- LeBron James is one of the greatest basketball players of all time and has built up quite the résumé off the court also.
- James has a lavish lifestyle but is also quite frugal in his attempt to become a billionaire athlete.
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On the court, LeBron James has won four MVPs, three NBA championships, and is the sixth-highest-paid player in league history.
Off the court, James is equally relentless. In late 2015, James signed a lifetime endorsement deal with Nike worth more than $1 billion – a move that was so big it is more like the merger of two corporations. He also opened a public school in Akron to help at-risk kids and will pay for many of those children to go to college.
As a result of his success on and off the court, James has amassed amazing cars and houses and still has time for his surprisingly ordinary family. King James is also well on his way toward his goal of becoming a billion-dollar athlete.
Tony Manfred and Emmett Knowlton contributed to this report.
LeBron has made $233.9 million in career NBA salary, good enough for sixth most all-time.
With LeBron's new Lakers contract, he will join Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett in two years as the NBA's only $300 million players. By the end of the deal, his career on-court earnings would reach $387 million, the most in NBA history.
Read more: The 25 highest-paid NBA players of all time
LeBron also makes about $55 million per year off the court in endorsements. His estimated $86 million in total annual earnings is second among all athletes, trailing only Cristiano Ronaldo.
Source: Forbes
Not coincidentally, Ronaldo and LeBron are also 1-2 in terms of the world's most popular athletes.
Read more: The 18 most famous athletes in the world in 2018
In 2016, it was estimated that he had a net worth of $275 million and growing.
Source: Forbes
His endorsements include Beats, Intel, Sprite (Coca-Cola), and Kia
He also has a monster deal with Nike. The company signed him to a seven-year, $93 million deal right out of high school, and in December 2015 it signed him to a lifetime deal that will go far beyond the standard shoe endorsement and is expected to be worth $1 billion.
Read more: "LeBron James just signed the biggest endorsement deal in Nike history"
James also decided not to renew his endorsement deal with McDonald's and instead became a spokesman for Blaze Pizza, a company where he was a founding investor.
Read more: "LeBron James has turned his back on McDonald's to bet on a Chipotle-style pizza chain"
He is also a co-owner of Unknwn, a sneaker and designer clothing retailer that will soon be opening their second brick and mortar store in the Miami area.
Source: Miami New Times
Economists estimated he was worth as much as $500 million to the city of Cleveland.
Source: Time
He's also quite the businessman himself. He owns a piece of Liverpool FC.
Source: Sporting News
LeBron bought a 2% stake in the team for about $6.5 million. His share is now worth about $32 million.
Read more: LeBron James' $6.5 million investment in Liverpool FC is already paying off big time
Warren Buffett said of LeBron, "He's savvy. He's smart about financial matters. It's amazing to me the maturity he exhibits."
Source: Sporting News
In 2015, his new media venture got $16 million from Warner Bros.
Source: Bloomberg
The most anticipated project that is expected to come from this partnership is "Space Jam 2," a sequel to the popular basketball movie that starred Michael Jordan and Loony Tunes characters.
Read more: LeBron James reveals the latest details of the much-anticipated 'Space Jam 2'
LeBron got into a bizarre feud with Nick Saban over the rights to air a show that involves people talking about current events in a barbershop.
He and Arnold Schwarzenegger are part of an investment group that invested in Georgetown Company Bill Ackman's Hell's Kitchen office building.
Read more: LeBron James and Arnold Schwarzenegger own part of Bill Ackman's office building
Despite persistent rumors that LeBron owns a stake in Klutch Sports Agency with his longtime friend, Rich Paul, the NBA says that is not the case.
Source: NBC Sports
He also helped design a $51,000 watch.
Source: Forbes
All that savvy has allowed him to buy some sweet toys. Dwyane Wade and he have matching Porsches. It's unclear who has which color.
He also owns a Rolls-Royce Phantom with TVs in the seats.
Source: Instagram
And he bought his mom a Porsche for her birthday.
Source: Instagram
And a Ferrari Testarossa for his wife.
Source: Instagram
But he insists that he drives a Kia, even to work. But to be fair, his custom K900 luxury sedan is not your typical Kia.
Even the wheels have his personal logo.
But he does own a Ferrari.
Source: CheatSheet
He also has a much bigger vehicle with customized headrests and a big-screen TV on which LeBron likes to watch Tom & Jerry.
When he joined the Miami Heat, he bought a $9 million home in Coconut Grove. He sold it for a $4 million profit.
Read more: "LeBron James just sold his Miami mansion for $4 million profit"
He also owns a 30,000-square-foot compound in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. In the past, he's hosted Thanksgiving there for his entire team.
