Basketball player LeBron James has officially become a billionaire, Forbes magazine reported Thursday (2) quoted by a news cite Online. With the achievement, he becomes the first active NBA (American basketball league) player to reach the mark.

The only other NBA player to make it onto Forbes' list of billionaires was Michael Jordan, but not until 2014, more than 10 years after he left the courts.

According to Forbes, the 37-year-old James' fortune was thickened after the sportsman received more than US$ 121.2 million last year.

The income comes from the courts, of course, as the highest paid player in the league, but also from other businesses, such as commercial ventures.

LeBron also has a lifetime contract with Nike and does work for other brands such as AT&T, PepsiCo and Walmart.

James won the NBA all-star 18 times and was an Olympic gold medalist twice.