LeBron James is a famous American basketball player and businessman with a net worth of $800 million. After excelling in high school basketball, he chose to skip college and was selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA draft, his hometown team.
He played for the Cavaliers from 2003 to 2010, then moved to Miami, where he helped the Heat win two NBA championships in 2012 and 2013. LeBron returned to the Cavaliers from 2014 to 2018, securing another championship in 2016, and then joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, winning a title with them in 2020.
As of now, he is the third-highest-paid player in the NBA based on salary, earning an impressive $52 million a year. On February 7, 2023, he made history by surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
Outside of basketball, LeBron is one of the highest-earning celebrities globally, making between $60 million and $90 million annually from endorsements. He also has a lifetime contract with Nike valued at $1 billion. LeBron has used his fame and wealth to build a successful business empire, investing in various startups.
He owns stakes in several sports teams, including Liverpool F.C., the Boston Red Sox, the New England Patriots, RFK Racing, A.C. Milan, and the Pittsburgh Penguins. If he continues his current earnings and investments, LeBron is on track to become a billionaire by 2030.
LeBron James (Credits: Getty Images)Key Statistics
- LeBron James’ first contract with Nike paid him $90 million over 7 years.
- He turned down a bigger offer from Reebok.
- He usually earns more than $100 million a year from endorsements.
- In his first decade in the NBA, he made $450 million from salary and endorsements.
- He makes over $45 million a year from his NBA salary.
- He has earned $800 million in his career so far from salary and endorsements.
- He is on track to become a billionaire by 2030.
- He owns real estate worth around $80 million.
Annual Income
LeBron James earns about $45 million each year from his NBA salary and around $55 million from endorsements, bringing his total yearly income to over $100 million. From June 2016 to 2017, he made $86 million, and from June 2017 to June 2018, he earned $85.5 million.
In the following year, from June 2018 to June 2019, his earnings were close to $85 million. However, from June 2021 to June 2022, his earnings jumped to $121.2 million. For the 2022-2023 season, his combined salary and endorsements reached $119.5 million.
Salary & Career Earnings
So far in his career, LeBron has earned over $800 million from his contracts and endorsements (before taxes and expenses).
In his first 10 years in the NBA, LeBron made just over $126 million in salary alone. During the same time, he earned about $326 million from endorsements, bringing his total earnings for the first decade to $452 million. Recently, he signed a two-year, $85 million contract extension with the Lakers.
In August 2022, he signed another two-year deal worth $99.02 million with the Lakers. By the end of that contract in 2025, LeBron will have earned over $530.8 million in NBA salary. Then in July 2024, he signed a two-year, $102 million contract with the Lakers. By the end of the 2026 season, his NBA salary earnings will reach $583 million.
LeBron James (Credits: Getty Images)Endorsement Deals
LeBron has partnerships with many companies, including McDonald’s, Microsoft, State Farm, Beats by Dre, Coca-Cola, Dunkin Donuts, Baskin Robbins, Samsung, Nike, and many more.
Besides endorsing Beats by Dre, he also owned a 1% share in the company, earning $1 million in royalty payments while working as a spokesperson. When Beats was sold to Apple for $3 billion, LeBron’s share amounted to $30 million. In 2011, he co-founded the designer retail store UNKNWN in Miami.
Nike Deal
LeBron signed his first Nike endorsement deal when he was just 18 years old, making $90 million over seven years, which averages about $12.8 million a year. Interestingly, he had the option to sign with Reebok for $115 million instead.
Today, LeBron earns $20 million every year from Nike, thanks to his salary and royalties from his signature shoe line.
In December 2015, he took it a step further by signing a lifetime endorsement deal with Nike, which could be worth more than $1 billion. This was a groundbreaking agreement, as it was the first lifetime deal Nike had ever offered and is reportedly the largest in the company’s history.
Contracts
Many people know that LeBron went straight to the NBA after high school, being selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 draft. His first contract was worth $18.8 million for four years. Before the 2007-2008 season, he signed a three-year extension with the Cavaliers for $60 million, which raised his salary from $5.8 million to $13 million, then to $14.4 million, and finally to $15.8 million for the 2009-2010 season.
As the 2011 season began, LeBron made headlines with his televised announcement, “The Decision,” where he revealed he was leaving Cleveland to join Miami. Although he faced criticism for the way he did it, the special ended up raising about $6 million for charity.
When he joined the Heat, he agreed to a deal worth $110 million over six years, which was below market value because he believed he could win a championship alongside Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. Interestingly, in his first season with Miami, he actually earned $1.2 million less than he had in Cleveland.
After spending four seasons with the Heat, LeBron returned to Cleveland before the 2014-2015 season. While with the Cavaliers, he chose one-year contracts to take advantage of the rising NBA salary cap and increase his earnings.
LeBron James (Credits: Getty Images)In 2016, just after winning the NBA championship, LeBron signed a three-year deal worth $100 million with the Cavaliers. He earned $23 million in the first year, then $30.963 million in the second year, making him the highest-paid player in the league for the first time. By the third year of that contract, his salary had reached $33.285 million.
