Another remarkable achievement for Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, as has joined the billionaires’ club, after Sportico his on and off-court income.
LeBron James
James is the first NBA player to pass the one billion dollar earnings mark while still being an active player on the court.
The Lakers superstar earned $700 million off the court on top of his $330 million NBA salary. He also recently added the success of Space Jam: A New Legacy, which snagged the weekend’s top spot in movies, to his income.
His current endorsement deals, which include partnerships with AT&T, Beats Electronics, Blaze Pizza, GMC, Nike, PepsiCo, Rimowa, and Walmart garner over $100 million every year, he has his own shoe line and was named by Forbes as the fifth-highest paid athlete in 2020.
Earlier this year, James grew his ever-expanding business empire by becoming a partner in Fenway Sports Group, a conglomerate that owns the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool Football Club, Roush Fenway Racing, and New England regional sports network NESN, among other sports-related properties and subsidiaries.
LeBron has become the first NBA player with $1 Billion in career earnings ??
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) July 22, 2021
(via @Sportico) pic.twitter.com/pmUQPi2hdi
Michael Jordan came close to reaching the same $1 billion benchmark during his career but did so after retiring from the game.
With the distinction, James joins the heavy tier of athletes who have made $1 billion while active, including Tiger Woods, Floyd Mayweather, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Roger Federer.
The Los Angeles Lakers star is also the first active player in a U.S. team sport to hit the monetary milestone.