LeBron James, Tiger Woods Headline Forbes' 2023 List of Newest Sports Billionaires

The sports world welcomed 12 new billionaires over the past year, including Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and golf legend Tiger Woods.

Forbes' Matt Craig reported James now has a net worth of $1 billion. The 19-time All-Star is projected to earn $124.5 million in 2023 alone from his contract and off-court endorsements and investments.

Woods' net worth, meanwhile, hit $1.1 billion. The 15-time major champion could've padded his bank account even further but turned down an offer of up to $800 million to sign with LIV Golf.

New York Jets co-owner Woody Johnson rejoined Forbes' billionaire list after serving as ambassador to the United Kingdom during Donald Trump's presidency. The Johnson & Johnson heir has the highest net worth ($3.4 billion) among the dozen sports figures added to the list.

Fellow NFL owners Mark Davis ($1.9 billion) and Amy Adams Strunk ($1.7 billion) joined Johnson.

Davis is unique in that nearly the entirety of his fortune comes from owning the Las Vegas Raiders, which were passed down to him by his father, Al. At $5.1 billion, the Raiders were the ninth-most valued NFL franchise in Forbes' most recent valuation.

James officially attained billionaire status last summer, and the sky could be the limit.

The entertainment entity he co-founded, SpringHill Company, isn't going anywhere, and he has six projects coming down the pike in which he's receiving a producer credit. The four-time MVP hasn't been shy about what he wants to do once his playing career ends, either. He said in June he'd like to own an expansion NBA franchise in Las Vegas.

The NBA's media rights contracts expire after the 2024-25 season, and CNBC's Jabari Young reported in March 2021 the league could get around $6 billion or $8 billion annually when it signs its next deals.

Now is the time for James or anybody else to enter the NBA ownership ranks.