports James' equity stake in the Pasadena-based company is roughly $40 million as of 2020, and he also owns 19 franchise locations.

Blaze Pizza offers customers make-your-own, oven-fired pizzas that are ready in minutes.

There are currently two locations in Greater Cincinnati − one in Mason and the other at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, commonly known as CVG.

The five new pizzerias will open in Blue Ash/Kenwood, West Chester/Liberty Township, Oakley/University of Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and the Miamisburg/Dayton area, owner Sanjay Patel told The Enquirer.

The 45-year-old entrepreneur, who already owns the location in Mason, plans to open one pizzeria each year for the next five years.

Patel purchased the Mason pizzeria from the previous owner in February and "completely renovated" it, he said. This played a large role in why he decided to become a franchise owner of the pizza company.

When he visited the restaurant with his family in 2015, he thought to himself, "Wow, can I ever dream [of] something like this? ... Will I ever have something like this?"

Nine years later, his dream came true.

"Something about Blaze is very special. There are four doughs and over 40 toppings to choose from," he said. "People who make [a] pizza here ... will never get this pizza anywhere else. Because every pizza is unique."

"(Blaze) gives you choice," Patel said. "And choice is something people really enjoy. They have freedom."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Blaze Pizza to open 5 more locations in Greater Cincinnati