Which NBA player made Time's 100 Most Influential People list alongside Pope Francis? Exploring NBA great's historic 2019 achievement

In 2019, NBA superstar LeBron James was named to Time’s 100 Most Influential People list alongside Pope Francis. The Pope, appointed in 2013, died Monday after spending 12 years in the Vatican.

Pope Francis’ addition to the list also contained a recollection by Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna. The Archbishop outlined how the Pope helped put guidelines and policies in place to protect children and other vulnerable people from clerical abuse.

Meanwhile, James’s addition to the list in 2019 came with a tribute written by the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett. In his tribute, Buffett mentioned that LeBron was worthy of the adulation of millions, as he has lived up to the massive expectations people had of him.

Buffett also admired the way LeBron has managed to “keep his head” despite being one of the most celebrated and financially successful athletes. LeBron’s success off the court and his many projects, like the I Promise School in Akron, Ohio, also played a role in his addition to the list.

In Buffett’s tribute from 2019, he mentioned that it was just the start of LeBron. Six years later, James is currently in the 22nd season of his career, sharing the court with his son, Bronny James. Since being named next to Pope Francis in 2019, James has added another NBA championship to his already impressive list of achievements.

What has LeBron James achieved since his addition to Time's list alongside Pope Francis?

James’s list of accomplishments continues to grow even as we enter the twilight years of his NBA career. Since being named next to Pope Francis in 2019, James has continued to rewrite the history books by touching highs we’ve never seen before. In 2023, he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the league’s all-time leading scorer.

In March this year, he became the first player in history to have 50,000 combined regular-season and playoff points. James also won the gold medal in basketball during the 2024 Paris Olympics. He is also the first active NBA player to become a billionaire and holds a net worth of $1.2 billion as of 2025, per Forbes.

LeBron James’s off-court ventures and, most importantly, his greatness on the court have earned him the admiration of millions worldwide. LeBron will be in the league for at least another year as his current contract with the Lakers will run out at the end of the 2025-26 season.

It’ll be interesting to see what the King does next.