The Remarkable Journey of LeBron James: From the NBA to Billionaire Status

LeBron James was formally recognized as a billionaire in June 2022.

The basketball icon made history by becoming the first active player in the NBA to have a $1 billion net worth, per Forbes.

Before taxes and agent fees, James made $124.5 million in the 2022–2023 season, officially making him a billionaire, according to the site.

According to Forbes, only Michael Jordan is a billionaire in the basketball world. He attained this status in 2014, following his retirement.

In addition to his accomplishments in the corporate world and on the court, LeBron starred in the movie Space Jam: A New Legacy in 2021.

According to TMZ, he has a $1 billion lifetime contract with Nike. He also has agreements with AT&T, PepsiCo, and Walmart.

He started to own a portion of the Liverpool soccer team in 2011, and in 2021 he became one of the first Black partners in the history of the Fenway Sports Group.

His net worth is undoubtedly rising thanks to his lucrative NBA wages.

According to Rich Paul, the CEO of Klutch Sports, LeBron accepted a two-year, $97.1 million contract extension for the 2024–2025 season, which was announced to ESPN on Wednesday, August 17, 2022.

“The extension, which includes a 15% trade kicker, makes James the highest-earning player in NBA history with $532 million in career guaranteed money, surpassing Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant.”

But on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, James gave some thought to his 20th NBA season, hinting that this one might be his final one ever.

James stated to ESPN: “Going forward with the game of basketball, I’ve got a lot to think about.”

He hasn’t officially announced that he is retiring, but intentions to do so seem very likely.

It was revealed in 2021 that the basketball player had acquired a portion of the Boston Red Sox.

Journalist Michael Silverman of the Boston Globe tweeted, “Both he & Maverick Carter each join Fenway Sports Group as partners, first and only Black partners in FSG history.”

The Boston Globe reported that LeBron, one of the wealthiest and most prominent sportsmen in the world, “owns an undisclosed amount of FSG shares after previously holding an approximately 2 percent share of the Liverpool soccer franchise since 2011”.

James will become a part-owner of NESN, Roush Fenway Racing, and Fenway Sports Management in addition to being an FSG partner.

John Henry, the major owner of FSG, will continue to run the sports conglomerate.