Biography facts about Basketball player, LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers that every fan should know.
KEY FACTS
- First Nike contract paid $90 million over 7 years
- Turned down a larger contract with Reebok
- Typically earns $50-60 million per year from endorsements
- Earned $450 million from salary and endorsments in first decade in the NBA
- Makes $42.5 million per year in base NBA salary
- Has earned $700 million during his career so far from salary and endorsments
- On pace to be a billioniare in 2035
- Owns roughly $80 million worth of real estate
LeBron James called by his real name LeBron Raymone James is a 36-year-old American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and an entrepreneur who was born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio.
He is a Superstar guard/forward who is a four-time NBA champion and four-time NBA Finals MVP. He won his first two championships with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013, then went on to win the 2016 NBA title with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the 2020 NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers. He is also a four-time recipient of the NBA MVP award.
His father figure was his youth football Coach Frankie Walker, who took him into his home at the request of James’ single mother. Walker taught him the importance of school and introduced him to basketball.
He was drafted first overall by the Cavaliers in 2003, and he went on to win the 2004 NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He spent seven years in Cleveland, then four years in Miami before returning to Cleveland.
He and his high school sweetheart-turned-wife, Savannah Brinson, had their first son, LeBron James Jr., on October 6, 2004. Three years later they had a second son, named Bryce Maximus, and, on October 22, 2014, they welcomed their first daughter, Zhuri.
He won gold medals playing alongside Kobe Bryant at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.
Is LeBron a billionaire in 2020? Who is the first NBA billionaire? How much is LeBron James worth in 2021? Read till the end of this article for answers to these and more google search queries.
LeBron James Profile Summary
| Celebrated Name: | LeBron James |
| Net Worth: | $500 Million |
| Real Name: | LeBron Raymone James |
| Salary: | $100 Million Per Year |
| Weekly Income: | $2 million |
| Date of Birth: | December 30, 1984 |
| Birth Place: | Akron, Ohio |
| Age: | 36 Years Old |
| Gender: | Male |
| Height: | 6 ft 8 in (2.05 m) |
| Weight: | 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Profession: | Basketball player, Athlete, Television producer, Screenwriter, Voice Actor |
| Nationality: | United States of America |
| Zodiac Sign: | Capricorn |
| Parents: | Gloria Marie James (mother), Anthony McClelland (father) |
| Wife: | Savannah Brinson |
| Children: | Bronny LeBron James Jr., Bryce Maximus James, and Zhuri James. |
| High School: | St Vincent-St Mary high school |
Check out these interesting facts about Basketball player LeBron James that as an obsessed fan should read about…
LeBron James Biography (Bio, Wiki, Height, Age, Birthday, Early life, Personal Life, Education, etc.)
#1. LeBron James, real name LeBron Raymone James is a 36-year-old American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and an entrepreneur who was born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio.
#2. Lebron James was born to a 16-year-old mother, Gloria Marie James. His father, Anthony McClelland, has an extensive criminal record and was not involved in his life.
#3. The United States of America is his nationality, his height: 6 ft 8 in (2.05 m) tall. His zodiac sign is Capricorn.
#4. When James was growing up, life was often a struggle for the family, as they moved from apartment to apartment in the seedier neighborhoods of Akron while Gloria struggled to find steady work.
#5. Realizing that her son would be better off in a more stable family environment, Gloria allowed him to move in with the family of Frank Walker, a local youth football coach who introduced James to basketball when he was nine years old.
#6. When LeBron was just an infant his mother gave him a miniature hoop and basketball which he played with for hours.
#7. LeBron attended St Vincent-St Mary High School, a private Catholic school with predominantly white students, where, as a sophomore, he became the youngest person ever to join the USA Today All USA first team.
#8. James began playing organized basketball in the fifth grade. He later played Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball for the Northeast Ohio Shooting Stars.
#9. In his junior year, he was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year. It was also around this time that he became known as “King James”.
#10. The team enjoyed success on a local and national level, led by James and his friends Sian Cotton, Dru Joyce III, and Willie McGee. The group dubbed themselves the “Fab Four” and promised each other that they would attend high school together.
#11. James began to appear on the cover of “SLAM” magazine and Sports Illustrated even though he was still in high school. It was clear to everyone that LeBron was destined to be an NBA superstar.
