Everyone loves an underdog story in which the protagonist embarks on a rags-to-riches journey. LeBron James‘ story is inspirational. He grew up in a broken home and lived with family, friends, and even his football coach as a youngster before becoming one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Today, James has a net worth of $800 million and a legacy most people can only dream of.
LeBron James’ Early Life
James was born in Akron, Ohio, on December 30, 1984. His mother, Gloria May James, was only 16 when James was born. His father, Anthony McClelland, was a career criminal who had nothing to do with James as he grew up. Unsurprisingly, life was a struggle for young James, and his mother realized James needed a stable family environment to thrive.
His mother allowed James to move in with Frank Walker‘s family, a youth football coach who introduced him to basketball when he was only nine. Little did Walker know back then that James would become an all-time basketball great and a regular favorite with online sportsbooks in California, in the running for the Most-Valuable Player (MVP) award every season.
James excelled on his high school basketball team and had every major university clambering to sign him to their program. However, James never played college basketball; instead, he entered the 2003 NBA Draft, where the Cleveland Cavaliers selected him as the first overall pick. James signed a four-year rookie contract worth $18,788,540.
Personal Information About LeBron James
| Statistic | Information |
| Full/Real name | LeBron Raymone James Sr. |
| Nick/Popular name | LeBron James |
| Birth date | December 30, 1984 |
| Birthplace | Akron, Ohio, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Age (As of 2024) | 39 years old |
| Zodiac Sign | Capricorn |
| Gender | Male |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse | Savannah James (m. 2013) |
| Children | Two sons, Bronny and Bryce, and a daughter Zhuri |
| Famous For | Professional basketball player |
| Education | St. Vincent-St. Mary High School |
| Years Active | 2003 to today |
Becoming a Basketball Legend
James received the NBA Rookie of the Year Award after the 2003-2004 season, finishing with averages of 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 rebounds per game. James improved on those impressive averages the following season, earning his first NBA All-Star Game selection and being named to his first All-NBA Team.
The more James played, the better he became. His performances on the court wowed audiences worldwide, and it was evident that the NBA had a legitimate superstar and generational talent in its hands.
In 2007, James signed a four-year contract extension worth $60,380,987, allowing it to run down, becoming an unrestricted free agent in time for the 2014 NBA season. Every NBA team that could afford him wanted James on its roster, but he put pen to paper on a six-year, $109,837,500 deal with the Miami Heat.
James was under intense scrutiny but used the high-pressure environment to propel him to greatness. In his second and third seasons in Miami, he helped the Heat win back-to-back championships.
At the end of the 2013-14 season, James opted out of his mega-money contract and returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers, signing a two-year, $42,217,798 contract. James helped the Cavaliers reach the NBA Finals in his first season back with the team. He ended their 46-year championship drought the following season and guided them to two more Finals before opting out of his contract again when the 2017-18 season ended.
Joining the Los Angeles Lakers
James signed a four-year, $153,312,846 contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. He has since signed a two-year, $85,655,532 extension, another two-year, $99,023,288 deal, and is about to enter a two-year, $101,355,998 contract despite being almost 40 years old.
This contract is likely James’ last. If it is, his NBA salaries over the years will have earned him $580,822,455.
LeBron James’ Wife and Children
James married Savannah, his high school sweetheart, in a lavish ceremony in San Diego in September 2014. The happily married couple have three children: sons Bronny and Bryce and daughter Zhuri, born in 2004, 2007, and 2014, respectively.
Bronny James was a standout basketball player in high school before playing one season of college basketball for the USC Trojans. The Los Angeles Lakers selected Bronny as the 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, making him and LeBron James the first active father-son duo in NBA history.
LeBron James is Worth $800m
Although James has earned huge salaries throughout his long and illustrious career, the Ohio native’s business savvy should not be discounted. He signed a lifetime deal with Nike, which generates $32 million a year in income, and has other lucrative endorsement deals with the likes of PepsiCo.
Where some elite-level basketball players simply endorse products, James often takes things one step further and invests in the products he represents. For example, he turned down a deal with McDonald’s to join forces with Blaze Pizza. James invested $1 million in Blaze Pizza, which is worth $30 million today.
Perhaps his biggest success, the lifetime deal with Nike aside, was his investment in the headphone brand Beats by Dre. He was one of the early investors and earned $30 million in cash and stock when Apple bought the brand for $3 billion in 2014. In a 2020 interview, James’ former teammate Kendrick Perkins said James made $700 million from being a silent investor in Beats by Dre.
James also owns an estimated 1% of Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool Football Club, and many others. His share of Fenway Sports Group is valued at about $90 million.
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