LeBron Raymone James Sr. (/ləˈbrɒn/lə-BRON; conceived December 30, 1984) is an American expert ball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the Public B-ball Affiliation (NBA).
He is often compared to Michael Jordan in debates regarding who is the greatest basketball player of all time.[a] James has participated in ten NBA Finals, winning four of them—eight in a row from 2011 to 2018—and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the sport’s history. 1] As a member of the United States men’s national team, he also won two Olympic gold medals and the inaugural NBA Cup in 2023 with the Lakers. James has won four Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards, four Finals MVP Awards, three All-Star Game MVP Awards, and was named the inaugural NBA Cup MVP. He also ranks fourth in career assists and is the NBA’s leading scorer overall. He has been named an All-Star a record 20 times, made the All-NBA Team 20 times (including 13 First Team selections)[2][3], and the All-Defensive Team six times. He has also finished second twice in his career for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. 4] James is renowned for his longevity and is currently the NBA’s oldest player. 6] James became the NBA’s first active father-son duo when his son Bronny was drafted in 2024. James grew up playing b-ball for St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio, where he grew up. Because of his all-around scoring, passing, athleticism, and playmaking abilities, the national media gave him a lot of attention as a potential NBA superstar. 7] James was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft, making him a prep-to-pro player. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2004[8,] and he quickly became one of the best players in the league. In 2007, he led the Cavaliers to their first NBA Finals appearance and won the NBA MVP award in 2009 and 2010. 4] Subsequent to neglecting to come out on top for a title with Cleveland, James passed on in 2010 as a free specialist to join the Miami Heat;[9] this was declared in a broadly broadcast extraordinary named The Choice and is among the most disputable free organization moves in sports history.[ 10] In 2012 and 2013, while playing for the Heat, James won his first two NBA championships. He also won the league’s MVP award and the Finals MVP award in both of these seasons. James signed a new contract with the Cavaliers after his fourth season with the Heat in 2014. He led the Cavaliers to a Finals victory over the Golden State Warriors in 2016 by coming back from a 3–1 deficit, ending the Cleveland sports curse and delivering the team’s first championship. 11] James signed with the Lakers in 2018 after exercising his contract option to leave the Cavaliers. There, he won his fourth Finals MVP award and the 2020 NBA championship. 12] On February 7, 2023, James overtook Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the league’s leading scorer. James has amassed even more wealth and fame off the court through numerous endorsement deals. He is the principal player in NBA history to amass $1 billion in profit as a functioning player.[ 13] James has appeared in books, documentaries, television commercials, and won three Sports Emmy Awards as an executive producer. In 2005, 2013, 2017, and 2019, he was named one of Time’s 100 most influential people—the most by a professional athlete. James has hosted Saturday Night Live, won 20 ESPY Awards, and starred in the sports movie Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021). He has been a section proprietor of Liverpool F.C. starting around 2011 and drives the LeBron James Family Establishment, which has opened a primary school, lodging complex, retail court, and clinical focus in Akron.[ 14][15] Early years James was born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio, to Gloria Marie James, who was just 16 years old at the time. 16]: 22 His dad, Anthony McClelland, has a broad crook record and was not associated with his life.[ 17][18][19] When James was a young boy, Gloria struggled to find a steady job and the family moved from apartment to apartment in Akron’s less affluent neighborhoods. 20] Gloria allowed her son to live with the family of Frank Walker, a local youth football coach who introduced James to basketball when he was nine years old. She was aware that her son would do better in a family with more stability. 16]: 23 James started playing coordinated b-ball in the fifth grade.[ 21] Later, he played basketball for the Northeast Ohio Shooting Stars, an AAU team. 20] James and his friends Sian Cotton, Dru Joyce III, and Willie McGee led the team, which had both local and national success.[ 16]: 24 The group called themselves the “Fab Four” and made a promise to go to high school together. 16]: 27 In a move that caused controversy in the community, they decided to attend St. Vincent–St. Mary High School, a private Catholic institution with a majority of white students. 22] Career after high school