#12. LeBron James was chosen by the Cleveland Cavaliers as the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft. During his first season, he was the youngest player to ever score 40 points in a single game, as well as the youngest player ever to be voted Rookie of the Year.
#13. In addition to playing for the Cavaliers, he has also played for the United States Olympic basketball team and won bronze and gold medals in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, respectively. In 2012 and 2013, LeBron and The Miami Heat won the NBA championship. He was also voted MVP of both series.
About
#14. Widely considered one of the greatest NBA players in history, James is frequently compared to Michael Jordan in debates over the greatest basketball player of all time.
#15. Playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and Los Angeles Lakers, James is the only player in NBA history to have won NBA championships with three franchises as Finals MVP.
#16. He has competed in ten NBA Finals, including eight consecutive with the Heat and Cavaliers from 2011 through 2018.
#17. His accomplishments include four NBA championships, four NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards, four Finals MVP Awards, and two Olympic gold medals.
#18. During his 17-year career, James holds the record for all-time playoffs points, is third in all-time points, and eighth in career assists.
#19. James has been selected to the All-NBA First Team a record 13 times, made the All-Defensive First Team five times, and has been named an All-Star 17 times, including three All-Star MVP selections.
#20. James played basketball for St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, where he was heavily touted by the national media as a future NBA superstar.
#21. A prep-to-pro, he was selected by Cleveland with the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft. Named the 2003–04 NBA Rookie of the Year, he soon established himself as one of the league’s premier players, winning the NBA MVP Award in 2009 and 2010.
#22. After failing to win a championship with Cleveland, James left in 2010 to sign as a free agent with Miami. This move was announced in an ESPN special titled The Decision and is one of the most controversial free-agent decisions in sports history.
#23. James won his first two NBA championships while playing for the Heat in 2012 and 2013; in both of these years, he also earned league MVP and Finals MVP.
#24. After his fourth season with the Heat in 2014, James opted out of his contract to re-sign with the Cavaliers.
#25. In 2016, he led the Cavaliers to victory over the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals by coming back from a 3–1 deficit, delivering the franchise’s first championship, and ending Cleveland’s 52-year professional sports title drought.
#26. In 2018, James opted out of his contract with the Cavaliers to sign with the Lakers, where he won the 2020 championship and was awarded his fourth Finals MVP.
#27. Off the court, James has accumulated additional wealth and fame from numerous endorsement contracts.
#28. He has been featured in books, documentaries (including winning a Sports Emmy Award for a documentary as an executive producer), and television commercials, and has hosted the ESPY Awards (including winning 19 ESPY Awards in his own right) and Saturday Night Live.
#29. In 2015, he appeared in the film Trainwreck. James is also a part-owner of Liverpool F.C. since 2011, with the club winning the 2018–2019 UEFA Champions League and 2019–2020 Premier League.
#30. Having become more involved in philanthropic and activist pursuits later in his career, James’s charitable organization, the LeBron James Family Foundation, helped open a school, housing complex, and community center and retail plaza in his hometown of Akron.
High school career (Basketball)
#31. As a freshman, James averaged 21 points and 6 rebounds per game for the St. Vincent-St. Mary varsity basketball team.
#32. The Fighting Irish went 27–0 en route to the Division III state title, making them the only boys high school team in Ohio to finish the season undefeated.
#33. As a sophomore, James averaged 25.2 points and 7.2 rebounds with 5.8 assists and 3.8 steals per game.
#34. For some home games during the season, St. Vincent-St. Mary played at the University of Akron’s 5,492-seat Rhodes Arena to satisfy ticket demand from alumni, fans, as well as college and NBA scouts who wanted to see James play.
#35. The Fighting Irish finished the season 26–1 and repeated as state champions. For his outstanding play, James was named Ohio Mr. Basketball and selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team, becoming the first sophomore to do either.
#36. Before the start of his junior year, James was featured in Slam, an American basketball magazine, and writer Ryan Jones lauded him as possibly “the best high school basketball player in America right now”.
#37. During the season, he also appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, becoming the first high school basketball underclassman to do so.
#38. With averages of 29 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 3.3 steals per game, he was again named Ohio Mr. Basketball and selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team, and became the first junior to be named male basketball Gatorade National Player of the Year. St. Vincent-St. Mary finished the year with a 23–4 record, ending their season with a loss in the Division II championship game.
