American professional basketball player LeBron James has become the first active NBA player to have a net worth of $1 billion, according to Forbes.
Forbes estimates James, 37, is the world’s second highest-paid athlete behind footballer Lionel Messi.
Forbes said that the Los Angeles Lakers star has “maximized his business,” generating more than $1.2 billion in pretax earnings.
His NBA salary from three different teams during the past 19 years has amounted to $383 million, and James has “raked in upwards of $900 million in income from endorsements and other business ventures,” the magazine said.
James has long dreamed of being a billionaire.
In an interview with GQ in 2014, James said; “It’s my biggest milestone. Obviously, I want to maximize my business, and if I happen to get it, if I happen to be a billion-dollar athlete, ho. Hip hip hooray! Oh, my God, I’m gonna be excited.”
Born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio, United States, LeBron Raymone James Sr. is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association.
Nicknamed “King James”, he is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time and is often compared to Michael Jordan in debates over the greatest basketball player ever.
James has won four NBA championships and four NBA MVP Awards, four NBA Finals MVP Awards, three All-Star MVP Awards, as well as two Olympic gold medals.
James has the highest playoff points and second-most career points. He also has the seventh most career assists.
He has been selected NBA All-Star 18 times, to the All-NBA Team a record 18 times, and to the NBA All-Defensive First Team 5 times.
James has competed in ten NBA Finals, the third-most ever, with eight consecutively from 2011 to 2018. James was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
Source: Kingaziz.com