Lakers: LeBron James Achieves His 'Biggest Milestone'

LeBron James is the first active NBA athlete to be worth over a billion dollars.

LeBron has the trophy case that athletes dream of: four NBA championships, four MVPs, four Finals MVPs, and that's just the short list. Throw in 18 All-Star selections and being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary team and you have a career for the ages. Oh, and he's about to become the NBA's all-time scoring leader sometime next season. 

Despite his accolades and records, LeBron achieved his "biggest milestone" today. According to Forbes.com, James now has a net worth of $1 billion, making him the first active NBA player to ever become a billionaire. It took a while, but LeBron finally beat Michael Jordan in at least one significant career achievement.  

Back in a 2014 interview with GQ, LeBron noted what becoming a billionaire means to him.

"It’s my biggest milestone. Obviously. I want to maximize my business. And if I happen to get it, if I happen to be a billion-dollar athlete, ho. Hip hip hooray! Oh, my God, I’m gonna be excited."

It's impressive, but it's not surprising. Earlier this month, Sportico reported that LeBron was the highest paid athlete on the planet ($126.9M). But it takes more than a mammoth NBA contract and lucrative endorsements to get to the billions club. 

As Forbes and Sportico both noted, LeBron's Spring Hill Company is valued at around $300M. Just last year, LeBron sold a minority stake at a $725M valuation. 

LeBron's investment in Fenway Sports Group, which owns Liverpool F.C., who played in the Champions League Final this past weekend, the Boston Red Sox, the Pittsburgh Penguins, half of Roush Fenway Racing, and 80% of the New England Sports Network (NESN). 

And the list goes on, Forbes valued LeBron James real estate properties at $80M, his ownership stake in Blaze Pizza at $30M, and his "cash and other investments" at upwards of $500M.

He's The King in more ways than one.