With the little money he earns, billionaire LeBron James always puts some money aside, thanks to a lesson about money from his uncles.
According to Forbes, LeBron James has officially become a billionaire. This makes James the first active NBA player to reach this milestone and the second NBA player to achieve billionaire status, joining retired basketball star Michael Jordan.
James, a forward for the Los Angeles Lakers, is the highest-paid NBA player, earning $121 million (approximately 2.8 trillion VND) last year both on and off the court. He ranked second on Forbes’ list of the highest-paid athletes of 2022, just behind famous soccer player Lionel Messi.
Overall, James has earned $387 million (about 9 trillion VND) from the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and Los Angeles Lakers, and has made an additional $900 million from endorsement deals, such as his lifetime contract with Nike, his ownership stake in Blaze Pizza franchises, and his video production company. All of this has brought his pre-tax earnings to over $1.2 billion.
With his natural basketball talent, James was accepted into St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in 1999, where he scored over 2,500 points during his four years on the team.
In the 2003 NBA Draft, James was selected as the number one overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers. His NBA debut was described as “one of the most impressive debut games in league history,” where he scored 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists. James went on to become a four-time NBA MVP, winning 4 championships and 3 Olympic medals.
The LeBron James Family Foundation also established the I PROMISE School, a public school in Akron, Ohio, in 2018. The school is committed to helping at-risk students succeed academically and avoid being left behind.
James, an Ohio native, had a difficult childhood, as his young mother struggled to make a living to support the family. With the little money he earned, James always put some aside, thanks to a lesson about money from his uncles.
“My uncles always taught me how to have a savings account,” James shares in a podcast on his web platform, UNINTERRUPTED. “They would give me a dollar and say, ‘Listen, nephew. , spend 35 cents of it and keep the other 65 cents.’ Or, if they give me two dollars, they’ll say, ‘Go ahead, go party for a dollar, but save the dollar. remaining.'”
And that lesson follows James to this day, even when he is a billionaire.
In 2021, James expressed his hope that one day he would own an NBA franchise, after becoming a partial owner of the Boston Red Sox baseball team.
“I have a lot to give to the game. I know what it takes to win at this level. I know how to identify talent. I also know how to run a business. And so, that’s my goal. My goal is to own an NBA franchise, and everything will happen as quickly as possible,” James told interviewers.
James has a lot he wants to accomplish in life, and he has no intention of “slowing down.” He is eligible for a two-year, $97 million contract extension with the Lakers, and he hopes to play alongside his son, LeBron “Bronny” James Jr., in the near future.
