“Nike Had to Give Bron a Billion Not to Run Away”: Former NBA Finals MVP Relives Kanye West’s Controversial Comments on How LeBron James Earned His Massive Net Worth

LeBron James is not only one of the greatest players of all time, but he is also one of the wealthiest players to ever play the game. A four-time NBA champion, 18-time All-Star, and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, some might argue that he has had more success off the court. Bron has accumulated a wealth of riches and has various businesses all over the world.

LeBron has made upwards of $900 million in income from his business ventures and other endorsements. Over the last year, he was the second highest-earning athlete in the world, mostly due to his off-court activities. He gets a lot of help making this money due to his marketing team led by Maverick Carter, and his agent, Rich Paul.

LeBron James: Billion-dollar athlete

According to Forbes, LeBron became a billionaire after another year of monster earnings. In doing so, he became the first active NBA player to make the billionaires list. LeBron has maximized his business to earn more than $1.2 billion in pre-tax earnings. Over the years, he has earned more than $385 million in salary from the teams he has played for. This also makes him the NBA’s highest-earning active player.

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LeBron James has been a Nike athlete ever since his first year in the league. Famously rejecting offers from Adidas and Reebok, he inked his first deal with Nike, at the age of 18. After more than a decade of success, Bron and Nike agreed to a lifetime contract that helps him make millions annually.

Kanye’s comments on Bron

While discussing James’ wealth on their podcast, Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner mentioned what superstar rapper, Kanye West had to say about LeBron. “Nike had to give Bron a billion not to run away”, Kanye said, according to Iggy. They continued discussing how LeBron makes so much money.

Iguodala added, “It’s not necessarily how much you sell, but it is valuable to sneaker companies to have certain figures for the culture of it all.” He continued, “It might not be LeBron selling his shoes, but people that are wearing Nike because of LeBron.” Evan Turner, a former player himself, agreed to Iggy’s take. He said, “Legacy wise they’re going to make so much money”. 

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LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes when it comes to off-court business ventures. He is smart and gets the necessary help from his associates. Not every athlete can be a billionaire, let alone do so while actively playing. The ‘LeBron James’ brand continues to grow and who knows how high it can go.