LeBron James
The Best Basketball Player in the World
The Beginnings
- LeBron Raymone James was born on December 30th, 1984
- His mother was only 16 when she gave birth to him
- She raised him on her own, life was a struggle
- When he was 9, his mother decided that it would be better if he moved in with the family of Frank Walker, who introduced him to basketball
How his Success Began and Grew
- Before high school, James played basketball for an AAU basketball team - Northeast Ohio Shooting Stars, where he found success locally and nationally
- He and his three friends he played with called themselves the "Fab Four"
- The "Fab Four" decided that they would attend the same high school and chose one that caused local controversy, St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, which at the time was a primarily catholic white school
- During James' freshman year he earned an average of 21 points and 6 rebounds a game for the varsity team
- His team finished that year with a record of 27-0, winning them the DIII state title
- He saw improvement in his game come his sophomore year, scoring 25.2 points and 7.2 rebounds with addition to 5.8 assists and 3.8 steals a game, then being named Ohio's Mr. Basketball and selected to USA Today's All-USA First Team, becoming the first sophomore to accomplish either
- His junior year he got even better notching 29 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 3.3 steals per game
- This success earned him a selection on the USA Today All-USA First Team as well as being the first junior to earn the Gatorade National Player of the Year award
- His senior year, him and his team traveled across the country, playing in a nationally televised game against Oak Hill Academy
- James scored 31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 3.4 steals per game where he would end the year by playing in the EA Roundball Classic, the Jordan Capital Classic, and the 2003 McDonald's All-American Game, making it official that he would enter the 2003 NBA draft.
His Successes in the NBA
- LeBron James was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft
- In his first game against the Sacramento Kings, he scored 25 points, which set an NBA record for the most points scored by a "prep-to-pro" player
- Later in the season against the New Jersey Nets, he scored 41 points and became the youngest player to achieve such a feat
- He finished the season and was named Rookie of the Year, scoring 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game
- The beginning to his rise to stardom occurred on January 19th, 2005, when he earned his first triple-double, becoming the youngest to do so as well
- At the 2006 All-Star Game, James led his East team to a victory and on the way scored 29 points, and grabbed 6 rebounds, winning the All-Star MVP honors made him the youngest to do so
- At the conclusion of the 08'-09' season LeBron scored 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game, that won him MVP honors, his first of four... so far
- During the 2009-2010 season he faced adversity when the Cavalier's guards were injured and he was thrust into the position, he, however prospered earning 29.7 points, 8.6 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game
- In 2010, James decided to opt out of his contract to join the Miami Heat
- His team won back to back NBA championships from 2011- 2013, where he also won MVP in both years for the league and the finals
- He decided to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014, where his team would make it back the finals, only to lose the series 4-2 to the Golden State Warriors
His Influence
- James has been listed numerous times on Forbes as one of the world's most influential athletes in the world
- He actively supports the Boys and Girls Club of America, ONEXONE, and the Children's Defense Fund
- He's created his own charity foundation called the LeBron James Family Foundation, which is based out of Akron
- He recently announced a partnership with the University of Akron to provide scholarships for as many as 2,300 students starting in 2021
- in 2008, LeBron was the first black man to appear on the cover of Vogue magazine with model Gisele Bundchen, some thought it was offensive relating to imagery of King Kong
- He takes a large stand on controversial issues such as the War in Darfur, the Trayvon Martin case, the Michael Brown case, Donald Sterling's racial comments, and the death of Eric Garner
- In 2008, he donated $20,000 to a committee to elect Barack Obama
- He has inspired many in every place that he goes and is able to have them rally and follow him through all the good and bad times that he encounters