Action! $387M Earnings from NBA career LeBron James didn't officially become a Los Angeles Laker until July 9, 2018, but his connection with the City of Angels began long before putting his signature on a four-year, $153.3 million contract. Whether it was through his offseason home, pickup games or his many off-court ventures, King James has been turning La La Land into Bron Bron Land for years, laying the groundwork to have the entertainment capital of the world serve as the capital for his personal global empire.

Staples Center $36M Earnings from 2018-19 season LeBron James has been one of the most talked about athletes on the planet during the 16 seasons he has played in the NBA. The Lakers are one of the most well-known teams in the world, having earned 16 championships. "I just think it's the perfect match," LeBron James told ESPN on media day of linking himself to the Lakers. "This city is built on stars; this city breathes stars, and they breathe winners, and I'm a winner, more importantly."



James' presence already has put A-listers such as Denzel Washington, Will Ferrell, Kate Beckinsale and Jeffrey Katzenberg back into the courtside seats at Staples Center. What happens if those side conversations with the famous fans during inbounds plays lead to cameo appearances in films? Will the hottest ticket in the NBA -- costs for Lakers home games are up 20 percent over last season on the resale market, and Lakers road games cost 19 percent more than that of any other NBA team -- become even hotter? And what happens if -- as James prioritized -- he takes the Lakers back to the promised land? Will a championship feel as if it counts for even more? — Dave McMenamin

Lebron Inc. $55M Value of investments in Beats by Dre & Blaze Pizza When LeBron James and his friends and business partners first struck out on their own, forming LRMR in 2006, they wanted to get into the marketing business. Their initial venture didn't go well, but it informed subsequent ventures including media platforms SpringHill and Uninterrupted. Their attempts to expand James' endorsement opportunities also led to lucrative nontraditional marketing partnerships, in which James not only endorsed the product but had a stake in the business. James' partnership investment in Beats by Dre netted him $30 million when the company was bought by Apple, and he gave up his McDonald's endorsement to become the face of Blaze Pizza, a business he has invested in that is now one of the fastest-growing restaurants in America.



To excel in these fields, James and his business partners had to have their base in the media hub of the country in L.A. Over the past few years, more and more of James' off-court business has been handled in Los Angeles, and he began to make it his offseason home. The next stage will involve the most ambitious project yet: "Space Jam 2." Not only will James' existing businesses be positively influenced by playing for the Lakers, but L.A. has the chance to open a new world of connections to develop even larger projects. — Brian Windhorst

Lebron FC $25.5M Earnings on original investment Back in 2011, LeBron James' marketing group, LRMR, entered into a joint venture with Fenway Sports Partners, and James received a 2 percent stake in Liverpool's soccer club in the deal. Boston Red Sox owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner had recently bought the club and offered the stake in the team, in lieu of a $6.5 million cash payment. Now, James' share of the Liverpool team -- which played a preseason game at the Rose Bowl near James' new home of Los Angeles in 2016 -- has ballooned to $32 million in value.



Other than the experience gleaned from being part of an ownership group, his piece of the Liverpool club gives James an asset he can someday liquefy to build up the requisite capital to be the principal owner of another sports franchise, like, say, the Cleveland Cavaliers. James' longtime friend and business partner, Maverick Carter, recently told ESPN's Rachel Nichols that if the Cavs end up on the market after his playing days are done, James would certainly be in line as a potential buyer. — Dave McMenamin

Springhill Springhill Entertainment $21.8M Tax credits earned by "Space Jam 2" for filming in L.A. Nestled inside of the famed Warner Bros. Studios lot in Burbank sits a two-story cottage at Warner Village that serves as the home of SpringHill Entertainment, the media company founded by LeBron James and Maverick Carter. James and Carter have parking spaces outside the house -- valuable currency on the lot where "Friends," "Batman" and "ER" were shot -- and offices on the second floor.



