Image Source: Sports Illustrated
How did Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James become a billionaire?
LeBron James, the basketball legend with four NBA championships, three Olympic medals and 18 NBA All-Star appearances under his belt, is often regarded as one of the best players of all time. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar who has played in the NBA for twenty seasons has cemented himself in the folklore of the competition already and aims to do so even further.
While his basketball ability is hardly up for debate anymore, many people ask whether LeBron James is a billionaire or not. James has collected lots of money during his very lucrative stay in the NBA for almost twenty seasons, and couple with his endorsements and his entrepreneurship campaigns – has acquired plenty of wealth. However, people do ask if he is a billionaire, and if yes – how?
It turns out that yes, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar is indeed a billionaire. Forbes Magazine reported in June last year that following an incredibly lucrative year — raking in just over $121 million – James has officially become a billionaire. The breakthrough makes the 38-year-old player’s nickname all the more fitting considering he is the only active basketball billionaire.
James’ basketball career has brought in more than $385 million since he was drafted into the NBA by the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the lion’s share of his wealth comes from his business ventures and endorsements, including with Nike, Walmart, Beats by Dre and the Blaze Pizza chain. However, it turns out that LeBron James isn’t the only basketball billionaire in history.
It is not surprising that the only other basketball billionaire in NBA history other than James is basketball legend Michael Jordan.
Jordan, often referred to as the greatest player to ever take the court, is the richest athlete of all time, according to an earlier Forbes article. But even he didn’t break a billion until after he had retired from the NBA.
Jordan currently sits at a net worth of $1.7 billion – down from $2.1 billion in 2020 — attributed to endorsements with Nike, Gatorade and Haines as well as his investment in the Charlotte Hornets basketball team.
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