LeBron James is adding another historic accolade to his resume.
This year, the Los Angeles Lakers star will become the fifth professional athlete to surpass $1 billion in career earnings while active, according to Forbes.
Other members of the club:
- Tiger Woods
- Floyd Mayweather
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Lionel Messi
More than half of James’ earnings — approximately $700 million — have come off the court. He’s earned more from endorsements, memorabilia and media than his playing contracts every year since 2010.
His 2020 earnings are expected to total $95.4 million, with about two-thirds coming from off-court sources. That’ll make him the top-earning player in the NBA for the seventh straight year, though 2016-17 was the only season he took home the league’s highest salary.
Counted among that career total is his billion-dollar lifetime contract with Nike, as well as 18 years as a Coca-Cola endorser — a deal set to come to an end this year as James is expected to sign a multi-year contract with PepsiCo.
His other endorsements include AT&T, Rimowa, GMC, Beats by Dre and Blaze Pizza — in which he owns an approximately 10% stake. James also has a 2% ownership stake in Liverpool FC, invested in Lobos 1707 Tequila and founded The SpringHill Company.
