- Patrick Beverley appears thankful that Lakers have early-season matchup with Clippers amid links to team
- ‘I can’t believe I just looked at Kobe’s burnt up body, and now I’m about to eat’: L.A. firefighter on being shown Kobe’s remains
- Lakers owner Jeanie Buss: ‘Michael Jordan is the greatest of all time’
- Video: Talen Horton-Tucker shows off his bag at Dreamville Chi League
- Report: Lakers will open 2022-23 season with huge matchup against Warriors
- Richard Jefferson says LeBron James has ‘not done enough as a Laker’ to be considered a Lakers great
- Report: Rob Pelinka surprising many around NBA with hesitancy to attach multiple draft picks in Russell Westbrook trade talks
- Report: Lakers sources insist they have options beyond ones that have been reported
- LeBron James loses it watching teenage sons Bronny and Bryce play together on the court
- Here’s what will happen to LeBron James following NBA’s decision to retire Bill Russell’s No. 6 jersey across league
Report: LeBron James was the highest-paid athlete in the world over the past year
- Updated: May 11, 2022

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is a man of many talents. Besides his excellent abilities on the court, he has a strong knack for making lots of money off the court.
In the past year, James reportedly made the most money among all athletes in the world, beating out stars like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the process.
🚨The highest-paid athletes in the world: top 100
Nike, including its Jordan Brand, is an endorsement partner of at least 42 athletes, while Adidas has a minimum of 16 athletes in its stable and PepsiCo 14 (Sportico could not confirm sponsors of all 100 athletes.) pic.twitter.com/hSDnAM8AmS
— Sportico (@Sportico) May 11, 2022
It’s definitely not surprising at all to see James top the list. After all, he is one of the most recognizable people in the entire world and arguably the best to ever play the game of basketball.
Fellow NBA stars like Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and James Harden made the top 10 of the list, but none of them came very close to reaching James’ total.
Over the past 19 years, James has established himself as a potent force in the NBA. He holds career averages of 27.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game on 50.5 percent shooting from the field and 34.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
During his career, the No. 1 overall pick from the 2003 NBA Draft has accumulated 18 All-Star selections, four NBA titles and four MVP awards. Barring unforeseen circumstances, James is likely going to pass Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the top spot on the NBA’s all-time scoring list sometime next season.
However, James is likely more focused on doing his best to help the Lakers become title contenders again. L.A. endured a miserable 2021-22 campaign in which it went 33-49.
James and the Lakers will surely look to change that and make it back to the NBA Finals next season.