50,000 is a lot of anything, but when you consider that’s the number of points LeBron James has scored in his NBA career — well, then it becomes mind-boggling.
As one of basketball’s all-time greatest players, James’ achievement represents an NBA milestone. Only two other players have scored more than 40,000 points in regular season and playoff games: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (44,149) and Karl Malone (41,689).
James swooshed past Abdul-Jabbar’s record on February 7, 2023, but reaching the next round number, 50,000, which James hit as the Los Angeles Lakers took on the New Orleans Pelicans on March 4, 2025, is an achievement that likely won’t be matched anytime soon — if ever.
Dubbed “The Chosen One” by Sports Illustrated back when he was only 17 years old (he was so touched, he had the phrase tattooed on his back), James was rewarded for his tremendous vision and unparalleled skill by receiving the highest total career earnings out of any player in the NBA.
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He’s also a four-time NBA Champion (2012, 2013, 2016, 2020), four-time NBA MVP (2009, 2010, 20120, 2013), and three-time Team USA Olympic Gold Medalist (2008 Beijing, 2012 London, 2024 Paris).
But the $505 million King James earned playing for the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers only represents one slice of his overall wealth.
So, just how rich is he in 2025?
What is LeBron James' net worth in 2025?
According to Forbes, LeBron James has a net worth of $1.2 billion dollars as of spring 2025.
James is a living legend, among just a handful of NBA players ever to play past the age of 40, having hit that milestone birthday on December 30, 2024.
In fact, he’s continually proving that age is just a number, posting stats that are nearly identical to what he achieved during the 2012–2013 season, when he led the Miami Heat to their second NBA championship, and when James was named MVP for the second year straight.
INSANE 🐐
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 3, 2025
(h/t @forumbluegold ) pic.twitter.com/hG1udnJwAL
James is the only active NBA player to attain billionaire status, an achievement he reached in June 2022 — even though the Lakers missed the playoffs that year.
But business ventures and sponsorships actually represent the bulk of Bronny’s wealth. Forbes estimates that James’ off-court earnings total around $900 million in the form of endorsements and other deals.
This places him in the rarefied air of sports billionaires, which count Tiger Woods ($1.1 billion), and Magic Johnson ($1.2 billion) among their elite group.
Related: Tiger Woods’ net worth & earnings at age 50
In fact, only Michael Jordan has more money, at $3.2 billion, although only $100 million of that actually came from playing basketball.
Just how exactly does one become worth that much? For starters, by being the best player in your sport for a generation; James has a realistic chance of ending his career as the best to ever play the game.
But just like Woods, Johnson, and Jordan have proven, you also must be charismatic enough to get major endorsement deals that amplify your fame — as well as your bottom line.
James has not only done that; he’s basically rewritten the rule book when it comes to celebrity endorsements by structuring deals so that he also receives equity in the company he’s promoting — and not simply a paycheck.
Let’s take a look at how this legend did it.
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LeBron James' contracts
James was destined for greatness ever since he was a child. That's not just hindsight — his high school career saw him receive not just awards and distinctions, but features in magazines as well. His ascendance to superstardom was predicted way back then, and he reached that potential to great financial rewards.
Spotrac claims that LeBron has made over $269.6 million in cash earnings over the first 16 years of his career, and $259 million in the years after that.
His latest contract, signed in July, 2024, was a two-year, $104 million deal to stay with Lakers that included a no-trade clause.
LeBron James' contracts by year
| Year | Salary |
|---|---|
2003 |
$4,018,290 |
2004 |
$4,320,360 |
2005 |
$4,621,800 |
2006 |
$5,828,090 |
2007 |
$13,041,250 |
2008 |
$14,410,581 |
2009 |
$15,779,912 |
2010 |
$14,500,000 |
2011 |
$12,896,159 |
2012 |
$17,545,000 |
2013 |
$19,067,500 |
2014 |
$20,644,400 |
2015 |
$22,970,500 |
2016 |
$30,963,450 |
2017 |
$33,285,709 |
2018 |
$35,654,150 |
2019 |
$37,436,858 |
2020 |
$39,219,566 |
2021 |
$41,180,544 |
2022 |
$44,474,988 |
2023 |
$47,607,350 |
2024 |
$49,987,718 |
2025 |
$53,986,735 |
This season might not be his final one, either. Even though retirement whispers are growing louder, the NBA legend said in December 2024 that feels he could play at a “high level” for another five to seven years. However, he also added that he’s not going to do that. Rather, he said, he’ll be taking things on a year-to-year basis.
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LeBron James’ early life and NBA career
LeBron Raymone James Sr. was born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio. His mother, Gloria Marie James, was only 16 at the time and raised LeBron as a single mother since his father, Anthony McClelland, spent time in and out of prison for arson and theft and did not pay child support. James has a half-brother, Aaron McClelland Gamble, from another relationship McClelland had — although he left that family, too.
