LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers was the highest paid athlete in the entire world in 2022, according to a new report by Sportico.
James made $126.9 million from June 2021 to May 2022, according to the report. He ranked right ahead of professional soccer players Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo who were the second and third on the list.
🚨 The World’s Highest-Paid Athletes 2022 🚨
1 – @KingJames
2 – Lionel Messi
3 – Cristiano Ronaldo
4 – Neymar
5 -Canelo Álvarezhttps://t.co/FGIjtoThjc— Sportico (@Sportico) May 11, 2022
According to Sportico, James has the biggest money shoe deal in the entire NBA. His sponsorship with Nike is a lifetime that pays him $30 million per year. Outside of what he makes with the Lakers and with Nike, LeBron has his hands full with ownership stakes with the Boston Red Sox, the Premier club Liverpool, Blaze pizza as the founder, sponsorships with Walmart, AT&T, PepsiCo, and more.
During the 2021-2022 basketball season, James averaged an impressive 30 points per game in his 18th NBA season and made it to his 18th consecutive All-Star game. Though the star basketball player is the center point of a lot of criticism after a horrendous L.A. Lakers season in which they missed the playoffs, James reigned supreme financially from his multiple business ventures that he is apart of. (RELATED: Former NBA Star Bob Lanier Dies At The Age Of 73)
Love him or hate him, LeBron James is one very wealthy person.