- NBA player LeBron James is the second highest-paid player in sports.
- He's earned a total of $234 million in salary over his NBA career.
- Still, the majority of James' net worth comes from endorsement deals.
It's good to be King James.
Cleveland Cavaliers player LeBron James, the second $4 behind Cristiano Ronaldo, has earned $234 million from 15 seasons in the NBA, according to $4.
In his rookie season, James made $4 million as a 19-year-old fresh out of high school thanks to the league's rookie salary scale. This season, his salary is more than $33 million.
James is currently in the middle of a three-season contract $4. He can opt out of his contract next season, foregoing a $35.6 million salary, to become a free agent.
Check out the chart below to see the progression of James' season-by-season earnings, from 2003 to 2018.
Samantha Lee/Business Insider
Worth the money
James currently holds career highs in assists per game, field goal percentage, and three-point percentage.
James has won the MVP Award four times, appeared in the All-Star game every year since 2004, and made the playoffs 12 seasons in a row, and his teams have won the NBA championship three times.
LeBron is $4, eclipsed only by players with several more seasons played than him. Golden State Warriors $4 is the only NBA player earning more than James in the 2017-2018 season.
James took a pay cut in 2011 to recruit other talent like Chris Bosh to the Miami Heat but it didn't affect his earnings much, since he was playing in Florida, a state with $4.
Ultimately though, the bulk of James' wealth comes from endorsement deals. His $4 is worth over $1 billion and he also makes money from Verizon, Beats by Dre, Coca-Cola, and Kia Motors, $4.
Samantha Lee/Business Insider