LeBron James (Image: Getty)
The world’s richest basketball player has a vast billion-dollar fortune that far outstrips some of the game’s biggest stars – but it’s not NBA and LA Lakers legend .
is the game’s biggest currently active star, and is still going strong for giants in his late 30s.
According to , he is now among the small group of major sports stars with a net worth of over a billion dollars, an estimated $1.2billion (around £957.5m).
But his incredible nest egg is eclipsed by another great of the game, who many hail as the greatest to ever grace the .
Michael Jordan established his “GOAT” status in the 1990s during his incredible run with the Chicago Bulls, the indominable focal point of the all-star team that swept up six titles.
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Bulls icon Jordan, 61, has a net wealth eclipsing even the game’s current biggest stars. (Image: Getty)
He was named Finals MVP each time and played for the Washington Wizards in the final two years of his career.
But though “MJ” made tens of millions during his 16-year playing career, he took his wealth to another level after retiring in 2003.
In 2015, he became the first billionaire athlete thanks to a series of canny investments and lucrative brand partnerships.
His most notable moneymakers include Nike’s wildly popular Jordan brand, and his purchasing of the Charlotte Hornets team for $175 million in 2010, which he sold 13 years later for a whopping $3 billion, as per .
He’s currently estimated to have a net worth of $3.2billion (around £2.5billion).
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Magic Johnson is hailed as one of the game’s all-time greats. (Image: Getty)
Magic Johnson, another of the sport’s most celebrated names, also ranks among the richest with an estimated net worth of $1.6billion (more than £1.2billion), .
Born Earvin Johnson Jr., the Lakers star earned his nickname when breaking through as a teenager, earned around $40 million during his time as a player from the late 1970s to the early 1990s.
But like Jordan, he distinguished himself as a businessman ownership stake in American football, basketball and baseball teams, and joint venture partnerships in various sectors, including real estate and healthcare.
Most of his money valuation comes from a 60% ownership stake in life insurance firm Equitrust, which has seen its assets under management skyrocket from $16 billion to $26 billion since he took over in 2015.