LeBron James became the first active NBA player to become a billionaire after multiple decades of excellence in his career. In 2024 alone, James made $48.7 million from his Lakers salary. Including endorsements, that number jumps up to an approximate $134 million for the 2024-25 financial year.
According to OnlyFans model Sophie Rain, she made only $6 million less than his salary as a model for the adult platform. She appeared on renowned internet streamer David Dobrik’s stream and showed evidence that she has earned over $82 million from OnlyFans since joining the platform in May 2023.
“I almost made more than LeBron last year… He made $56 million, I made $43 million,” said the OnlyFans model as she showed Dobrik her earnings on her phone.
“No one believes me, but it is very true. I’m just so nervous,” she confessed. “I’m paranoid. ‘Cause all of this could disappear tomorrow.”
This claim sent the Lakers superstar’s fans into shambles. Some believed that she did not deserve to make that much money, while some trollers also took shots at both their jobs.
“Going to work knowing people like her is making more money than I’ll ever touch.”
“Both making that kind of money when nurses struggle is already wrong.”
“I genuinely don’t get it. What exactly are people paying her for? Like, what do they get in return for their money?”
“83 million, bro, you can’t even blame these girls. Blame men as a whole, why tf are we spending 83 million on basic a** girls like this go outside spend $10 buying a girl a drink and find something REAL!!!”
“LeBron trained his whole life to be a once-in-a-generation athlete. Sophie just sold pixels of herself. Same paycheck. Society is cooked.”
“Remember kids, you can still make a lot of money and not be like this lol”
Various such reactions flooded the internet as fans could not believe what they were seeing on social media. This is not the first time Rain has revealed her career earnings in comparison to LeBron James. Earlier this month, she appeared on the ‘Bangin Out’ podcast and revealed that she might even earn more than James this year.
LeBron James picked up his $52.6 million player option this summer to stay with the Lakers for another season. Following this, James, as a 41-year-old in 2026 (age 40 at the moment), may no longer be in a position to demand a similar amount of money as he is earning this year.
While most 41-year-olds don’t make it this far in their careers either, we never know what James might be able to pull off as an unrestricted free agent next summer. But we may actually see a day soon where OnlyFans models might earn more than what the richest athletes in the world command, which is a worrying sight for society.