James' move to Los Angeles this offseason was seemingly motivated as much by its proximity to Hollywood as by the Lakers' nearness to a championship. His first sit-down interview and photo shoot after signing with the Lakers were with The Hollywood Reporter, and releases about his upcoming entertainment projects flooded reporters' inboxes before his first Lakers practice. James' interest in Hollywood, however, began long before he decided to take his talents to Los Angeles (James inked a $15 million studio deal with Warner Bros. three years ago), and it will only grow as he becomes more comfortable in his new home. — Arash Markazi

Uninterrupted $15.8M Investment from Time Warner



James and his partners, Maverick Carter, Randy Mims and Rich Paul, are sharing that message on " Early on in his business career, LeBron James had the awakening so many in talent-based fields have. Like actors who want to graduate to directing and then producing, James didn't always want to be at the end of the power chain where he would take the paycheck for services rendered. The Decision in 2010 was a step in this process -- not the proudest step but a vital one. He wanted to own the means of production; he wanted to control all four corners of his career and not simply give it away. Thus, Uninterrupted -- a place where James and other athletes can control the message from start to finish -- was born.James and his partners, Maverick Carter, Randy Mims and Rich Paul, are sharing that message on " More Than An Athlete, " an eight-part original series streaming now on ESPN+. And that is just one example of James trying to maximize his value. Whether it was going to Adam Silver and asking for changes to the schedule, founding his own media company, becoming a vice president of the players' union or using his foundation to raise money for schools and scholarships, James has taken the lessons of The Decision to heart and put them to work for him. — Brian Windhorst

Nike $300M Earnings to date Having signed a billion-dollar, lifetime deal, LeBron James was going to be a big part of Nike's plans, regardless of where he played. But not long after his signing with the Lakers, Nike's marketing teams in Beaverton, Oregon, and Los Angeles went into overdrive. The company quickly put up billboards steps away from Staples Center -- a vertical portrait of James in the Lakers' home uniform towered over 30 floors, and an iconic tomahawk dunk image from his 2003 rookie debut overtook the entire width of the JW Marriott building.



While the colorways for the first half of the season for James' signature LeBron 16 sneaker were mapped out before free agency, Nike is working up additional L.A.-specific themes and stories tying back to the franchise and the region's heritage.



Despite the increased L.A. focus, Nike also is staying connected to LeBron's Ohio home. During the Lakers' opening weekend, the company commissioned an art installation made up of seven surfboards featuring James in Lakers colors. Those boards will be raffled in a fundraiser, with all proceeds going to James' I Promise School in Akron, just one of the many ways Nike will support James' off-court efforts while providing his on-court footwear. — Nick DePaula

Klutch Sports $1B Contract dollars managed by Rich Paul In 2012, LeBron James parted ways with Creative Artists Agency because longtime friend Rich Paul, who had been working at CAA, opened up a new agency, Klutch Sports. James has since moved to L.A. and so have Klutch's offices -- though they still maintain an office in downtown Cleveland -- as the agency has expanded and now represents clients such as Ben Simmons, John Wall and Anthony Davis.



The question that remains is whether Paul will be able to leverage his NBA clients across the 14 teams they play for to potentially pair players to give them the best chance to succeed. While signing with Klutch doesn't immediately mean a player is a potential future James teammate, the entire league is waiting to see if Davis and James will somehow come together in Los Angeles. — Dave McMenamin

Pickup Runs 344 Public basketball courts in Los Angeles Long before LeBron James decided to don the purple and gold, he played plenty of basketball in Los Angeles. When he's not traveling to China or Europe or spending family time on some exclusive Caribbean island, James can be found playing pickup basketball games during the summertime on both coasts, in New York and L.A. In 2011, James made a surprise cameo at The Drew League that sent a buzz throughout Los Angeles. James has even gotten in some runs with good friend Chris Paul -- and watched some pickup games with Jay-Z -- at the Clippers' practice facility in Playa Vista.



Like many pros who spend their offseason in L.A., James will continue to find competitive star-studded runs at UCLA. He was there in 2017 with buddy Dwyane Wade and ended up lifting weights with the UCLA women's basketball team. Then this past summer, after he had joined the Lakers, a picture of James, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard -- a trio that had Lakers fans dreaming of the summer of 2019 -- went viral following a workout. — Ohm Youngmisuk

@kingjames 86M Instagram & Twitter followers A scroll through LeBron James' Instagram feed offers an eclectic mix of photos and highlights from his Lakers games, posts devoted to him going into his bag to show off his vast array of Nike kicks, glimpses of his home life with his wife and three children and the occasional wild card -- a shoutout to the wine he's drinking, a salute to a basketball player he respects or something aimed at tackling one of the social issues facing the country today.



According to SocialBlade.com, James -- already the most-followed American athlete on social media -- picks up about 20,000 new Instagram followers a day. It's doubtful he'll suddenly change his approach as new people come on board. A post that could be seen as an #ad -- showing off his Nikes or his latest Beats by Dre billboard or a snippet from the upcoming episode of HBO's "The Shop" -- comes off more organic when it's surrounded by all the other posts that round out his life, posts that more and more frequently come with a "Los Angeles" location tag. — Dave McMenamin