As the 2018-2019 season approached, LeBron changed teams and signed a four-year contract with the Lakers worth $153 million, which averages about $38 million a year.
In November 2020, LeBron and the Lakers announced a two-year contract extension worth $85 million, keeping him with the team until 2023. This works out to $42.5 million per year. Then, in August 2022, they agreed on another two-year extension for $99.02 million, making LeBron the highest-paid player in NBA history with total earnings over $530.8 million, surpassing Kevin Durant.
Will LeBron James Become a Billionaire?
In the next ten years, but we’ll discuss that soon. Before LeBron can officially call himself a billionaire, he needs to join the billion-dollar athlete club. Currently, this exclusive group includes six legends: Michael Schumacher ($1 billion), Floyd Mayweather ($1.1 billion), Jack Nicklaus ($1.15 billion), Arnold Palmer ($1.35 billion), Tiger Woods ($1.65 billion), and Michael Jordan ($1.9 billion).
With his new salary and upcoming endorsements, LeBron is set to earn over $100 million a year during his four years in LA, possibly reaching around $110 or $120 million. If everything goes as planned, he could retire in 2026 with about $1.1 billion in total earnings.
Based on our calculations, if LeBron follows the path of icons like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Kobe Bryant, he could see his net worth surpass $1 billion by 2030.
Early Life
LeBron James was born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio. When he was a baby, his mom gave him a small hoop and basketball, and he spent hours shooting hoops. Basketball became his passion, and by the time he was in elementary school, he was already dominating the court.
He later attended St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, where he made history as the youngest player to be named to the USA Today All-USA first team during his sophomore year.
LeBron James (Credits: Getty Images)By his junior year, he earned the title of Gatorade National Player of the Year, and that’s when he started being called “King James.” Even while still in high school, he appeared on the covers of “SLAM” magazine and Sports Illustrated, showing that he was on his way to NBA success.
In 2003, LeBron was selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA draft. He made an impact in his rookie season, becoming the youngest player to score 40 points in a game and win the Rookie of the Year award.
In addition to his time with the Cavaliers, he also played for the United States in the Olympics, winning a bronze medal in 2004 and a gold medal in 2008. LeBron helped lead the Miami Heat to NBA championships in 2012 and 2013, earning MVP honors in both finals.
Personal Life and Real Estate
LeBron James has three children with his high school sweetheart, Savannah Brinson. They got married in September 2013 in San Diego, California.
While living in Miami, the James family lived in a beautiful mansion that overlooked Biscayne Bay in Coconut Grove. He bought the house for $9 million in November 2010. By October 2014, LeBron put the mansion up for sale for $17 million but ended up selling it for $13.4 million in August 2015.
In November 2015, LeBron bought a huge 9,350-square-foot mansion in Brentwood, LA, for $21 million, which was the highest price paid for a home in that area at the time. He tried to sell it for about a year but took a small loss when he sold it in September 2021 for $19.6 million.
Then in November 2017, LeBron spent $23 million on another mansion in Brentwood.
In September 2020, LeBron bought a mansion in Beverly Hills for $36.8 million. By 2023, he had the house torn down to build his dream home.
Back in Ohio, LeBron owns one of the most expensive homes in the Cleveland area. Located in Bath Township, this custom-built home is valued at $9.5 million by Ohio tax officials. It has 20 rooms and covers 30,000 square feet. He bought the property in 2003 when he was just 18 and starting his NBA career.
LeBron James (Credits: Getty Images)SpringHill Entertainment
LeBron and his business partner Maverick Carter co-founded the production company SpringHill Entertainment. The company has worked on producing movies, documentaries, and TV shows.
Blaze Pizza
In 2012, LeBron chose to invest in a pizza startup called Blaze Pizza. At that time, he had a contract with McDonald’s. In 2017, LeBron turned down a $15 million extension offer from McDonald’s to fully invest in Blaze Pizza. As of now, he owns at least 21 Blaze Pizza franchises, and the company is one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains ever. LeBron’s stake in the company is worth $40 million at its latest valuation.
Fenway Sports Group
While owning an NBA team is LeBron’s final goal, for now, he owns a soccer team. In 2011, LeBron made a deal to buy a 2% share in Liverpool F.C. from the club’s majority owners, the Fenway Sports Group (which also owns the Red Sox). Since the deal, Liverpool has won the UEFA Champions League and grown to a value of $2 billion. LeBron’s stake is worth at least $40 million.
In 2021, LeBron became a partner with Fenway Sports Group, making him a part-owner of the Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, and RFK Racing, in addition to Liverpool F.C.
LeBron James is not just a basketball star but also a smart businessman, with a net worth of $800 million. From his successful NBA career to his highly profitable endorsement deals and business ventures, LeBron has built an empire.
His lifetime contract with Nike, investments in sports teams, and ownership of businesses like Blaze Pizza have set him up to potentially become a billionaire by 2030. LeBron’s commitment to success both on and off the court has secured his place as one of the wealthiest and most influential athletes, ensuring his legacy for years to come.