Since entering the league in 2003, Los Angeles Lakers superstar James has built a business empire of endorsements, sponsorships and big contracts. James' value has soared throughout his long NBA career, and over the past few years, James has been one of the world's highest-paid athletes. Now the US media has written an analysis predicting that James's net worth in 2022 is about $500 million, ranking first among the NBA active players.
At the end of 2018, Forbes estimated James's net worth at $450 million, compared to his income of $89 million in 2019. In 2018, James signed a four-year, $153 million contract with the Lakers. James has made about $37.5 million on contract alone this season, yet James' earnings come from multiple sources, with most of his income in 2019 coming from endorsements.
Forbes announced james' endorsement revenue for $53 million in 2019, and some of his biggest endorsement deals include his lifetime deal with Nike, which he will pay $1 billion by the time he turns 65, and lucrative deals with Coca-Cola, Beats ByDre, and Kia Motors.
James is also a partner at California pizza chain Blaze Pizza, which owns 14 franchise stores in Chicago and South Beach. In 2019, James added multiple endorsement agreements to his portfolio agreements with Rimowa Luggage and Walmart.
All of this will clearly contribute to James' net worth boost in 2022, and it's also worth noting that given his off-the-counter commercial work, that number is likely to grow exponentially over time.
As an entrepreneur, James partnered with celebrities such as Cindy Crawford, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lindsay Vaughan in 2018 to launch health and wellness company Ladyer. James also helped start his own production company, Spring Hill Entertainment, and the media company Uninterrupted.
The combination of contract revenue and endorsements makes James the NBA's highest-paid active player, ahead of stars like Curry, Durant, Westbrook and Harden. After striking a deal with the Lakers in 2018, James earned more than $1 billion in career revenue.
James' other endorsement deals that increased his net worth include Upper Deck Trading Cards, State FarmInsurance, Dunkin Donuts, Baskin Robbins, Verizon, Intel and Swiss watch company AudemarsPiguet.
In terms of contracts for James' career, James earned $169,884,342 in 11 seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, $64,008,659 in four seasons with the Miami Heat, and $73,091,008 in two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Many believe James's eyes are on Hollywood, but even as he enters the late stages of his career, his assault on the championship may not be over. With James still at the forefront of the league in terms of talent and popularity, the Lakers stars may continue to get more endorsement opportunities.
(Text/Drunken Floating Life)