But James did not need a father figure to be successful. Instead, he used his family’s struggles as motivation to become the best player he could possibly be. His exceptional mix of size, speed, athleticism, strategy and versatility — which have allowed him to play multiple positions — helped him to not just succeed on the court but to dominate.
At St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, James led his team to three state championships and one national championship, scoring almost 2,700 points in the process. (He also played on the football team.)
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His basketball coach, Dru Joyce, said his greatness was apparent as early as elementary school, and only offered him one piece of advice, telling ABC5 News Cleveland, "I said to him one time, 'Bron, if you pass the ball, everyone will want to play with you ... And he got it." The two remain friends to this day.
James graduated in 2003 and immediately entered the 2003 NBA draft. He was selected as the #1 overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
LeBron James & the Cleveland Cavaliers
James’ first contract was for three years, $12.9 million, with an option for a fourth year. That option was exercised after just one season.
A promising rookie year in which he averaged nearly 21 points per game led to an even better second year when he made his first All-Star team. In his final year, the 6’9” 250-lb player averaged over 31 points per game and took the Cavaliers to the playoffs, breaking a 7-year playoff drought.
For these efforts, James was awarded in 2006 with a three-year contract extension worth $60 million. He rewarded the team in the 2006–07 season by nearly single-handedly bringing them to the NBA Finals, where they were swept by the Spurs. The next three seasons with the Cavs saw playoff appearances — as well as his first two league MVPs — but James' frustration with the team's inability to win a championship grew as free agency loomed.
LeBron James & the Miami Heat
In his first free agency, LeBron left Cleveland to join the Miami Heat—and was such a superstar that he did it in an infamous live televised event called The Decision.
It wasn't popular with fans, but LeBron's choice to do a sign-and-trade, where the Cavs traded him to the Heat for draft picks after signing him to a 6-year, $110 million contract, worked out. He went on to win a championship, and those first four years with the Heat saw a Finals appearance every time—with two Finals victories.
In those four years, LeBron also won two more MVPs and made the All-Star Game each year, and Spotrac estimates he made nearly $64 million in those seasons in salary.
LeBron James’ Cavs return
Still, in 2014, James decided to take advantage of the opt-out clause in his contract and become a free agent again. After deliberating, he signed a 2-year, $42.2 million contract to return to the Cavaliers, explaining in an emotional letter in Sports Illustrated that he wanted to win a championship for his city.
The Cavs struggled during LeBron's four years away, but he maintained his superstar stats and immediately brought them back to the Finals, where they lost to the Steph Curry-led Warriors.
But in 2015, in a rematch against a record-breaking Golden State Warriors team, James led a Cavaliers team that was down 3-1 in the series to a stunning comeback, winning a nail-biter of a Game 7 to bring the team its first-ever championship. It was the city of Cleveland's first since 1964. LeBron, unsurprisingly, was Finals MVP.
His mission was accomplished, but he signed a 3-year, $100 million contract with Cleveland afterward. The team made the Finals the first two years of this contract, but saw a fall to the Warriors, now playing with superstar Kevin Durant, each time.
Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images
LeBron James & the Los Angeles Lakers
James was rumored to want to go to multiple teams even before he opted out of his contract: The Spurs, the Rockets, and the 76ers were all mentioned repeatedly. But it was a different team he had been linked to, the Lakers, that won out.
It was announced on the night of July 1, 2018, that LeBron had agreed to a mega-deal with Los Angeles: 4 years, $154 million.
LeBron passed several career milestones in his first year in a Lakers uniform, but he also dealt with multiple injuries over the course of the year, a rough one for the Lakers that saw them fail to make the playoffs. It was the first time in 9 seasons that LeBron hadn't made the NBA Finals, and the first time since the 2004–05 season (back when he was just 20 years old) that he didn't appear in the playoffs at all.
With James in the position of point guard, the Lakers began the 2019–2020 season with the best record in the NBA, 17–2. On January 25, 2019, James surpassed Kobe Bryant’s record by scoring his 33,644th career point.
Tragically, the very next day, Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif. James delivered a eulogy for his friend the following week, saying:
"Kobe is a brother to me. From the time I was in high school watching him from afar, to getting in this league at 18 and watching him up close, all the battles that we had throughout my career, the one thing that we always shared was that determination to just want to win, to just want to be great. The fact that I'm here now means so much to me. I want to continue, along with my teammates, his legacy. Not only for this year, but for as long as we can play this game of basketball that we love, because that's what Kobe Bryant would want. So in the words of Kobe Bryant, 'Mamba out'. But in the words of us, 'not forgotten' Live on, brother."
—LeBron James' tribute to Kobe Bryant, January 31, 2020
James led the Lakers to a fourth championship that season, defeating the Heat in Game 6, and earning James his fourth Finals MVP.
In 2022, James became the inaugural member of the 30k-10k-10k club, as the only player ever to reach at least 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists.
He broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's scoring record during the 2023 season, although due to an ankle injury, James couldn’t help his team advance to the championship. They fell to the unstoppable Nikola Jokic during Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. The Denver Nuggets would go on to clinch the title that year.
In 2024, James became the player with the most minutes played in NBA games, both during the regular season and the playoffs, surpassing Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 66,300 minutes.
On July 6, 2024, James played alongside his son, Bronny, marking the first time a father-son duo ever played together.
And, at the Summer Olympic games in Paris, James led Team USA to Olympic gold after a thrilling final against France. There, he was named the tournament’s MVP, a fitting title for the King.
Jamie Squire/Getty Images
LeBron James' endorsement deals
Off the court, James is one of the wealthiest celebrities on the planet, earning $60–$90 million per year in endorsements from the likes of Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Walmart, Dunkin, and AT&T.
He even partnered with Kia on a "King James Edition" K900 car.
James founded the Ladder sports nutrition company with Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2018. Beachbody acquired the company in 2020 for $28 million in stock.
He was also a partner and spokesperson for Beats by Dre, a deal that proved especially lucrative after Apple purchased the company for $3 billion in 2014. James pocketed a cool $30 million from that alone.
LeBron James' Nike deal
James’ longest and most lucrative endorsement, though, is with Nike. He signed with the iconic sports brand in high school before he was even drafted, inking a 7-year, $90 million deal in 2003.
Over the years, James has released multiple lines of shoes with Nike while acting as a major ambassador for the brand.
He was rewarded at the end of 2015 with a Nike lifetime deal; it came out later that this deal was worth around $1 billion. Michael Jordan and Cristiano Ronaldo are the only other players to receive this extraordinary deal with Nike.
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LeBron James' businesses
James also has multiple business endeavors that reflect his talents as an entrepreneur. For instance, he turned down an estimated $15 million deal with McDonald’s in 2012, opting instead to invest in Blaze Pizza, a pizza chain of which he owns several franchises.
James owns nearly 10% of the company, and the investment has worked out tremendously for him; by 2017, it had become the country's fastest-growing chain restaurant, and his $1 million investment has grown into more than $35 million today.
SpringHill Entertainment
The TV and movie production company James founded in 2007 was named after the Akron housing complex he grew up. It produced the award-winning documentary “More Than a Game,” which chronicled James’ high school years and later expanded to include a marketing agency, James’ Robot Company, and a sports media company, Uninterrupted.
SpringHill Entertainment also produced films like 2021’s “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” which James starred in alongside Bugs Bunny, and the film generated $163.7 million at the box office.
In October 2021, the company received a $100 million investment from Fenway Sports Group and Epic Games. SpringHill Entertainment is now valued at $725 million, and James is its largest shareholder.
Fenway Sports Group (FSG)
According to Forbes, when SpringHill Entertainment entered its partnership with Fenway Sports Group, James also added a minority stake in the English Premier League soccer team Liverpool F.C.
In 2021, he and his business partner, Maverick Carter, traded those stakes to become part owners of FSG itself. Currently valued at $12.95 billion, FSG also owns the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Park and has a majority stake in the New England Sports Network.
James’ reportedly has an ownership share of 1%, which means that his stake alone is worth a cool $120 million.
LeBron James' charitable ventures
LeBron may have left Cleveland for Los Angeles, but that hasn't stopped him from using his wealth to help his Ohio community. In 2004, James started the LeBron James Family Foundation, dedicated to improving the lives of children in his hometown.
In 2018, James opened the I Promise School, a public elementary school that provides free tuition, meals, and transportation, along with college scholarships and job placement assistance for parents.
In 2020, after the death of George Floyd at the hands of police, James started "More Than a Vote," which was an organization dedicated to helping mobilize African American voters as well as fight voter suppression. Michael Jordan was one of its first donors, pledging $10 million.
LeBron James' Real Estate Portfolio
With the myriad financial successes James has had in his career, it's no wonder he likes to surround his family with luxury. But he's quite generous when it comes to giving back to his community, too.
According to Architectural Digest, James, his wife, Savannah, and their children Bronny, Bryca, and Zhuri, have called the star's 30,000 square-foot-mansion in Akron home since 2003.
Built when James was just 18 years old, it's currently valued at $9.2 million and boasts six bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, as well as a recording studio, an aquarium, barbershop, and a bowling alley.
James also purchased the former Tangier event space in downtown Akron in December 2020, transforming it into House Three Thirty, which hosts performance and meeting spaces, restaurants, and even a LeBron James museum.
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Over on the West Coast, the family also has a massive home in Brentwood, Calif. that James purchased for $23 million in 2017. This one has 8 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms, along with a wine cellar and an indoor/outdoor gym.
James also bought a $36.8 million compound in Beverly Hills in 2020 that had been previously owned by Hugh Hefner and Katharine Hepburn. James razed the property to the ground in June 2023; fans are eagerly awaiting its next incarnation.
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