Few athletes can claim to be as accomplished as LeBron James – four-time NBA champion, four-time league MVP, four-time finals MVP, 18-time NBA All-Star, all-time league scoring leader, two-time Olympic gold medallist – and he’s certainly got the net worth to match his lengthy run sheet of accolades.
As the highest-paid NBA player (overall), the most decorated name in modern NBA history has always commanded hefty salaries whether it was with the Cleveland Cavaliers (x2), Miami Heat, or the Los Angeles Lakers – the latter of which he’s currently leading in the 2022-23 Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets, and hopefully beyond that to secure his fifth ring.
But you may be surprised to learn a good deal of his earnings have come from business ventures outside of basketball itself. A little over half, to be precise.
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LeBron James Net Worth (2023) – Table Of Contents
- LeBron James Overview
- LeBron James NBA Career Stats
- What Is LeBron James’ Net Worth?
- On-Court Earnings
- Off-Court Earnings
- Endorsements
- Investments
- Philanthropy
LeBron James Overview
Name: LeBron Raymone James Sr. (“King James”)
Age: 38
Date of Birth: December 30, 1984 (Akron, Ohio US)
Height: 6 ft 9 in (206 cm)
Weight: 250 lb (113 kg)
Wingspan: 84.25 in (214 cm)
Team: Los Angeles Lakers (2018-Present) | Cleveland Cavaliers (2014-2018) | Miami Heat (2010-2014) | Cleveland Cavaliers (2003-2010)
Position: Power Forward / Small Forward
Jersey Number: 6 (formerly 23)
Social Media Accounts:
Instagram – @kingjames (153 million followers)
Twitter – @kingjames (52.8 million followers)
LeBron James Family:
Savannah James (wife), LeBron “Bronny” Raymone James Jr (son), Bryce James (son), Zhuri James (daughter)
LeBron James NBA Career Stats
Regular Season Average (as of 2023): 27.2 points (.505 field goal %) | 7.3 assists | 7.5 rebounds | 38.1 minutes
Playoffs Season Average (as of 2023): 28.7 points (.495 field goal %) | 7.2 assists | 9.0 rebounds | 41.5 minutes
- All-Time Scoring Champion (2023)
- 4 × NBA Champion (2012, 2013, 2016, 2020)
- 4 × NBA Finals MVP (2012, 2013, 2016, 2020)
- 4 × NBA Most Valuable Player (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013)
- 19 × NBA All-Star (2005–2023)
- 3 × NBA All-Star Game MVP (2006, 2008, 2018)
- 13 × All-NBA First Team (2006, 2008–2018, 2020)
- 3 × All-NBA Second Team (2005, 2007, 2021)
- 3 × All-NBA Third Team (2019, 2022, 2023)
- 5 × NBA All-Defensive First Team (2009–2013)
- NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2014)
- NBA Rookie of the Year (2004)
- NBA All-Rookie First Team (2004)
- NBA Scoring Champion (2008)
- NBA Assists Leader (2020)
- NBA 75th Anniversary Team
- 4 × AP Athlete of the Year (2013, 2016, 2018, 2020)
- 3 × Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year (2012, 2016, 2020)
- Time Athlete of the Year (2020)
- USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year (2012)
- 2 × National High School Player of the Year (2002, 2003)
- McDonald’s All-American Game MVP (2003)
- 2 × First-team Parade All-American (2002, 2003)
- 3 × Ohio Mr Basketball (2001–2003)
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What Is LeBron James’ Net Worth?
*Note: all $$$ = USD
According to Forbes, LeBron James has an estimated net worth of approximately $1 billion, making him the first active NBA player to hit billionaire status (sorry, MJ).
No surprises there given he’s pretty much a permanent fixture on Forbes’ annual list of the highest-paid athletes.
“It’s my biggest milestone,” James said in what the financial publication has aptly described as a prophetic interview with GQ (2014).
“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.”
It’s also quite a conservative estimate when you consider his off-court earnings, but more on that later.
On-Court Earnings
Suffice it to say, he’s come a long way from his first season as the NBA’s #1 overall draft pick burdened with impossible expectations.
In his rookie season, the kid from Akron, Ohio pocketed $4,018,290 thanks to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In his current 2022-23 season with the Los Angeles Lakers, the old annual take-home has improved by a factor of ten: $44,474,988.
All up, at the time of this writing, LeBron James’ career earnings as a professional basketball player come to a staggering total of $431,859,107.
Check out what LeBron James has drawn in terms of player salary across his 20 seasons within the league.
