National Basketball Association

Is becoming a billionaire LeBron James' most impressive achievement?

Updated Jul. 29, 2021 4:57 p.m. ET

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With one look at LeBron James' list of on-court accomplishments, it is understandable why he is considered one of the greatest NBA players of all time.

With nearly a decade's worth of All-NBA and All-Star Game selections, coupled with four regular-season MVP awards and four Finals MVP awards, James' career accolades are the stuff of legend.

But a milestone reached off the court could be his most impressive feat yet.

James is the first NBA player to earn a billion dollars in salary and endorsement money while playing, with Michael Jordan the first to reach the milestone but having done so after he retired.

With the accomplishment comes high praise for James, specifically from FS1's Emmanuel Acho, who proclaimed this the greatest accomplishment of James' career on "Speak For Yourself."

"LeBron James is one of the greatest basketball players of all time, but he is undoubtedly the greatest basketball businessman of all time while playing the sport," Acho said.

In 2018, James signed a four-year, $153 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, and he signed a two-year, $85 million extension with the franchise this past offseason.

That came after the max contracts he signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat. Plus, he has an impressive list of endorsement deals with Nike, Beats, AT&T, Mountain Dew and others.

As far as businesses go, James has his own media entity in SpringHill company, which houses the brands "Uninterrupted," "More Than An Athlete" and his HBO series, "The Shop."

James' path to wealth has been anything but ordinary. In fact, he defied all odds, as detailed by Marcellus Wiley.

"No college degree, though, and look at him now — first billionaire active player," he said. "Raised by a single mom, and look at him now. He's greater than his greatest excuse."

At 36 years old, James continues to defy the odds on the court, becoming an ageless wonder in the NBA.

But he is also defying them off the court, and that might be just as impressive.

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National Basketball Association

Los Angeles Lakers

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Emmanuel Acho