LeBron James and Michael Jordan have made millions of dollars through their off-court business endeavors, even though they may not have been the most well-known or most attractive basketball players of all time.
While Jordan's NBA contracts brought him $93 million, most of his wealth came from lucrative endorsement deals with brands like Nike and Gatorade. He also owns his own shoe company and the Charlotte Hornets.
LeBron James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time top scorer. That historical event has triggered discussions over the most outstanding player.
Jordan's NBA career earnings peaked at $93 million, while James' on-court earnings have been more than twice as high. With escrow deductions, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and Los Angeles Lakers have paid him $385 million in compensation. In addition, he has earned an astounding $700 million in endorsement, merchandising, licensing, and media money.
His earning potential off the court is even more astonishing. He founded the entertainment company SpringHill with business partner Maverick Carter in 2020. The business has created documentaries on Naomi Osaka and films like Space Jam: A New Legacy. Additionally, it collaborates with GMC and Blaze Pizza.
In addition to his record-breaking six NBA titles, Jordan has amassed a fortune off the court. He made US$90 million in pay during his playing career, and another US$1.8 billion (pre-tax) from endorsement deals with Nike, Gatorade, and Hanes.
Regarding the Nike contract, it is Jordan's primary source of income and brought in a whopping $130 million for him in 2017. In 1984, he agreed to his first five-year contract with the shoe company, which was paid $500,000 per year (about $1.2 million today), plus royalties.
Jordan has investments in several businesses besides his contract with Nike, including Beats by Dre, Blaze Pizza, and the quickly expanding Beachbody sports nutrition company. He also has a mansion close to Charlotte, North Carolina, and a Chicago residence decorated with his jersey number. Also, he has contributed to disaster recovery efforts in the Bahamas and the Carolinas.
Jordan is an extremely wise investor who knows how to manage his money. He has made investments in several prosperous enterprises.
He invested in Gigster, a tech business, as an illustration. The company links businesses with independent software developers and designers.
He also made an investment in the eSports organization aXiomatic. The firm is the parent company of the highly successful eSports squad Team Liquid.
He has invested in the massive eSports market to participate in the action. He has significantly profited from this investment, having made billions!
Jordan has also invested in the sports data firm Sportradar. In 2015, he and Mark Cuban participated in a $44 million investment round. They made five years of investments in the business, now worth $2.5 billion.
According to Forbes, LeBron James is now the first NBA player in active play to break the $1 billion mark. The only other athlete to accomplish that feat is Tiger Woods, who plays golf.
He gets his money from his off-court agreements with Nike, a 5% royalty payment on Jordan Brand sales, and his TV and movie production company. He and his business partner Maverick Carter enlarged their ownership of a 2% share in Liverpool Football Club, an English Premier League soccer team, in 2021.
He also invested early in the Beats by Dre headphones business, which was sold to Apple in 2014 for $3 billion. He owns stock in Lobos 1707 tequila and Blaze Pizza. In addition, he owns real estate in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles.
