The billionaire superstar is entering what could be his final NBA season. Here’s how he makes and spends his money.
- LeBron James is four time champion four time MVP, 19 time All-Star and highest paid NBA player of all time.
- He signed a two year $97 million contract with Lakers that will pay him $50 million in 2024 25.
- King James has amassed amazing cars and houses en route to becoming a billion-dollar athlete and he still has time for his surprisingly ordinary family.
LeBron James is one of the most accomplished athletes in the history of sports.
LeBron James has achieved incredible success in basketball winning four NBA championships earning the title of league MVP four times and being selected for the All Star game whopping 19 time. His accomplishment include breaking numerous NBA records such as surpassing Kareem Abdul Jabbar to become the league all time leading scorer during the 2023 season.
Following the Los Angeles Lakers defeat in the 2023 Western Conference Final LeBron James hinted at retirement for the first time despite his previous desire to play alongside his sons professionally. Ultimately he decided to continue playing for the Lakers in the 2023-2024 season but there is speculation that this could be his last hurrah in the NBA.
LeBron James often calling himself just kid from Akron has secured his future after reaching his dream of becoming billionaire athlete. Along the way he acquired impressive cars and homes enjoyed wonderful vacations and dressed impeccably all while keeping somewhat ordinary family life.
Take a look at the fabulous and, at times, surprisingly normal life of LeBron James:
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James is one of the wealthiest athletes of all time.
During his 21 year NBA career LeBron James has earned staggering $479.5 million according to Spotrac. Additionally, he inked two year contract extension with the Lakers worth $97 million receiving $47.6 million for the 2023 2024 season and $51.4 million the next year.
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The extension has made James the highest-earning player of all time.
His current extension end LeBron James will have earned more money from NBA salaries than any other player in history. His recent $97.1 million contract extension will bring his total guaranteed earning over his career to an impressive $532 million as reported by ESPN.
In addition to his NBA salary, James makes many millions of dollars a year in endorsements off the court.
In 2022, LeBron James earned messive $126.9 million making him the elevated earning athlete of the year. From his time with the Lakers he pocketed $36.9 million while his sponsorship and other venture brought in an additional $90 million. The next year in 2023 James ranked fourth among the highest paid athletes at the back of Cristiano Ronaldo Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe. Despite this he still managed to pull in impressive $119.5 million.
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His endorsements include AT&T, Walmart, Intel, Kia, and more.
Over the years, LeBron has appeared in numerous commercials for these brands, showcasing his superstar status.
He has a longtime sponsorship with Beats by Dre and even gifted headphones from the brand to players on his favorite college football team.
Once, LeBron proud Ohio native and avid fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes generously gifted the entire football team brand new $350 Beats headphones. Prior to the 2023 2024 NBA season the brand extended endorsement deals to the rest of LeBron’s family including his wife Savannah his basketball playing sons Bronny and Bryce and his 9 year old daughter Zhuri as reported by Adweek.
James also has a massive deal with Nike that’s only grown over his career.
After LeBron graduated from high school and entered the pros Nike wasted no time signing him to seven year $93 million contract. The partnership proved hugely successful leading to lifetime deal in December 2015. LeBron’s ongoing agreement with Nike extends far beyond the typical shoe endorsement. Maverick Carte LeBron’s longtime business partner hinted to GQ Style that the deal surpasses $1 billion.
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Nike has even built a building for the superstar.
LeBron’s logo is everywhere in Nike’s Beaverton Oregon campus. They call one building the LeBron James Innovation Center where they work on making sports better through research and engineering.
Thanks in large part to his Nike deal, James is officially a billionaire.
LeBron’s logo adorn just about every corner of the Nike campus in Beaverton Oregon. Known as the LeBron James Innovation Center this building is dedicated to enhancing the athlete experience through research engineering and other endeavor.
Forbes reported that LeBron reached the billion dollar milestone in 2022 with his net worth hitting the $1 billion mark. They also estimated that he earned over $900 million from endorsements and various business journey.
James is active on Instagram, which is another source of income for The King.
The Hustle figures LeBron earns around $428,000 for each sponsored Instagram post. With whopping 158 million followers its no wonder brands are eager to get their message in front of so many eyes.
James used to have an endorsement deal with McDonald’s.
He gave up $15 million when he chose not to renew the deal with the Golden Arches in 2017, according to Forbes.
Instead, he became a spokesman for Blaze Pizza, a company where he was a founding investor.
LeBron know how to handle his money wisely. Instead of going for quick cash he often chooses long term investment. Thats why he decided to invest in Blaze Pizza instead of sticking with McDonald’s. He got in on Blaze Pizza early and when his deal with McDonald’s ended he decided to promote Blaze Pizza instead. It turned out to be smart move. He made back his initial investment 25 times over.
Blaze Pizza similar to Chipotle or Subway focuse on letting customers create their own pizza. You can pick from seven types of cheese eight protein options 20 different veggies and three types of sauce. Thats according to Jim Mizes the president and chief operating officer as reported by Insider.
He made a similar move in 2021 when he left longtime sponsor Coca Cola or Sprite for a deal with rival PepsiCo and its Mountain Dew brand.
Back in 2003 when LeBron was just starting out the NBA he teamed up with Coca Cola. He was the face of brand like Sprite and Powerade and even had his own soda called Sprite 6 Mix by LeBron James.
But in 2021 after Coca Cola long partnership with the NBA ended LeBron switched gears and signed with Pepsi. Now he is representing Mountain Dew for the brand.
James has made a number of shrewd investments including in various sports franchises.
LeBron invested $6.5 million in buying a 2% share of Liverpool FC prestigious English Premier League team. Since then the value of his stake has skyrocketed.
In 2021, he took it step further by investing in Fenway Sports Group the parent company of Liverpool FC. This move made him part owner of the Boston Red Sox as well. Interestingly before this deal LeBron was vocal supporter of the New York Yankees the Red Sox’s well known rivals.
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He has employed his wealth and business savvy for causes bigger than just himself and his loved ones.
Back in 2018, LeBron did something incredible. He opened the I Promise School public elementary school in his hometown of Akron Ohio. This school is special because its fully funded and focuses on helping kids who are at risk. It even goes beyond academics by offering job placement help for parents food bank program to help kids deal with family stress free bikes for every student and lots of fun activities to keep them busy.
LeBron isn’t just about basketball he is also making big difference off the court. He started the LeBron James Family Foundation which promised $41 million to help over 1,000 students attend the University of Akron. Plus, LeBron is passionate about voting. He is big supporter of More Than Vote campaign that encourages people to vote. They even have cool merchandise. LeBron showed his support by wearing their gear before layoff game in 2020 as seen on Instagram
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