SPOILER ALERT: Lebron James signed a 4-year, $154m deal with the Lakers Sunday, after spending the last 4 years with the Cleveland Lebron Jamesaliers.
Unsurprisingly, this deal will put him over the $300m mark in total career earnings by 2022, a feat only 2 other NBA superstars (Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant) have achieved.
But, when it comes to Lebron’s personal business ventures, his earnings extend far beyond the court (65% of his income comes from endorsements), and the NBA prays at his feet because of it.
Witness: The King is a one-man business
An NBA ownership group analysis showed that signing James could generate approximately $65m in revenue for a team per year (and still, no one has gifted him a cactus).
Since James joined the league in 2003, he’s pocketed $765m — raking in more than $50m annually through endorsement deals with Nike, Coca-Cola, and Beats to name a few.
Not to mention, he’s now a bona fide Hollywood producer and co-founder of a digital sports programming network, putting him well en route to a very rare island…
The Island of NBA Billionaires
4 years ago, Lebron told GQ that his biggest milestone was to “maximize [his] business” and become a billionaire — like another notable #23 (his Airness, Michael Jordan).
Ironically, the Cav’s offered James an even bigger deal to stay in Cleveland (4-year $250m), but when it comes to “maximizing” his business worth, the 3-time NBA champ knows LA has more to offer.