#39. Following the loss, James unsuccessfully petitioned for a change to the NBA’s draft eligibility rules in an attempt to enter the 2002 NBA draft. During this time, he used marijuana, which he said was to help cope with the stress that resulted from the constant media attention he was receiving.
#40. Throughout his senior year, James and the Fighting Irish traveled around the country to play a number of nationally-ranked teams, including a game against Oak Hill Academy that was nationally televised on ESPN2.
#41. Time Warner Cable, looking to capitalize on James’s popularity, offered St. Vincent-St. Mary’s games to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis throughout the season.
#42. For the year, James averaged 31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 3.4 steals per game, was named Ohio Mr. Basketball and selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team for an unprecedented third consecutive year, and was named Gatorade National Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.
#43. He participated in three year-end high school basketball all-star games—the EA Sports Roundball Classic, the Jordan Capital Classic, and the McDonald’s All-American Game—losing his National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) eligibility and making it official that he would enter the 2003 NBA draft.
#44. Also during his senior year, James was the centerpiece of several controversies. For his 18th birthday, he skirted state amateur bylaws by accepting a Hummer H2 as a gift from his mother, who had secured a loan for the vehicle by utilizing James’s future earning power as an NBA superstar.
#45. This prompted an investigation by the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) because its guidelines stated that no amateur may accept any gift valued over $100 as a reward for athletic performance. James was cleared of any wrongdoing because he had accepted the luxury vehicle from a family member and not from an agent or any outside source.
#46. Later in the season, James accepted two throwback jerseys worth $845 from an urban clothing store in exchange for posing for pictures, officially violating OHSAA rules and resulting in him being stripped of his high school sports eligibility.
#47. James appealed the ruling and his penalty was eventually dropped to a two-game suspension, allowing him to play the remainder of the year. The Irish were also forced to forfeit one of their wins, their only official loss that season. In his first game back after the suspension, James scored a career-high 52 points. St. Vincent-St. Mary went on to win the Division II championship, marking their third division title in four years.
High School Career (Football)
#48. As an underclassman, James played wide receiver for St. Vincent-St. Mary’s football team.
#49. He was recruited by some Division I programs, including Notre Dame. At the conclusion of his sophomore year, he was named first-team all-state, and as a junior, he helped lead the Fighting Irish to the state semifinals.
#50. He did not play during his senior year because of a wrist injury that he sustained in an AAU basketball game.
#51. Some sports analysts, football critics, high school coaches, former and current players have speculated that James could have played in the National Football League.
Career history
#52. After setting the high school basketball world on fire, LeBron skipped college and was drafted as the #1 pick by his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, in the 2003 NBA draft. LeBron played for the Cavs from 2003 to 2010.
#53. He then “took his talents” to Miami, where he played for the Heat from 2010 to 2014. He led the Heat to two NBA championships, 2012 and 2013.
#54. He returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014 to 2018, winning a championship in 2016.
#55. In 2018 he moved to the Los Angeles Lakers where he currently plays at. He won a championship with LA in 2020.
What is LeBron James’ Net Worth?
#56. He is the sixth-highest paid player in the NBA in terms of salary alone. LeBron James has a net worth of $500 million. His annual base salary is $41.1 million. He earns $2 million weekly.
#57. Outside of sports, LeBron is one of the highest-earning and globally powerful celebrities on the planet. He earns more than $50 million per year in endorsements and has a $1 billion lifetime contract with Nike. He has parlayed his fame and wealth into a veritable business empire, with investments in a number of startups. He is a part-owner of Liverpool F.C.
#58. At his current earnings and investment pace, LeBron James will become a billionaire in 2035.
Annual Income
#59. Every year, LeBron James earns around $40 million in salary from the NBA and roughly $55 million from endorsements. That brings his total annual income to roughly $100 million.
#60. Between June 2016 and 2017, LeBron earned $86 million. Between June 2017 and June 2018, LeBron earned $85.5 million. Between June 2018 and June 2019 he earned another roughly $85 million.
Career Earnings
#61. During his first 10 seasons in the NBA, LeBron James earned just over $126 million in salary alone. During that same time period, LeBron earned an estimated $326 million from endorsements. That’s $452 million from his first decade as a professional. LeBron signed a two-year $85 million contract extension with the Lakers. By the time that contract is up in 2023, LeBron will have earned $428 million in NBA salaries.
