ESPN released the list of the top 100 most famous athletes in the world Tuesday morning. This list contains some big names in sports from Lionel Messi to Serena Williams. All sports were well represented on the list, as ESPN created a formula using a player's endorsement earnings and their amount of popularity on social media to decide where these athletes ranked on this list. The NBA had a great showing on this list, having 13 players total on the list. LeBron James was the highest ranked NBA player on the list, sitting all the way at number two.
This list only solidifies LeBron's place as one of the biggest names sports has ever had.
King of the people
LeBron James was once called a villain for his infamous exit from Cleveland to go to the Miami to form his first big three with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. He was loved once again when he returned to the Cavs and won them the NBA Finals he promised them. He brought the Cavs back from a 3-1 deficit which bolstered his appeal to the people even more. LeBron James has been one of the most influential players in NBA history with many aspiring players wanting to play like him and who would even be grateful to meet their idol.
LeBron James can thank his loyal followers on social media for his high spot on the list.
James has 34.4 million Twitter followers when the list was released. That number is only going to continue to grow, as James will be back on Twitter once the NBA playoffs are over. On Instagram, he has 28.5 million followers, as he is on there less compared to his Twitter. On Facebook he has his lowest following, only 22.6 million followers.
James' followers range from the United States to all the way over in China. To be a great King you must be a king of the people, and LeBron James is doing a great job at that.
All of his riches
LeBron James was a millionaire at the age of 18, so he has some experience at making sure he budgets his money. Another factor the analytics team at ESPN used to determine fame is the amount of endorsement money a player receives.
LeBron James has a variety of endorsement partners that pay him to represent their product. Some of the most notable endorsers are Nike, which signed LeBron to a lifetime deal worth $1 billion. Kia, McDonald's, Intel, and Samsung were all asking the King to represent their products. James' has a total of $55 million in endorsements according to the data collected from ESPN.
LeBron James was the highest NBA player on the list but he was joined by many notable names. Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook, Dwyane Wade, and James Harden are some of the players that were on the list as well. James' big following on social media and his endorsements, along with his success on the court put him No. 2 on the top 100 most famous athletes worldwide. James has the chance to add more fame to his name as he is preparing to face the Warriors in the NBA Finals.
