LeBron James becomes NBA's first active player worth $1 billion, per Forbes

LeBron James has become the first active NBA player to have a net worth of $1 billion, according to Forbes.

The Los Angeles Lakers megastar, a four-time NBA champion and the league's No. 2 all-time scorer, made $121.2 million from May 2021 to May 2022 in on-court salary and off-court earnings, according to Forbes. The total trailed only Lionel Messi, who made $130 million, on Forbes' highest-paid athletes list

Reaching $1 billion is something James has been thinking about for some time.

«I want to maximize my business,» James told GQ in 2014. «And if I happen to get it, if I happen to be a billion-dollar athlete, ho. Hip hip hooray! Oh, my god. I'm gonna be excited.»

Although the Lakers struggled in 2021-22 and James missed the playoffs for just the fourth time in his career, he did become, at 37, the oldest player to average 30 points per game in a season (30.3 PPG).

Off the court, James starred in «Space Jam: A New Legacy» and, according to Forbes, sold a minority stake in his production company, SpringHill, at a $725 million valuation. SpringHill produced the «Space Jam» sequel, which grossed $163 million worldwide, «The Shop,» which moved from HBO to YouTube last year; and a docuseries with tennis star Naomi Osaka. The company is also producing a remake of the 1990 comedy «House Party.»

James has made more than $385 million in salary from his 19-year career with the Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat.

Forbes' estimates for where James made the rest of his $1 billion:

• More than $500 million from cash and investments. Along with SpringHill, James made money from the sale of Beats by Dre to Apple in 2014 and has shares in fitness company Beachbody.

• $90 million from Fenway Sports Group. James was at one time