LeBron became the first active NBA player worth USD 1 billion© AFP
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has become the first active player in NBA history to have a net worth of $1 billion, Forbes magazine reported Thursday. The 37-year-old forward, a four-time NBA champion and four-time NBA Most Valuable Player, ranks second on the league’s all-time scoring list and has played in the league since 2003.
On Forbes’ list of the world’s highest-paid athletes from May 2021 to May 2022, James ranked second in total earnings with US$121.2 million, behind only Argentine playmaker and Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi’s US$130 million.
The Lakers struggled to a 33-49 season and James missed the playoffs for just the fourth time in his career, but still became the oldest player to average 30 points per contest with 30.3.
In a 19-year NBA career, James earned more than USD 385 million in salary alone as a player for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Lakers.
Off the court, James made a star turn in Hollywood with the film “Space Jam: A New Legacy” and sold a minority stake in his production company, Springhill.
More than $500 million of his net worth comes from cash and investments.
James has an ownership stake in Fenway Sports Group, which owns English Premier League team Liverpool, Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox and has struck a deal to buy the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins.
His stake in Blaze Pizza is worth US$30 million and his real estate worth US$80 million includes a mansion in his hometown of Akron, Ohio and two houses in Los Angeles.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is generated automatically from a syndicated feed.)
Topics covered in this article
