Lebron James is the first NBA athlete to become a billionaire while still playing with a net worth of $1 billion

In 2021, the King of Los Angeles will do more than simply claim the top NBA player salary for the seventh year in a row.  According to Forbes' estimation, LeBron James will soon become a member of the exclusive group of billionaire sportsmen that already includes Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, Lionel Messi, Floyd Mayweather, Cristiano Ronaldo, and, of course, His Airness Michael Jordan.

 For the seventh consecutive year, including off-court earnings, LeBron James is the highest-paid player in the NBA. The financial journal notes that the only season in which James earned the highest playing wage during his career was 2016–17.

In addition to an estimated US$64 million (AU$85 million) from endorsements, memorabilia, and the media, he is anticipated to make US$95.4 million (AU$127.6 million).  It is the largest haul in American team sports history and a record for an NBA player.

 His career earnings will reach $1 billion as a result of the historic year, which includes US$700 million (AU$936.4 million) off the court.  He is the third active athlete to achieve the three-comma club, joining Tiger Woods, Floyd Mayweather, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo.

It's interesting to note that Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors and Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets might soon join James.  With a 10-year contract with Nike and his astute investments through his Thirty-Five Ventures, Durant is likely to hit the capital B during his playing career, having amassed US$580 million (AU$758.6 million) in career earnings.  With his current career earnings of US$430 million (AU$582 million), Curry, on the other hand, has been positioned to follow in his footsteps due to his star power alone.

Anyone keeping score at home is undoubtedly aware of the four-time NBA MVP's hustle off the court.  It was disclosed last year that he might have received slightly more than the widely reported US$30 million for being an early adopter of Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine's Beats Electronics.  Until that time, it was generally believed that James only owned a tiny interest that he had acquired in 2008 as a brand ambassador.

However, one important aspect that relatively few people knew made those early claims inaccurate.  LeBron James was a silent investor in addition to being an ambassador paid a notably small proportion.  Therefore, James' cut was approximately US$700 million (AU$936.4 million) when Tim Cook and Apple finally agreed to pay US$3 billion (AU$4 billion) for Beats in its whole.  It's important to note that the man himself has not yet acknowledged the precise amount, so there's a good chance LeBron James has been living among us in secret as a billionaire.