LeBron James' net worth, salary, endorsements, cars, house, billionaire
What is LeBron James' net worth? LeBron is one of the most celebrated players in basketball. He made his professional debut in 2003, playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Since then, LeBron has set many records and won multiple awards for club and country. The 18-time NBA All-Star, four-time NBA Champion, and two-time Olympic gold medalist has added yet another notch to his belt. This time, he has broken a record that no other active NBA player has achieved. According to Forbes, LeBron is now worth over $1 billion.
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Is LeBron James a billionaire? In a 2014 interview with GQ that has since turned prophetic, LeBron stated that becoming a billionaire was one of his life's biggest goals. Of course, with his habit of breaking records, many should have seen this coming. Yet, the superstar has managed to break that barrier. He now has a net worth of $1.2 billion.
Profile summary
Full name | Lebron Raymone James |
Nickname | King James |
Gender | Male |
Date of Birth | December 30, 1984 |
Age | 37 (as of 2021) |
Place of birth | Akron, Ohio |
Current residence | Los Angeles |
Nationality | American |
Ethnicity | African American |
Religion | Christian |
Sexuality | Heterosexual |
Height in feet | 6' 9'' |
Height in meters | 2.06 |
Weight in pounds | 250 |
Weight in kgs | 113 |
Hair colour | Black |
Eye colour | Black |
Mother | Gloria Marie James |
Father | Anthony McClelland |
Siblings | Aaron McClelland Gamble (half-brother) |
Relationship status | Married |
Wife | Savannah James |
Children | Three ( Bronny James, Bryce James, and Zhuri James) |
Profession | Basketball player, entrepreneur |
Net worth | $1.2 billion |
Salary | $385 million |
@kingjames | |
@KingJames | |
LeBron James |
How did LeBron James become a billionaire?
Is LeBron almost a billionaire? No, he is already a billionaire as of 2022. LeBron's impressive new status did not happen overnight. It results from being the NBA's highest-paid player and from his other endorsements and other intelligent business ventures. Although he is one of the oldest NBA players at 37 years old, this is an impressive feat that is not easily achievable.
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His business ventures include real estate, business investments, The Spring Hill Company, and a development and production venture co-founded with Maverick Carter. Do you want to know more about them?
1. His NBA salary: $385 million
As the NBA's highest-paid active player, James has commanded over $385 million in salary from the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and the Los Angeles Lakers. While most of his fortune has been made off the courts, all of them are due to his prominence as a basketball player.
2. Brand endorsements: $900 million
The key to James's newly minted billionaire status is the long structured deals to give him equity with brand partners. He has a long list of endorsements and investments. Many brands sponsor him because of his vast marketability and popularity.
James is an ambassador to many brands and has appeared in many commercials promoting different types of products, including shoes and food. LeBron James' endorsement deals and investments include:
Nike
LeBron James has signed several deals with Nike since becoming a professional basketball player. His first one was on 22 May 2003, worth $90 million for seven years. He re-signed with the same company in 2010 in a deal worth $30 million a year for five years. Also, all LeBron James' shoes are provided by Nike.
In 2015, he signed a lifetime deal with Nike. Although nobody knows the agreement's value, some have hinted it is worth $1 billion. So, how much does LeBron make a year from Nike? Per Forbes, he receives $32 million annually from the apparel and shoe company.
LeBron has also partnered with the brand to produce several shoe lines. Following the successful release of Space Jam: A New Legacy starring the player, he released the space jam shoe line that is available for sale. The space jams quickly became fan favourites. He has also worked with the brand on other shoe designs.
Upper Deck
In 2002, James received a $1 million signing bonus from Upper Deck. He agreed to a 5-year deal worth $1 million per year. The deal saw LeBron release some of his signed merchandise exclusively on the platform.
KIA Motors
In October 2013, LeBron agreed to an undisclosed multi-million dollar deal with KIA Motors. He started by promoting the KIA K900. Later, he released a video through his digital platform, Uninterrupted, where he announced the 2019 LeBron James Stinger GT.
Other endorsements include:
- Intel
- Dunkin Donuts
- State Farm Insurance
- Audemars Piguet
- Rimowa
- Coca Cola
- Walmart
- 2k Sports
- GMC
- AT&T
3. The Spring Hill Company: 300 million
In 2020, James and Maverick Carter combined three companies into one to form The Spring Hill Company, which has made him over $300 million. The company is named after the apartment where James and his mother finally found stability in Akron, Ohio. The three companies under the umbrella of The Spring Hill Company are:
- SpringHill Entertainment (a production vehicle for the award-winning documentary about his high-school years: More Than A Game.)
- Uninterrupted (his athlete platform)
- Robot Company (marketing agency)
James then sold a significant minority stake to several investors, including RedBird Capital Partners, Fenway Sports Group, Nike, and Epic Games. However, James is still the majority shareholder.
4. Fenway Sports Group: $90 million
Any LeBron James fan will be able to tell you that one of the star's dreams has been to own an NBA team one day. Given his recent achievements, it is safe to say that he is well on his way. He already has pro baseball, soccer, and hockey teams among his holdings.
