LeBron James becomes the first active basketball player to have a total career income of $1 billion | NBA

According to the American magazine, LeBron James earned about $121.1 million in the current NBA season. Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi fared better with 130 million between May 2021 and May 2022. Thanks to his annual income, James has now reached the billion dollar mark.

Although James is known for his exploits in the basketball world, he did not make his fortune by simply throwing the ball into the ring. For example, out of a billion dollars, “only” 385 million come from salaries. He earned more than $500 million through income from sponsorship deals and investments, including some Hollywood productions. In addition, James is also a co-owner of Fenway Sports Group, which owns Liverpool Football Club and the Boston Red Sox baseball team.

LeBron James joins a select club of basketball billionaires. In 2014, Michael Jordan was the first to hit nine zeros in his bank account, after a profitable investment in basketball team The Charlotte Hornets. Jordan had put on his basketball shoes more than a decade ago by then. The late Kobe Bryant also became a billionaire in 2019, three years after his retirement.

The 37-year-old James impresses not only with his bank account but also one of the greatest players in the business. Since his debut in 2003, he has won the NBA title four times, been named Player of the Year four times and won two Olympic golds. In addition, he ranks second in the list of top scorers in the NBA (37,062 points) and is on his way to breaking the record of legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387 points).