NBA legend Lebron James has achieved legendary status after achieving and breaking a number of records on the court, but now he has broken yet another off of it by becoming the highest earning player in the history of the sport.
James has been with the Los Angeles Lakers since 2018 and has now put pen to paper on a fresh two-year deal, with the option for a third year, that will see him earn an eye-watering $97million (£80.5million) per year, according to ESPN.
And this follows up last year's achievement when he made it onto the list of sports stars to achieve more than $1billion (£829million) in earnings as an active player - the first player in NBA history to do so.
What is LeBron James’ net worth?
Forbes reported back in June that James had officially become a billionaire, something no other NBA player has ever done, and now has a net worth that currently stands at $1bn (£829m), of which his annual salary of around $121.2m (£100.4m) in the past year heavily contributed to.
Starting out with the Cleveland Cavaliers between 2003-10, ‘King James’ was earning an average annual salary of $15m (£12.4m), while the six-year contract he signed with the Miami Heat in 2014 was worth just over $109.8m (£91m), before he re-joined the Cavaliers after four years.
Over the next four years at the Cavaliers, his annual salary increased from $21m (£17m) in 2014 to $33m (£27.3m) by the time he left in 2018. As of this year, it was estimated that the NBA legend netted a staggering $38m (£31.5m) a year at the Lakers, but his new contract will dramatically increase those numbers.
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Endorsements and sponsorships
From his playing career alone, James has certainly made enough money to last him beyond retirement, but the income doesn't stop there. The 37-year-old has made himself quite the entrepreneur outside of his sport, beginning with the 2% stake he bought in Liverpool Football Club for £4.7m as of 2011.
The 6ft 9in titan also became a minor partner in Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool’s owners, last year, while he has signed plenty of endorsement contracts in the past with companies such as Coca-Cola, Beats by Dre, McDonald’s and most notably Nike - signing a contract with the sportswear company worth $90m (£74.6m).
Over the last year, endorsements, memorabilia and appearances helped James to net around $65m (£53.8m) and the basketball star has not held back in feeding this money into investments and his own businesses.
Assets
The Springhill Company is James’ biggest asset, which he runs with his business partner and childhood friend, Maverick Carter, and is the company’s largest shareholder, with his stake estimated to be at the $300m (£248.7m) mark.
The real estate game also provides the American with $10m (£8.2m) worth of properties, while the sports nutrition company, Ladder, which he formed with Arnold Schwarzenegger, was bought by Beachbody for $28m (£23.2m) in stock in 2020.
James has made more from endorsements and business acquisitions than his basketball career so far, so it’s safe to say that retirement will certainly be treating the NBA star well once he eventually makes the decision to call it a day.
