LeBron James, with new Lakers deal, will become first NBA player to hit $500 million mark in career earnings

LeBron James has set more records and reached more milestones than perhaps any player in NBA history. He’s the league’s all-time scoring leader. He’s the only player in the 40,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists club. He’s the leader in playoff wins. He’s the leader in dozens of other things as well. But on Wednesday, James set himself up for a different sort of milestone, but one that a mogul such as him surely appreciates: his new contract with the Lakers will make him the NBA’s first half-billion dollar player.

As of the end of last season, James had earned in $479,466,457 in salary during his NBA career, according to Spotrac. His new deal, if it indeed comes in at the max, would pay him $49,987,718 next season. That obviously takes him beyond $500 million in total salary earned during his career. No other player, active or retired, has reached even $400 million in earnings yet. Even if he had taken a pay cut as many outlets reported he was willing to do to help the Lakers improve, virtually any reported scenario would have taken him beyond $500 million in total.

James, of course, earns plenty of money off of the court as well. He may only have half-a-billion in career NBA salary earned, but he’s reportedly been a billionaire since at least 2022. In addition to his NBA salary, James is on a lifetime deal with Nike that alone is reportedly worth approximately $1 billion. He has had numerous lucrative endorsement contracts throughout his career, and he has also pioneered a strategy that has become popular among athletes: demanding equity in such partnerships. One notable example of this came with his partnership with Beats headphones. He reportedly made approximately $30 million when Apple purchased Beats for $3 billion in 2014.

James has long been interested in using that accumulated wealth to become an NBA owner. He has publicly lobbied to become the owner of an expansion team in Las Vegas whose existence is not yet confirmed, but widely speculated on. James has also become a prolific figure in Hollywood through his production…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/lebron-james-with-new-lakers-deal-will-become-first-nba-player-to-hit-500-million-mark-in-career-earnings/

Author : Sam Quinn

Publish date : 2024-07-03 17:15:18

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