LeBron James becomes first active NBA player to achieve billionaire status

Per Forbes, the 18-time All-Star, four-time NBA champion and MVP, and two-time Olympic gold medalist brought in $121.1 million in the past year to cross over into billionaire status. According to Chase Peterson-Withorn of Forbes, Michael Jordan became a billionaire in 2014, which was 11 years after his final retirement from playing.

While James is coming off of a season in which his team failed to make the playoffs for just the fourth time in his 19-season career, judging by a 2014 interview he had with GQ, his new net worth will likely put a smile on his face.

"It’s my biggest milestone," James said during the interview. "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."

Peterson-Withorn writes that the future Hall of Famer has earned more than $385 million in salary from the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers and is the league's highest-paid active player. In addition, "LBJ" has "raked in upwards of $900 million" from endorsements and "other business ventures."

In the early-2000s, James became the most hyped high school basketball prospect of all time during his time at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio. The 37-year-old earned his first endorsement deal from Nike in 2003 when he was 18.

"After more than a decade of success, he struck a lifetime agreement with Nike in late 2015 that pays him tens of millions annually. Last year, thanks to Nike, plus deals with brands like AT&T, PepsiCo and Walmart, he was the second-highest earning athlete in the world," Peterson-Withorn wrote.