LeBron becomes NBA's 1st "Billion Dollar Man"

☰ AP Photo/Ashley Landis Lakers' LeBron James Becomes 1st Active NBA Player With $1 Billion in Career Earnings ADAM WELLS JULY 22, 2021 Thanks to his legendary NBA career, a thriving production company and his recent turn as the star of Space Jam: A New Legacy, LeBron James is the NBA's first active player with $1 billion in career earnings. Per Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico.com, James recently passed the $1 billion mark split between $700 million in earnings off the court and $330 million in salary as an NBA player. Michael Jordan also passed the mark but did so post-playing career. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar has been arguably the biggest sports star in the United States since his first NBA game during the 2003-04 season.