James has an annual income of over 100 million and a net worth of over 1 billion. Where does he spend all this money?

Not long ago, Sportico announced the top 20 earnings of active NBA players in the 2025-26 season. Among them, James topped the list with 132.6 million US dollars, including 52.6 million in on-court salary and 80 million in off-court commercial endorsements. The specific list is as follows,

1. James: 132.6 million. Among them, salary: 52.6 million, endorsements: 80 million

2, Curry: 109.6 million. Among them, salary: 59.6 million, endorsements: 50 million

3, Durant: 103.3 million. Among them, salary: 53.3 million, endorsements: 50 million

4, Antetokounmpo: 99.1 million. Among them, salary: 54.1 million, endorsements: 45 million

5, Tatum: 72.1 million. Among them, salary: 54.1 million, endorsements: 18 million

6, Edwards: 65.6 million. Among them, salary: 45.6 million, endorsements: 20 million

7, Embiid: 65.2 million. Among them, salary: 55.2 million, endorsement: 10 million

8, Butler: 65.1 million. Among them, salary: 54.1 million, endorsements: 11 million

9, Jokic: 64.2 million. Among them, salary: 55.2 million, endorsements: 9 million

10, Booker: 63.1 million. Among them, salary: 53.1 million, endorsements: 10 million

11, Doncic: 61 million. Among them, salary: 46 million, endorsement: 15 million

12, Alexander: 58.3 million. Among them, salary: 38.3 million, endorsements: 20 million

13, Downs: 58.1 million. Among them, salary: 53.1 million, endorsement: 5 million

14, Brother Nongmei: 57.6 million. Among them, salary: 54.1 million, endorsements: 3.5 million

15, Mitchell: 56.9 million. Among them, salary: 46.4 million, endorsement: 10.5 million

16, George: 56.7 million. Among them, salary: 51.7 million, endorsement: 5 million

17, Halliburton: 56.6 million. Among them, salary: 45.6 million, endorsements: 11 million

18, Leonard: 56.5 million. Among them, salary: 50 million, endorsements: 6.5 million

19, Cunningham: 56.4 million. Among them, salary: 46.4 million, endorsements: 10 million

20, Harden: 55.2 million. Among them, salary: 39.2 million, endorsement: 16 million

As early as 2021, James' net worth exceeded US$1 billion, and he was also the first active player in NBA history to have a total career income exceeding US$1 billion.

So where did James spend so much money, apart from daily household expenses? Please listen to me.

1. Maintain your body

He was at his peak when he debuted. He has been at the top for 20 years. At the age of 41, he still maintains a very good competitive state and performed very well. Last season, he averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.0 steals per game, with a shooting percentage of 51.3%. This is entirely due to James's steel frame. He has rarely suffered any major injuries in his career. Perhaps the biggest surgery he has ever had is hair transplantation. On maintaining his body, James spends at least US$1.5 million every year.

In terms of technology, James spent a huge amount of money to purchase a liquid nitrogen freezing chamber. He is also the only player in the NBA to own this equipment. After each game, he will undergo a full range of physical therapy. The liquid nitrogen freezing chamber with temperatures as low as minus 200 degrees can help him quickly relieve muscle swelling throughout his body. After coming out of the liquid nitrogen freezing chamber, James will go to another black technology called a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to have a good sleep. This equipment can quickly replenish oxygen to his body, promote blood circulation, and regenerate cells. In addition, James also has the Norma leg recovery device, which helps him relax his leg muscles and reduce inflammation.

In terms of fitness, James spent a lot of money to hire a professional training team to conduct regular physical examinations on him every week and formulate a comprehensive training plan.

In terms of diet, James has his own chef and nutritionist to develop detailed diet plans and nutritional distribution for him, and even the weight of food must be calculated accurately to grams. It is reported that James spends nearly 2,000 US dollars on food alone every day. In addition, James himself is also extremely self-disciplined. He has been adhering to the principle of "eating less and eating more" for many years, and has not touched pork once in decades.

Although physical talent is the greatest basketball talent, James did not forget to polish his skills while maintaining his body. In addition to personal trainers, he also spent US$50,000 to learn "dream steps" from Olajuwon in the summer of 2011. Although he did not see James use it several times in official games, James did make rapid progress that summer and reached the peak of his career in the following season. All-star, double team, one vote short of unanimous regular season MVP, best defensive player ranked second, and most importantly, James won his first championship and FMVP trophy.

2. Purchase luxury cars and mansions

Many wealthy people like to buy cars, and James is no exception. In a live broadcast, his son Brownie showed off his garage and the various luxury cars parked inside. According to incomplete statistics, there are as many as 30 cars. It was described as "like an underground palace, full of dazzling cars."

It is worth mentioning that three of these cars are of great significance to James. One is a $700,000 Lamborghini Aventador given to him by sponsor Nike in 2014. The color and pattern of the car body incorporate elements of sneakers. It is the only one in the world. The other is a Rolls-Royce Phantom worth $400,000 that O'Neal gave him as a birthday present in 2009.. There is also a Hummer H2, which was a gift to him on his 18th birthday when his mother Gloria took out a loan of US$50,000 to buy it. It was also the first car in his life, and he has kept it ever since.