Source: Instagram
And in 2017 he purchased a $23 million mansion in Los Angeles that has 10 bedrooms and an onyx bar.
Despite spending $23 million on the new house, James is still making some changes. According to TMZ, James is "adding a basketball court, indoor wine tap (dude LOVES his wine), and is working on the paperwork to get a pizza oven ... while also making changes to the theater and pool."
Source: TMZ
Not all of LeBron's spending is on himself. He has also pledged, through The LeBron James Family Foundation, to pay for as many as 2,300 kids to go to college. So far, over 1,000 kids are already in the program.
The I Promise program also opened a new public school in Akron for at-risk children that will ultimately house nearly 1,000 kids in grades 1-8.
Among his other donations, he also gave $2.5 million to a new Muhammad Ali exhibit at the Smithsonian.
Read more: LeBron James will donate $2.5 million to a new Muhammad Ali exhibit at the Smithsonian
Despite all the spending, Dwyane Wade once called James "the cheapest guy in the NBA." LeBron said that was "so, so, so, so falsely true."
James won't even use his phone if it is not on wifi: "No, I'm not doing that. I'm not turning on data roaming, I'm not buying no apps, I still got Pandora with commercials."
When Pandora heard that, they offered LeBron a free premium account.
LeBron reportedly spends more than $1.5 million per year just to take care of his body.
Read more: LeBron James takes immaculate care of his body, and the NBA world is in awe of it
One of the ways he splurges on his own body is by using a controversial cryotherapy chamber, which exposes the body to temperatures of -150 to -290 degrees Fahrenheit, to relieve pain and enhance muscle recovery. He was one of the first NBA players to use one.
Read more: "A 24-year-old woman was recently found dead in one of the freezing chambers that celebrities like Demi Moore swear by"
He also employs a former Navy SEAL who serves as his biomechanist, a recovery coach, personal chefs, and masseuses. And he apparently works out with Mark Wahlberg.
Source: Instagram
He also has a full gym, an ice tub, and a hot tub.
Read more: LeBron James takes immaculate care of his body, and the NBA world is in awe of it
Former teammate Mike Miller: "Where a lot of people don't do it, he puts a lot of money behind taking care of his body. A lot of people think it's a big expense, but that big expense has allowed him to make a lot more money for a long period of time."
Source: Bleacher Report
LeBron also uses one of the most exclusive tattoo artists in the country, Bang Bang Tattoos in New York City, which charges a minimum of $500 per hour. Keith "Bang Bang" McCurdy's other customers include Rihanna, Justin Bieber, and Katy Perry.
His lavish purchases aren't just for himself. He bought his wife Savannah Brinson a reported $300,000 engagement ring.
Source: Hollywood Life; Instagram
He also helped arrange to get Knicks head coach David Fizdale into a Samsung commercial as a wedding gift after the then-Heat assistant told LeBron not to get him anything. Fizdale even got paid, calling it "a nice little check for an assistant coach."
LeBron and Savannah are high-school sweethearts, and they have three kids together.
Source: Instagram
Their wedding was a three-day party in San Diego.
Source: Instagram
They went to Italy for their honeymoon.
Source: Instagram
And later traveled to Greece.
Source: Instagram
LeBron Jr., who is also known as Bronny, is turning into quite the ballplayer himself. Depending on what LeBron decides to do after his current Lakers contract, there is a chance the two could someday play in the same NBA game.
Savannah opened a juice bar in Miami when James was still with the Heat.
LeBron has become a bit of a fashion icon.
Well, most of the time. The other times he wears Christmas pajamas that are too small.
Source: Instagram
The only time we really see him let loose is when he wins something, ...
... like when he wore this awesome fang shirt at a nightclub after the Heat won the title in 2012, ...
... or when he ate pizza onstage with Drake after winning it all one year later.
Even superstars need to relax from time to time.
Source: Instagram
And like many in the NBA, LeBron has become a big fan of the vino.
Source: Instagram
He's also been known to take costume parties seriously. He once made a cameo as Prince and did a decent "Purple Rain" lip sync.
Read more: "Here's video of LeBron James dressed as Prince for a Halloween party"
But in general he keeps himself out of the gossip pages. He even rode his bike to a game when he played in Miami.
Source: Twitter
When James returned to the Cavs he held off on a signing a long-term extension, because of the pending salary-cap explosion. The move made him millions in the long run.
Read more: "LeBron James re-signs with the Cavs on a one-year deal that sets him up to make millions more long-term"
But James went all-in with the Lakers, signing a four-year deal that will keep him in Los Angeles until he is at least 37. Maybe he will finally buy an app on his phone.
Now check out the house Michael Jordan is struggling to sell