#62. As of this writing, LeBron has earned slightly over $700 million from contracts and endorsements during his career (before taxes and expenses).
Endorsement Deals
#63. LeBron has endorsement deals with dozens of companies including McDonald’s, Microsoft, State Farm, Beats by Dre, Coca-Cola, Dunkin-Donuts, Baskin Robbins, Samsung, Nike, and more.
#64. In addition to endorsing Beats by Dre, LeBron also owned 1% of the company. He earned royalty payments totaling $1 million during his years as a spokesman. When the company sold to Apple for $3 billion, LeBron’s cut was $30 million.
Nike Deal
#65. LeBron signed his first Nike endorsement deal at the age of 18. The deal paid $90 million over seven years, $12.8 million per year. He actually was offered $115 million to sign with Reebok.
#66. Today LeBron earns $20 million per year from Nike in the form of salary and royalty payments for his signature shoe line.
#67. In December 2015, LeBron signed a lifetime endorsement deal with Nike that ultimately could be worth more than $1 billion. It is the very first-lifetime deal Nike had ever offered and reportedly the largest deal in the company’s history.
Contracts
#68. As most people know, LeBron skipped college and went straight to the pros as the first pick of 2003 the NBA draft by his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
#69. His first contract paid $18.8 million over 4 years. He signed a three-year $60 million extension with the Cavs before the 2007-2008 season that upped his annual salary from $5.8 million to $13 million, $14.4 million, and finally $15.8 million for the 2009-2010 season.
#70. Heading into the 2011 season, LeBron infamously announced his intention to leave Cleveland for Miami with a televised special called “The Decision”. While he would be derided for the seemingly arrogant television special for years, “The Decision” raised roughly $6 million for charity. When LeBron moved to Miami, he took a lower-than-market rate of $110 million over six years.
#71. He did this because he (rightly) predicted he could win an NBA Championship in Miami along with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. In his first season with The Heat, he actually earned $1.2 million LESS than what he was making in Miami.
#72. After four seasons with The Heat, LeBron returned to Cleveland ahead of the 2014-2015 season. During his years in Cleveland, LeBron purposely chose 1-year contracts to maximize his earnings potential each subsequent season as the NBA salary cap rose.
#73. In 2016, fresh off winning the NBA championship, LeBron signed a three-year $100 million deal with the Cavs. In the first year, he made $23 million. In the second year, he made $30.963 million, which also made him the highest-paid player in the league for the first time in his career. In the third year of the deal, he made a league-leading $33.285 million.
#74. Ahead of the 2018-2019 season, LeBron moved from the Cavs to the Lakers with a four-year $153 million deal that pays an average annual salary of $38 million.
#75. In November 2020 LeBron and the Lakers announced a two-year $85 million contract extension that will keep him with the team through 2023. That works out to $42.5 million per year in base NBA salary.
Will LeBron James Be A Billionaire?
#76. Before he becomes a net worth billionaire, LeBron first must join the billion-dollar athlete club. That club currently has six members: Michael Schumacher ($1 billion), Floyd Mayweather ($1.1 billion) Jack Nicklaus ($1.15 billion), Arnold Palmer ($1.35 billion), Tiger Woods ($1.65 billion), and Michael Jordan ($1.9 billion).
#77. When you combine his new salary and upcoming endorsements, LeBron’s career earnings will easily top $100 million every year over his four years in LA. Perhaps closer to $110 or $120 million. Even at the $100 million level, by year four of his contract, LeBron James will pass the $1 billion career earnings mark.
#78. Assuming LeBron signs at least one more three-year NBA contract before retiring, by 2024 his total NBA salary earnings will be roughly $350 million. When it’s all totaled up, LeBron will likely retire in roughly 2025 with around $1.1 billion in career total earnings.
#79. LeBron follows in the footsteps of legends like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Kobe Bryant, his net worth will surpass $1 billion in 2035 when he is 51 years old.
Personal Life and Real Estate
#80. On December 31, 2011, James proposed to Savannah Brinson, his high school sweetheart, at his 27th New Year’s Eve birthday party. They married on September 14, 2013, in San Diego, California.
#81. James has three children with his high school sweetheart Savannah Brinson.
