LeBron James hit yet another milestone as he officially became the first active NBA player to be a billionaire.
LeBron, an 18-time NBA all-star, 4-time NBA champion, 2-time Olympic gold medallist, enjoyed another monster year of earnings, taking home a whopping $121.2 million last year, Forbes reported.
LeBron, who missed the NBA playoffs for just the fourth time in 19 seasons, was the second-highest-earning athlete in the world last year behind soccer superstar Lionel Messi.
Michael Jordan was the NBA player to touch the billion mark, but he didn't get there until 2014, more than a decade after he retired, thanks to a well-timed investment in the Charlotte Hornets basketball team.
Lebron, 37, has a net worth of $1 billion, including upwards of $900 million in income from endorsements and other business ventures. He has raked in more than $385 million in salary from the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers as the NBA's highest-paid active player.
LeBron had a tough upbringing as a kid, born to a 16-year-old single mother in Akron, Ohio, before a life-changing deal with Nike in 2003 at the age of 18. His other business interests include the Blaze Pizza chain, gym-maker Tonal and rideshare giant Lyft. He is also the biggest shareholder in SpringHill -- the television and movie production outfit.
