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LeBron James has achieved a lot in the game since entering the NBA in 2003 - a trophy-laden career that has seen the LA Lakers superstar described as one of the greatest of all time.
His record-breaking skills have not been limited to the court; he has also bagged numerous endorsements off basketball, many of which have elevated the 36-year-old to the global icon he is today.
In August, Forbes announced that the superstar would surpass the US$ one billion mark by the end of the year. Although NBA legend Michael Jordan was the first basketball player to hit the US$ one billion mark, James will be the first to do so while active.
King James was announced as the highest earner in the NBA for the eighth year in a row. He is set to earn over US$ 111.2 million this season from his Lakers salary and off-court endorsements, bettering his US$ 96.5 million record from last season. It makes him only the 10th athlete in the world to earn over US$ 100 million in a year.
James also has a good amount of his wealth coming from his involvement in entertainment ventures. His most recent Hollywood outing was a remake of the iconic Space Jam movie that starred fellow NBA legend, Jordan.
Here's the top 5 LeBron James endorsement deals
#5 AT&T
James signed a multi-year marketing and brand collaboration contract with the telecommunications giant in February 2020 to promote the company along with its many platforms. Although the details of the deal are not public, his marketing project with the company is rumored to be one of his most lucrative ventures ever.
The four-time NBA champion has already worked with Warner Media - one of the brand’s affiliates - in the production of his recent movie Space Jam 2 which should continue to see more financial gains over the duration of his contract.
#4 PepsiCo
After ending his 17-year stay with Coca-Cola, James joined their rivals, standing as the new face of their Mountain Dew brand.
The athlete is reportedly said to have earned millions over a multi-year contract with the soda giants. The company has already begun to reap the benefits of working with the NBA icon.
It has also been rumored that Blaze Pizza - another of James’ ventures - would start selling the product around the US, giving the star more hands-on-deck participation in his latest venture.
#3 Samsung
James famously signed a lucrative contract worth over US$100 million with the electronics corporation in 2012. The deal ran until 2017 and included marketing and commercials for the company.
During his endorsement, his relationship with the company went through troubled periods, none more high profile than his infamous deleted Samsung Galaxy tweet in 2014 which saw him take aim at the company after reportedly having all his media deleted.
#2 Beats by Dre
James' deal with Beats is one of his biggest to date. He signed with the company in 2008 to promote their product and reportedly earned US$ one million per commercial and marketing before acquiring a minor stake in the company.
However, his biggest payout came from Apple’s US$3 billion acquisition of the headphone company. The deal sees James bag a hefty US$ 30 million for his stake in the company.
However, there have been rumors of James earning more than US$ 700 million from the buyout due to deeper connections with Beats by Dre before the acquisition.
#1 Nike
Since choosing a less profitable Nike deal over a Reebok endorsement in his early days in the NBA, James has gone from strength to strength. He joined Michael Jordan as one of the global NBA icons representing the sneaker giant, going on to amass a lot of wealth from a made in heaven partnership with the company.
His first deal in 2003 saw him pull in an US$ 87 million contract, launching a series of shoes inspired by him. The superstar currently makes over US$ 32 million a year from his entire dealings with Nike.