Basketball James, a 6-foot-2, 1.88-meter freshman, scored 21 points and grabbed 6 rebounds per game for the Saints. Vincent–St. Mary’s competitive basketball team. 23] The Fighting Irish were the only boys high school team in Ohio to finish the season undefeated, going 27–0 to win the Division III state championship. 24] James averaged 25.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 3.8 steals per game as a sophomore. 25] For a few home games during the season, St. Vincent–St. Mary performed in the 5,492-seat Rhodes Arena at the University of Akron to meet the demand for tickets from James fans, alumni, and college and NBA scouts. 26] The Fighting Irish won the state championship once more and finished the season 26–1. 23] James was named Ohio Mr. for his outstanding performance. B-ball and chose to the USA Today All-USA First Group, turning into the principal sophomore to do either.[ 23] James was the subject of a feature article in Slam magazine in 2001, which was published in the summer before his junior year. The writer, Ryan Jones, praised the 16-year-old James, who had grown to 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 meters), as “possibly the best high school basketball player in America right now.” 27] During the season, James became the first underclassman in high school basketball to appear on the Sports Illustrated cover. 16]: 104 He was named Ohio Mr. Basketball once more with an average of 29 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 3.3 steals per game. Basketball and was named to the USA Today All-USA First Team[23]. He also became the first junior to win the Gatorade National Player of the Year award for male basketball. 16]: 117 St. Vincent–St. With a 23–4 record at the end of the year, Mary lost in the Division II championship game.[ 16]: 114 Following the defeat, James attempted to enter the 2002 NBA draft by requesting a change to the draft eligibility rules, but he was denied.[ 28][29] During this time, he utilized pot, which he expressed was to assist adapt to the pressure that came about because of the steady media consideration he was receiving.[ 30] James and the Fighting Irish played a number of nationally ranked teams throughout his senior year. One of those games, on December 12, 2002, against Oak Hill Academy, was nationally televised on ESPN2. 16]: 142 In an effort to take advantage of James’s popularity, Time Warner Cable offered St. Vincent–St. Mary’s games to Ohio-based subscribers on a pay-per-view basis for $7.95 per game throughout the season, but ultimately failed to make a profit.[ 16]: 143 [31] James was named Ohio Mr. Basketball after finishing the year with an average of 31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 3.4 steals per game.[23] Basketball and was named Gatorade National Player of the Year for the second year in a row,[16]: 178, and was named to the USA Today All-USA First Team for an unprecedented third year in a row. 23] He lost his National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) eligibility by participating in three year-end high school basketball all-star games—the EA Sports Roundball Classic, the Jordan Brand Capital Classic, and the McDonald’s All-American Game—and made it clear that he would enter the 2003 NBA draft.[ 32] Additionally during his senior year, James was the focal point of a few debates. By accepting a Hummer H2 as a gift for his 18th birthday, James circumvented state amateur bylaws. His mother had secured a loan for the vehicle by leveraging James’s potential NBA earnings.[ 33] The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) conducted an investigation because its guidelines stated that no amateur may accept a gift worth more than $100 as a reward for athletic performance. Because he received the luxury vehicle from a family member rather than an agent or any other outside source, James was found not guilty of any wrongdoing. 32] Later in the season, James acknowledged two legacy shirts worth $845 from a metropolitan attire store in return for posturing for pictures, authoritatively abusing OHSAA manages and bringing about his being deprived of his secondary school sports eligibility.[ 32] James filed an appeal, and his punishment was reduced to a two-game suspension, allowing him to continue playing throughout the year. Additionally, the Irish had to give up one of their victories, making it their sole official defeat that season. 34] James scored 52 points in his first game back after the suspension. [ 35] St. Vincent–St. Mary then went on to win Division II, their third division title in four years. [ 36] Football James spent his undergrad years playing wide receiver for St. Vincent–St. Mary’s football team.[ 16]: 51 Several Division I schools, including Notre Dame, sought him out. 37] James was named first team all-state at the conclusion of his second season, and as a junior, he helped lead the Fighting Irish to the state semifinals. 25] James didn’t play during his senior year in light of a wrist injury that he supported in an AAU ball game.[ 38] James may have played football in the National Football League, according to some sports analysts, football critics, high school coaches, and current and former players.[b]