| Season | Team | Awards | Salary |
| 2003-04 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Rookie of the Year | $4,018,290 |
| 2004-05 | Cleveland Cavaliers | All NBA (2nd) | $4,320,360 |
| 2005-06 | Cleveland Cavaliers | All NBA /1st) | $4,621,800 |
| 2006-07 | Cleveland Cavaliers | All NBA (2nd) | $5,828,090 |
| 2007-08 | Cleveland Cavaliers | All NBA (1st) | $13,041,250 |
| 2008-09 | Cleveland Cavaliers | All NBA (1st), MVP | $14,410,581 |
| 2009-10 | Cleveland Cavaliers | All NBA (1st), MVP | $15,779,912 |
| 2010-11 | Miami Heat | All NBA (1st) | $14,500,000 |
| 2011-12 | Miami Heat | All NBA (1st), MVP | $12,896,159 |
| 2012-13 | Miami Heat | All NBA (1st), MVP | $17,545,000 |
| 2013-14 | Miami Heat | All NBA (1st) | $19,067,500 |
| 2014-15 | Cleveland Cavaliers | All NBA (1st) | $20,644,400 |
| 2015-16 | Cleveland Cavaliers | All NBA (1st) | $22,970,500 |
| 2016-17 | Cleveland Cavaliers | All NBA (1st) | $30,963,450 |
| 2017-18 | Cleveland Cavaliers | All NBA (1st) | $33,285,709 |
| 2018-19 | Los Angeles Lakers | All NBA (3rd) | $35,654,150 |
| 2019-20 | Los Angeles Lakers | All NBA (1st) | $37,436,858 |
| 2020-21 | Los Angeles Lakers | All NBA (2nd) | $39,219,566 |
| 2021-22 | Los Angeles Lakers | All NBA (3rd) | $41,180,544 |
| 2022-23 | Los Angeles Lakers | All NBA (3rd) | $44,474,988 |
| Est. Earnings (20 Seasons) | $431,859,107 |
| Seasons | Team | Total Salaries |
| 11 | Cleveland Cavaliers | $169,884,342 |
| 4 | Miami Heat | $64,008,659 |
| 5 | Los Angeles Lakers | $197,966,106 |
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Off-Court Earnings
Onto the matter of the business ventures which make LeBron James a billion-dollar athlete.
Endorsements
Naturally, a baller of his calibre will attract countless brand deals. In the case of LeBron James, some of the most notable companies have included the following familiar names:
- Audemars Piguet
- Kia
- Verizon
- AT&T
- McDonald’s
- Microsoft
- Intel
- State Farm Insurance
- Beats by Dre
- Coca-Cola
- PepsiCo
- Dunkin’ Donuts
- Baskin Robbins
- RIMOWA
- Samsung
- Nike
- Walmart
- Tonal
- and plenty more
His partnership with Nike alone is worth a matzah.
Initially, James signed a seven-year contract with the sportswear company valued at $90 million back in 2003, which made him the brand’s youngest-ever endorser at the time (18 years old). Not bad for a fresh-faced high school graduate.
Then in December 2015, King James inked a lifetime deal with Nike that’s reportedly valued at $1 billion with a capital “B.” That year, $30 million of his earnings were attributed to sneaker sales.
Investments
But LeBron James isn’t exactly a passive element in his business dealings. As you’ll soon discover, in addition to being an absolute weapon on the court, he’s also quite the savvy investor.
Beats by Dre
LeBron James was famously an early investor and ambassador for the now-ubiquitous headphone brand Beats by Dre.
At first, it was reported that he earned an estimated $30 million in cash and stock when the company was acquired by Apple for $3 billion in 2014.
Then in 2020, his former teammate Kendrick Perkins appeared on the Dubs Talk: A Golden State Warriors Podcast, revealing that LeBron James actually made $700 million as a “silent investor” in the process.
Fenway Sports Group
In 2011, LeBron James received a 2% minority stake in Liverpool FC valued at $6.5 million after it was acquired by his marketing firm LRMR and Fenway Sports Group.
The payoff? In 2018, that very same stake had appreciated to approximately $32 million. And as of May 2019, it had appreciated to approximately $43.6 million.
Fast forward a few years, James and business partner Maverick Carter would trade their stakes in the English Premier League team to become parts owners of Fenway Sports Group. A far larger slice of the pie, as it were.
Aside from Liverpool FC, Fenway Sports Group also owns the following notable assets within its varied portfolio:
- Boston Red Sox
- Fenway Park
- 50% of NASCAR’s Roush Fenway Racing
- 80% of the New England Sports Network
SpringHill Entertainment
The production company LeBron James started with Maverick Carter and a hefty investment of $100 million back in 2020 paid dividends almost immediately.
Within a year, it had already achieved a $725 million valuation after selling a “significant” minority stake to a consortium of heavyweight investors: RedBird Capital Partners, Fenway Sports Group, Epic Games, and Nike.
In the years since establishment, it’s been involved in everything from Space Jam: A New Legacy (which James famously starred in) to Netflix’s Hustle starring Adam Sandler and HBO’s The Shop.
Blaze Pizza
James is both a founding investor and lead ambassador of the Blaze Pizza franchise.
According to Forbes, he rejected a $15 million endorsement deal (continuation) with McDonald’s to invest in the North American chain.
His stake is estimated to be valued at about $30 million from an initial investment of less than $1 million.
Real Estate
Because no billionaire’s portfolio is complete without a bit of real estate. Here’s what we know about LeBron James’ real estate holdings:
- Custom-built Bath Township mansion (one of the most expensive homes in Cleveland, Ohio) – purchased in 2003 immediately after joining the NBA (price unclear), valued at $9.5 million by state tax authorities based on last reports
- Biscayne Bay Mansion in Coconut Grove – purchased for $9 million in November 2010; sold for $13.4 million in August 2015.
- Brentwood Mansion in Los Angeles – purchased for $21 million in November 2015; sold for $19.6 million in September 2021
- Another Brentwood Mansion in Los Angeles – purchased for $23 million in November 2017
- Beverly Hills Mansion in Los Angeles – purchased for $36.8 million in September 2020 [CURRENT PRIMARY RESIDENCE]
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Who knows? Perhaps he’ll take the NBA team owner route in retirement a la Michael Jordan and the Charlotte Hornets Basketball Team.
Philanthropy
Of course, LeBron James doesn’t just hoard all his hard-earned money for himself. He’s also been known to be quite the giving character.
In 2004, he founded the LeBron James Family Foundation to better the lives of children from his hometown of Akron, Ohio.
The foundation teamed up with Akron Public Schools in 2018 to open the I PROMISE School with the objective of helping at-risk students and their families.
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