This year’s Paris Olympics will see the participation of over 10,000 athletes, and over a billion people around the world are expected to tune in.
Also, the Olympics will see some of the world’s highest-paid athletes in the world and can create new millionaires, according to Forbes. For the first time in the history of the games, a billionaire will be competing. He is LeBron James.
James became a billionaire in 2022 when his net worth hit $1 billion, making him the first active NBA player to become a billionaire, according to Forbes. That same year, he achieved another personal milestone as the highest-paid NBA player in history via a new contract extension with the Lakers.
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The four-time champion and perennial NBA All-Star agreed to a two-year, $97.1 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers, putting him ahead of Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry as the highest-earning players in NBA history, as stated by CNBC Make It.
James, who has been with the LA Lakers since 2018, is now worth north of $1 billion. Forbes said the big reason for his billionaire status is that he has been more than just a pitchman. “James has long structured deals to give him equity in brands he partners with, giving him a cut of the upside instead of a quick paycheck,” according to Forbes.
In 2015, James walked away from an endorsement agreement with McDonald’s, worth an estimated $15 million. Instead, he gambled on the fast-growing Blaze Pizza chain, where he’s an investor. Born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio, James started playing basketball in his infancy. Basketball soon became a way of life for him, and when he joined his elementary school basketball team, he excelled.
His Nike endorsement deal came when he was only 18 years old. The basketball star’s partnership with Nike and his deals with brands like AT&T, PepsiCo, and Walmart made him one of the highest-earning athletes in the world.
Born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio, James started playing basketball in his infancy. Basketball soon became a way of life for him and when he joined his elementary school basketball team, he excelled.
At St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, James became the youngest person ever to join the USA Today All-USA First Team and was later named the Gatorade National Player of the Year.
While in high school, he was tipped as the next big thing in the NBA as he began to appear on the cover of “SLAM” magazine and Sports Illustrated. It is no wonder that today, he is one of the biggest stars in the NBA.