#82. He and his high school sweetheart-turned-wife, Savannah Brinson, had their first son, Bronny LeBron James Jr., on October 6, 2004.
#83. Three years later (in 2007) they had a second son, named Bryce Maximus, and, on October 22, 2014, they welcomed their first daughter, Zhuri.
Houses And Rea Estate
#84. When they lived in Miami, the James family owned a $9 million mansion overlooking Biscayne Bay in Coconut Grove.
#85. In November 2015 LeBron bought a 9,350 square-foot mansion in LA’s Brentwood neighborhood for $21 million. At the time it was the highest price paid for a home in the neighborhood. He attempted to sell this home for about a year, but ultimately accepted a slight loss when he sold it in September 2021 for $19.6 million.
#86. In November 2017 LeBron plunked down $23 million for a new mansion in Brentwood.
#87. In September 2020 LeBron paid $36.8 million for a mansion in Beverly Hills.
#88. Back in Ohio LeBron owns one of the most expensive homes in the Cleveland area. Located in Bath Township. The home, which LeBron had custom-built, is valued at $9.5 million by Ohio tax authorities. It has 20 total rooms in 30,000 square feet of living space. He bought the property back in 2003 when he was 18 fresh after joining the NBA.
#89. James rescued fellow basketball player Carmelo Anthony from the water during a boating excursion in the Bahamas with Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul when Anthony was carried away from the boat by the current. Anthony described the incident in an Instagram Live session in March 2020.
#90. James invests heavily in his health. He has a heavy exercise regimen and dietary habits that are atypical for a top athlete.
SpringHill Entertainment
#91. LeBron and his business partner Maverick Carter are the co-founders of the production company SpringHill Entertainment. The company has produced movies, documentaries, and television shows.
Blaze Pizza
#92. In 2012 LeBron decided to invest in a pizza startup called Blaze Pizza. At the time he was under contract with McDonald’s. In 2017, LeBron actually turned down a $15 million extension offer from McDonald’s so he could go all-in with Blaze Pizza.
#93. As of this writing he owns at least 21 Blaze pizza franchises and the company is one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains of all time. LeBron’s equity stake at the company’s latest valuation is worth $40 million.
Liverpool F.C.
#94. While it is LeBron’s ultimate goal to own an NBA team, in the meantime he’ll have to make do with owning a soccer team. In 2011, LeBron struck a deal to acquire a 2% stake in Liverpool F.C. from the club’s majority owners, the Fenway Sports Group (owners of the Red Sox).
#95. In the years since the deal was struck, Liverpool won the UEFA Champions League tournament and has grown to be worth $2 billion. LeBron’s stake is worth at least $40 million.
LeBron James Social Media Accounts
#96. Twitter: @KingJames
#97. Instagram: @KingJames
#98. Facebook: LeBron
#99. YouTube: L. James
#100. Website: lebronjames.com
Career highlights and awards
- 3× NBA champion (2012, 2013, 2016)
- 3× NBA Finals MVP (2012, 2013, 2016)
- 4× NBA Most Valuable Player (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013)
- 17× NBA All-Star (2005–2021)
- 3× NBA All-Star Game MVP (2006, 2008, 2018)
- 12× All-NBA First Team (2006, 2008–2018)
- 2× All-NBA Second Team (2005, 2007)
- 5× NBA All-Defensive First Team (2009–2013)
- NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2014)
- NBA Rookie of the Year (2004)
- NBA scoring champion (2008)
- Cleveland Cavaliers all-time leading scorer
- AP Athlete of the Year (2013)
- Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year (2012)
- USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year (2012)
- 2× Mr. Basketball USA (2002, 2003)
- Naismith Prep Player of the Year (2003)
- McDonald’s All-American Game MVP (2003)
- 3× Ohio Mr. Basketball (2001–2003)
Quotes on Success
“I’m going to use all my tools, my God-given ability, and make the best life I can with it.”
“You can’t be afraid to fail. It’s the only way you succeed – you’re not gonna succeed all the time, and I know that.”
Summary
What is Lebron James’ net worth? LeBron James is an American basketball player and entrepreneur. As of 2021, Lebron James’ net worth is $500 million. Lebron James earns an annual income of $100 million and a weekly income of $2 million. He is still married to his High School lover, Savannah Brinson, and they have three kids: Bronny LeBron James Jr., Bryce Maximus James, and Zhuri James.
