NBA superstar Lebron James was recently named the world’s second highest-paid athlete in Forbes Magazine.
Forbes ranked James as no. 2 in their top 10 highest-paid athletes list, released on May 11. According to the magazine, he earned a $121.2 million paycheck in 2021 and is worth an estimated $850 million.
His hefty net worth is partially attributed to business endeavors outside of basketball, including the sale of his minority stake in L.A.-based production company SpringHill, which spawned the hit film Space Jam: A New Legacy and James’ HBO talk show The Shop: Uninterrupted.
The 37-year-old also racked up a massive amount of money from endorsement deals with companies such as Crypto.com and investments in brands such as tech and gaming startup StatusPRO and home gym company Tonal.
In February, James appeared in a Crypto.com Super Bowl commercial that showed him alongside a computer-generated version of his younger self.
Ironically, sports journalist Taylor Rooks recalled NBA star Chris Paul saying that he was the most frugal person he knew during an interview with NBA player Kevin Love.
“He says, ‘Taylor, LeBron is the most frugal person I know.’ He says, ‘When we walk into a place, the first thing LeBron says is, ‘What’s the wifi password? I don’t [want to] use my data,'” she told Love in the interview released on May 13.
"He's waiting for the wifi all the time."@kevinlove says @KingJames is the most frugal player he knows 😭 pic.twitter.com/8Ij4HFl0YG
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 13, 2022
Despite being wealthy, the 33-year-old responded to Rooks, saying that he too witnessed the Ohio native being frugal with his phone data.
“Behind the scenes, if we’re in Toronto…that drive from the airport and [then] going through customs, to then getting to our hotel, yeah, there’s no data used at all. Like, he’s waiting for the wifi all the time.”
Other sports players on Forbes’ 10 highest-paid athletes list include fellow basketball stars Steph Curry, Kevin Morant, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
