“Oh my God, I’m gonna be so excited”: LeBron James to become the 5th active player to cross $1 billion in career earnings after Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo

LeBron James is about to cross $1 billion in career earnings by the end of 2021 and the 4x NBA champion couldn’t be more excited. 

LeBron James is perhaps the most notable athlete of this generation, at least in the United States. His influence has transcended mere basketball and reached nearly every nook and craney of the world.

Guys like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are no doubt more popular worldwide but do not garner the same type of attention LeBron James does. When James speaks, the world listens. 

So it isn’t surprising that the ‘King’ is set to be a part of rarified air, as per usual. This time, he joins an exclusive club off the court and that is the billion dollar club. James is on track to reach this milestone sometime next season. 

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LeBron James is set to make his first billion dollars

The 4x champ is set to make nearly $100 million this season. Interestingly enough, around $65 million of that comes from his various endorsements. He is set to make $31 million from his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.

He was initially going to make $39 million this year, but due to the NBA suffering from the pandemic, they are cutting each player’s salary by 20% as a result of their escrow system. 

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When asked about eventually being a part of such rarified company, LeBron said, “It’s my biggest milestone. Obviously, I want to maximize my business. If I happen to get it, if I happen to be a billion-dollar athlete then hip hip hooray! Oh my god, I’m going to be so excited.” 

According to Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes, James is set to surpass the $1 billion mark by the end of 2021. He will join the likes of Tiger Woods, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and former NBA superstar, Michael Jordan. Jordan is the only NBA player to have crossed the $1 billion mark in their career.