Apart from being one of the greatest athletes in the world, LeBron James is also a very marketable personality. Thanks to the successful 20-year career he’s had, Bron has gathered one of the most loyal fan bases among any sports star. Over the course of his existence on social media, the Los Angeles Lakers legend has gathered millions of followers. As of today, the King has 157,000,000 followers on Instagram, more than 100,000,000 followers than the second-most followed NBA player. According to Hopper HQ, owing to the 157 million followers he’s gathered, LeBron earns $851,000 per post. Merely two years ago, when LBJ hadn’t even hit the 120 million mark, he earned almost $500,000 less. Despite appearing in the 14 most viewed NBA games since 2015, Stephen Curry’s earnings don’t come anywhere close.
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While many regard Michael Jordan as the greatest ever, LeBron James is gradually dominating the GOAT debate. Ever since LBJ won title #4, he joined the same stratosphere as the Chicago Bulls legend. However, after Bron clinched the NBA’s all-time scoring title, fans started to believe that these endless arguments had finally reached their conclusion. Being one of the two best basketball players in NBA history comes with a lot of benefits. One of the biggest is the $851,000 amount that the 6-foot-9 Forward receives per post thanks to 157 million followers.
LeBron James earns $851,000 per Instagram post
Back in 2020, when LeBron James had significantly fewer followers (59.7 million), he would receive $300,000 per sponsored post. Thanks to a 100 million jump in his followers in only three years, the four-time NBA Champion now earns a whopping $851,000 per post. As bizarre as it sounds, the 19-time All-Star earns much more per Instagram post than his per-game wage (approx. $580,000). As seen in the Instagram post by @sportskeeda_football, LeBron ranks 5th among the top sports celebrities in the world on the same list, trailing the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Virat Kohli, and Neymar Jr.
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In terms of the NBA, LeBron is miles ahead of his competition. Stephen Curry is the second-most followed personality with 53.7 million followers. The Golden State Warriors superstar earns $288,000 per post, almost $563,000 less than his rival.
A few years ago, with 12.5 million followers, i80 Sports Blog reported that Kevin Durant earned $33,967 per post. There may be a little bit of a difference now, considering that he has gained 800,000 followers since the report.
LeBron was the first active player to become a billionaire
LeBron has been successful ever since he set foot on the NBA hardwood. In 20 seasons, apart from achieving some of the best accolades possible, the icon has also racked up $431.9 million from contract earnings. Remember that James is also one of the smartest athletes in the world, making some wise moves investing his money.
Earlier in 2022, LeBron James was declared to be the first active NBA player who reached billionaire status. Apart from owning sports teams such as Liverpool and Boston Red Sox, James also has a massive stake in Blaze Pizza and The SpringHill Company, along with endorsements from Nike, AT&T, PlayStation, and many more high-profile brands.