At the same time, James also likes to give cars to friends as gifts. In 2012, James spent nearly one million dollars to buy 4 Porsches for his friends.

Compared with the many luxury cars, James also has many luxury homes. Entering the NBA in 2003, after signing his first salary contract with the Cavaliers, he bought a 30,000-square-meter mansion in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. Later, he moved to the Heat and Lakers, and James also purchased real estate locally. Although it was sold during the period, according to incomplete statistics, James currently owns at least three luxury homes, two of which are in Los Angeles alone. One is in Brentwood, which was purchased for US$23 million, and the other is in Beverly Hills, which was listed for US$52 million by the seller. It is unknown how much James spent to buy it, but it must be similar.

In addition, James also loves red wine, luxury watches and jewelry, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on these three items every year. It is reported that James’ watch collection alone currently exceeds US$10 million. The most expensive watch is a limited edition jointly produced by Patek Philippe and Tiffany. The most recent auction price was as high as US$6.5 million.

3. Business Investment

Starting from co-founding LRMR brand marketing company with childhood friends Maverick Carter, Randy Mims, and Rich Paul in 2006, they have now built a business empire worth more than one billion. James has a wide range of business interests, of which investment is one of the more important ones, and it has also made him a lot of money.

In 2008, James obtained a small stake in advertising for the company by giving away Beats headphones to members of the "Dream Team". When Apple acquired Beats for $3 billion in 2014, the value of his stake soared to $30 million.

In 2011, James purchased 2% of Liverpool's shares for US$6.5 million. As the team's market value increases from $325 million to approximately $5.3 billion, its equity value will reach $120 million in 2021. In the same year, he converted his shares into 1% of the parent company Fenway Sports Group, indirectly holding the assets of North American teams such as the Boston Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Penguins. As of 2025, Fenway Sports Group's valuation exceeds US$10 billion, and James' 1% stake is worth approximately US$100 million.

In 2012, James invested US$1 million in Blaze Pizza and obtained 10% of the equity. He gave up his four-year, $15 million endorsement contract with McDonald's. As of 2019, Blaze Pizza has a market value of US$400 million, and James' equity is worth approximately US$40 million. In 2021, he cashed out approximately US$14 million by reducing his holdings. Currently, Blaze Pizza has more than 340 stores around the world and remains an important catering investment project for James.

In 2020, James integrated his media businesses to establish SpringHill, with a valuation of US$725 million. Investors include Nike, Fenway Group and Redbird Capital. The company produces content such as "Space Jam 2" and cooperates with Disney and Universal Pictures. Although it will suffer a loss of US$28 million in 2023, it will receive a capital injection of US$40 million after merging with the British Fulwell 73 in 2024, and its goal will turn to profitability.

In 2021, James participated in the E-round financing of the home fitness brand Tonal. The total financing of this round reached US$250 million, and Tonal's valuation reached US$1.6 billion. James is not only an investor in Tonal, but has also become its brand ambassador.

In 2022, James acquired Serie A AC Milan through Redbird Capital and became a minority shareholder. AC Milan's current market capitalization is approximately US$1.5 billion, and its investment value continues to grow as the team's Champions League record recovers.

In 2024, James participated in Axial's Series A financing, which develops athlete health monitoring technology and is valued at US$25 million.

In 2025, James, Tom Brady, and Rafael Nadal jointly invested in the all-electric power boat league E1.

In 2025, James did not hesitate to expose his own scars and announced his endorsement of the red wine brand Hennessy in a "decision two" way. It is reported that the endorsement contract lasts for 5 years and the endorsement fee is as high as 80 million US dollars. In addition, James will also receive 2% of the brand's sales as dividends every year.

The list goes on and on.

However, it is worth noting that among the many companies James has invested in, there is no sports media ESPN. The statement that "James is a minority shareholder of ESPN" that has been circulating before is purely a rumor. The reason why such misunderstandings persist is mainly because James' SpringHill company has extensive cooperation with subsidiaries of Disney, the parent company of ESPN. In addition, Redbird Capital holds shares in SpringHill and also holds shares in YES, a streaming media company under Disney's name, which makes James have an indirect interest relationship with the Disney Group to which ESPN belongs.

4. Charity

Although James is reluctant to use traffic once he saves money, he is not stingy when it comes to philanthropy. In only his second year in the league, James co-founded the "LeBron James Family Charitable Foundation" with his mother. In the early days, it mainly donated bicycles and schoolbags to poor families in Akron, and then gradually developed into rescuing school-age children. Later, it moved wherever needed, built schools, gymnasiums, and hospitals, provided temporary homes for extremely needy families, provided scholarships for college students, and made donations to the Children's Self-Defense Foundation... According to incomplete statistics, the "LeBron James Family Charitable Foundation" has currently spent about 200 million US dollars on charity, of which James himself accounts for nearly 50%, about 100 million US dollars.

What’s more worth mentioning is that James’s controversial live broadcast in the summer of 2010, “Announcement of Bringing Talent to the South Coast,” earned nearly US$2.5 million, and he donated all of it.. In addition, James also promised that he would use half of his $1.6 billion lifetime contract with Nike, or $800 million, for charity.