The Top 5 Most Expensive Cars In LeBron James' Collection
Professional basketball player LeBron James has been an NBA All-Star 18 times, won the NBA championship four times (earning the Finals MVP each time), was crowned the league MVP three times, and took home two Olympic gold medals during his ongoing 20-year career. His nickname, "King James," is hard to argue.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, James makes some $100 million a year, and has a net worth of $600 million. While Forbes claimed James was the second-highest sports earner in 2022, making $121.2 million in salary and officially becoming a billionaire. Whatever the actual number, it's good to be the King — and when ruling over the court as James does, he can pretty much have any car his heart desires.
In a late 2021 report from BasketballNews.com, Lebron reportedly had eight cars worth an estimated $2.8 million. Yet, he didn't even crack the top 10 list of athletes with the most valuable car collection. However, more recent reports suggest his collection currently has as many as 15 cars, valued at $3 million (via Carhp).
Before cracking open the door and peeking inside the garage to see what tickle's the King's fancy, it's best to clarify something about the infamous 2013 Lamborghini Aventador Roadster that many claimed that it belongs to James. LeBron never actually owned the floral printed supercar (that matched the design on his Nike "LeBron XI Everglades"). In fact, this very misconception angered both James and Nike greatly. To hear the whole story, check out the VINwiki interview with John Temerian (founder of exotic car rental company's Lou La Vie and Curated).
Here are the cars LeBron James has actually owned.
2012 Ferrari 458 Italia Spider
The base MSRP for the 2012 Ferrari 458 Italia Spider sits around $257,000 (via Motor Trend), making it the least expensive of James' cars. But, the King likes his cars anything but standard, so we'll put its value at least north of that.
In that vein, Ferrari offered this with an optional HELE package that lessened the car's fuel consumption, while increasing its performance in several ways. It had an engine stop/start system, a different AC compressor, adaptive transmission programming, and throttle response (via Edmunds). James would likely have had this installed on his car.
It's the first year Ferrari made the convertible Spider, which had a unique, retractable folding hardtop. With the push of a few buttons, the top was stashed away (in 14 seconds) underneath a flip-up tonneau cover (via Edmunds). The exterior paint job was a specially ordered darker red than generally seen on a Ferrari, complete with a metallic finish. Mirrors, wheels, and door handles were all finished out in black (via Carhp).
This Spider has a 4.5-liter naturally aspirated V8, producing 562 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque mated to a 7-speed, dual-clutch automated manual transmission (via Edmunds). The 458 Italia Spider gets from 0-60 mph in 3.3 seconds, at a top speed of 199 mph (via Carhp). According to Edmunds, it was one of the fastest cars in the world at the time of its release.
2009 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
Starting with the second-least expensive is — if you can believe it — a red 2009 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano. When a Prancing Horse is bringing up the rear of the pack, you know you have a legitimate car collection. Pininfarina designed this two-door coupe model. The 599 designation refers to the 5,999-cc engine displacement, while the GTB is an acronym for "Gran Turismo Berlinetta." The "Fiorano" comes from the track of the same name, where Ferrari tests out its cars (via U.S. News & World Report).
The Fiorano has a 6.0-liter V12, front-mounted engine kicking out 612 horsepower at 7,600 rpm and 448 pound-feet of torque. This Ferrari can zip from 0-60 in 3.7 seconds, with a top speed of 205 mph. It's all mated to a 6-speed F1 Superfast manual transmission, with paddle shifters on the steering wheel (via U.S. News & World Report).
Only 3,500 GTB Fiorano's were made (via Carhp). The coupe has a 47 (front) to 53 (back) weight distribution balancing the car out nicely, and is equipped with F1-Trac traction and stability control (via U.S. News & World Report). James bought this car for around $310,000 as a present to himself when he turned 25 (via Carhp).
2008 Mercedes-Maybach 57 S
Changing lanes from sports cars to luxury sedans, we go to a stark white 2008 Mercedes-Maybach 57 S (the "S" standing for "Special"). The license plate reads "KNG OF OH," referring to his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers (via The Indian Express).
Edmunds claimed that if a Rolls-Royce was made for Queen Elizabeth, the Maybach was geared for Chancellor Angela Merkel because it was "all business." Still, one of the "rarest of rare luxury sedans," the 2008 Maybach 57 S didn't have the same "panache" as its only other competition, the Rolls-Royce Phantom — which James also owns.
The "S" trim had a base MSRP of $382,750 (via Cars.com). Still, because it was available with "made-to-order customization" (per Edmunds), James ordered his with some extras — including 20-inch wheels and a suspension that lowered the car half an inch, raising the price of his to a tad over $417,000 (via Carhp).
The car weighs 6,050 pounds and is, as Edmunds put it, built like a "leather-lined bank vault," so it needs a hefty powerplant. The 57 S has a 6.0-liter, twin-turbo V12 producing 604 horsepower at 4,800 rpm and 738 pound-feet of torque (via Carhp) mated to a 5-speed shiftable automatic (via Edmunds). It can go from 0-60 in 4.5 seconds, with a top speed of a brisk 194 mph. Not bad for what amounts to a three-ton tank.
2009 Rolls-Royce Phantom
Sticking with luxury sedans, the only one that could top the Maybach (via Edmunds) is a 2009 Rolls-Royce Phantom. According to HuffPost, his then-former Cavaliers teammate Shaquille O'Neal bought the white Phantom — which has an MSRP of some $400,000 — for James as a birthday present. However, this one has a value pegged around $500,000, so it doesn't appear to be just your run-of-the-mill base model. This was also the very same birthday wherein James bought himself the aforementioned Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano.
This seventh generation Phantom (via Carhp) drips with style. Aside from a leather and cashmere-covered interior, it also comes with rear carriage doors, cabin curtains that maintain the utmost privacy, a wine cooler, a humidor, and a fiber-optic "Starlight Headliner" that mimics the night sky. The fancy hood ornament, known as the Spirit of Ecstasy, automatically pops up from the grill when the car moves, and drops back down when it's locked (via Edmunds).
Like the Maybach, this car was pretty hefty, weighing almost 5,800 pounds (via Edmunds). A car that heavy needs a beastly powerplant. The Phantom has a 6.75-liter naturally aspirated V12, kicking out 454 horsepower with 531 pound-feet of torque, and can go from 0-60 in 5.2 seconds with a top speed of 155 mph.
2015 Porsche 918 Spyder
That leaves the most expensive car for last — a 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder. The supercar plug-in hybrid had a very limited 21-month production run (2013-2015), and only 918 were made during that time. Interestingly, all Spyders are tagged with the 2015 model year (via Stuttcars). The base MSRP before United States options were installed was $847,975 (via Car and Driver).
It's equipped with a 4.6-liter V8 kicking out 608 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque, but that's not all. Up front is a 129 horsepower electric motor, with another in back producing 156 horsepower, and a 6.8-kWh lithium-ion battery powering them both. All of that is mated to a 7-speed PDK automated manual. The math shows this car has a combined output of 887 horsepower and 944 pound-feet of torque, and goes from 0-60 in 2.5 seconds via the hybrid drivetrain. In full-electric mode, it gets to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds (via Edmunds).
When the Lakers won the 2020 NBA Championship, the world was in the midst of the COVID pandemic. After the Lakers signed James to a two-year extension worth $85 million, he went after his dream car, which had long since been out of production.
Multiple sources (The Sports Rush and Essentially Sports) say James tracked down the 918 Spyder he wanted and began negotiating with the owner. In the end, getting behind the wheel cost James a mere $2.2 million. Oh, it's indeed good to be the King.