James is estimated to own around 1% of Fenway Sports Group after he partnered with the group in 2011. The group owns the Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park, and Liverpool. LeBron James' contract stipulated that he release his holdings in Liverpool to the group in exchange for ownership in the group.
5. Real Estate: $80 million
Even though LeBron has four rings, another money maker for the NBA All-Star is his real estate holdings. He owns at least three properties worth over $80 million in total. The properties include:
- $10-million mansion near Akron, Ohio
- A $23 million 8-bedroom spread in the tony Brentwood neighbourhood, Los Angeles
- A 13,000 square-foot Beverly Hills mansion for $36.75 million. He has torn down this home to replace it with another mansion.
6. Blaze Pizza: $30 million
James invested $1 million in Blaze Pizza in 2012 and got a 10% stake in the company. In 2017, his investment was worth $25 million. The corporation has more than 300 stores in America and is still growing. James' incredible pizza may have something to do with the fast growth of the chain.
James has been a visible part of the brand for years and has even worked behind the counter and hit the streets to hand out pizzas. Forbes estimates that his stake in the chain, plus his cut in the franchise stores in Florida and Illinois, are worth over $30 million.
7. Other investments: over $500 million
Even after accounting for all his business endeavours, LeBron still has other assets apart from the ones listed above that are worth over half a billion dollars. The proceeds are believed to come from some of his other significant scores, including the following:
Beats Electronics
In 2008, the NBA MVP took a small stake in Beats Electronics while it was in its inception. He used to promote the company by wearing its headphones. In 2014, he took home more than $30 million in cash and stock after Apple bought the company for $3 billion.
Beachbody
James owns shares in a publicly-traded fitness company known as Beachbody. He got these shares after Beachbody acquired Ladder, the sports nutrition company that James co-founded with Arnold Schwarzenegger, in 2020 for $28 million in stock.
LeBron James' cars and houses
Since his recent shift from millionaire to billionaire, fans have become even more invested in how the basketball player spends his money. Fans are especially interested in the number of cars and houses that he has.
His cars
While he is known for being frugal in his spending, the Hall of Fame player has been known to spend big on his collection of rare and luxurious cars. Although some of his cars are from endorsement deals, he has bought the majority of these cars. Some of the vehicles in his collection include:
- 1975 Chevy Impala: $31,620 (2020 Price)
- 2010 Chevy Camaro SS: $25,000 (2019 Camaro)
- 2015 Kia K900: $60,000
- 2018 Maybach S650: $198,700
- Bentley Continental GT: $218,400 (2018 model)
- Dodge Challenger SRT: $77,945 (2019 SRT)
- Ferrari 458 Spider: $245,000 (2015)
- Ferrari 599: $310,543
- Ferrari F430 Spider: $217,310 (2009)
- Lamborghini Aventador Roadster: $670,000 (LeBron’s Custom), $460,247 (2019 Model)
- Mercedes-Benz Maybach 57 S: $376,300 (2012)
- Porsche 911 Turbo S: $190,700 (2019)
In 2009, LeBron received a birthday gift from Shaquille O'Neal. It was a Rolls-Royce Phantom, whose price as of 2020 is estimated to be around $450,000.
LeBron James' houses
The NBA MVP has three houses. While playing for the Miami Heat, he lived around Coconut Grove, South Florida. He lived with his family, including Zhuri James, his daughter. After his contract expired, he moved to play with the Cavs and sold the house for $13.4 million in 2015.
In 2020, he bought a Mediterranean-style compound in the Beverly Hills Post Office area worth $36.75 million. He also has a pair of homes in Brentwood. One of the houses is 15,846 square feet worth $23 million, purchased in 2017. The other is a 9,440 square feet mansion worth $21 million bought in 2015.
Who is the first NBA billionaire?
James is only one of two basketballers to hit this milestone. The first was Michael Jordan, another name known for his court prowess. However, Jordan only managed to accrue his fortune into billions over ten years after retiring. What makes LeBron's case unique is that he became a billionaire while still being an active player.
LeBron James' net worth has dramatically increased over the years and finally hit a billion recently. His success as an athlete and an entrepreneur has allowed him to defy expectations.
Are you familiar with how LeBron James and Floyd Mayweather rose to fame? Yen.com.gh has a detailed account of how the two stars came from poor beginnings to achieve worldwide fame.
James and Mayweather are two of the highest-paid athletes in history. They achieved their current success due to sheer hard work and determination. This article details every part of their journeys.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
Ryan Mutuku Ryan Mutuku is a writer with over 3 years of working in digital media. He is an alumnus of the Faculty of Media and Communications at Multimedia University. Ryan focuses on the Facts and Life Hacks section from 2017. When he is not writing, Ryan is a volunteer who participates regularly in community outreach events. Email: Ryanellismutuku@gmail.com
Ann Steffie Ann Steffie is a content creator with 2+ years of working experience in the industry. She graduated from the Technical University of Kenya with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and Technology. She lives in Nairobi, Kenya and spends her free time pursuing her interests which include web development, artificial intelligence and machine learning. Email: madigoann@gmail.com