Being a billionaire and spending big bucks seem to go hand-in-hand, but LeBron James, one of the highest-paid NBA players of all time, is adamant about proving it incorrect. The four-time MVP lives in a sprawling $36.8 million Beverly Hills mansion with a theatre, tennis court, and seven fireplaces but can be surprisingly frugal with his money. The man with a $97 million contract with the Lakers that will earn him $50 million in 2024-25 alone has been dubbed the cheapest guy in the NBA by Dwyane Wade. The 19-time All-Star is obsessed with WiFi, and flat-out refuses to use his phone data.
He may be serious about saving money, but how much can one save by relying on WiFi? “If there’s no WiFi, he does not mess with data roaming,” his wife Gabrielle Union said. “This is no joke,” Wade added. “He’s like, ‘I will send this text before I leave the boat because there ain’t gonna be no WiFi probably.'” He is the same man with otherwise expensive tastes witnessed in his pricey collection of cars and houses.
Forbes estimated the NBA legend’s net worth to be around $900 million in income from endorsements and other business ventures. He currently boasts a net worth of $1 billion. Perhaps his dream of owning an NBA team someday may come true soon.
The billionaire chose to use the cheapest Pandora subscription with commercials –
In addition to being obsessed with WiFi, the 38-year-old admitted to not purchasing apps and using Pandora with commercials in an interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols. Frugal billionaire Warren Buffet obviously got him and stated, “It’s amazing to me the maturity he exhibits,” the famed investor said of LeBron. Regarding the Pandora subscription, the music streaming service took note of the NBA superstar’s economizing nature and gifted him a premium account without commercials.
No WiFi, no phone-
Even during transit or at airports when Bron is away from family, he only uses his phone on WiFi. Now, that’s something even the most humble person wouldn’t do. But LeBron James doesn’t mind disconnecting, “In Toronto, that drive from the airport and going through customs to then getting to our hotel, there’s no data used at all,” Kevin Love told Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks in an interview. “He’s waiting for the WiFi all the time.” If there is any man who can do justice to the saying ‘a small leak can sink a great ship,’ it is billionaire LeBron James.
Welp guess my blue ✔️ will be gone soon cause if you know me I ain’t paying the 5. 🤷🏾♂️
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 31, 2023
Why pay for a blue tick?
As radical Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter was the Tesla CEO did not shy away from equally radical ideas for the micro blogging platform to make money. One of those was asking for verified accounts to pay $8 a month for the allegedly coveted blue tick. While influencers did not shy away from shelling out the monthly fee, LeBron openly said it was not for him. He wrote on Twitter – Welp guess my blue ✔️ will be gone soon cause if you know me I ain’t paying the 5. As of writing the article he does have the blue tick, we are not sure if he is paying for it or Twitter decided to give the Los Angeles Lakers forward the paid tick for free. After all he does have close to 53 million followers on the platform.
Note – According to Forbes, Le Bron’s on and off court earnings were $121.3 million.
