After quitting college to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA, LeBron James quickly established himself as a prominent figure in the sport. He won the NBA championship with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013 and another championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. After having previously played for the Miami Heat, he joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018.

Who Is LeBron James?

LeBron James is a professional basketball player from the United States who currently competes for the Los Angeles Lakers. James originally came to the notice of people around the country when he was recognized as the best high school basketball player. He became a four-time NBA Most Valuable Player thanks to his remarkable blend of size, quickness, and court vision. After helping the Miami Heat win championships in 2012 and 2013, LeBron James moved back to Cleveland, where he led the Cavaliers to their first crown the following year (2016).

Early Life and High School Basketball Career

James was born in Akron, Ohio, on the 30th of December in 1984. James’ early accomplishments on the basketball court demonstrated his innate ability in the game. In 1999, St. Vincent-St. Mary High School wanted him to play basketball for their varsity squad, so they recruited him. James finished with 2,657 points, 892 rebounds, and 523 assists during his four years at the school.

James scored an average of 18 points per contest as a freshman. By scoring 25 points in the state championship game, he was able to assist his team in winning the Division III state championship. James was recognized for his outstanding achievement in various different basketball competitions after it became well-known how sophisticated his talents were.

James was honoured with a spot on the USA Today All-USA First Team while he was a sophomore in high school. He was the very first sophomore in the history of the award to be chosen. Additionally, his squad was victorious in the Division III state championship for the second year.

James received the High School Boys Basketball Player of the Year award from PARADE magazine and the Gatorade Player of the Year award during the subsequent academic year. James was such a good player by the time he finished his junior year that he seriously considered turning pro after the season.

James decided to continue his study and went on to have a fantastic senior year on the basketball floor. His squad won their third consecutive state championship thanks largely to his 31.6 point-per-game scoring average. The St. Vincent-St. Mary High School team also achieved the highest national ranking during that same school year. James would soon establish himself as one of the most important players in the National Basketball Association.

Draft

Because of his outstanding career, King James was first selected in the 2003 NBA Draft, which he entered directly from high school. This should not have come as a surprise. The big young forward was signed by the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he quickly proved to be an asset to the organization, which was having trouble thriving at the time. The previous year, the club finished the campaign in the ninth spot in the Eastern Conference standings.

Cleveland Cavaliers

James created history during the 2003–2004 season when he became the first player in Cavalier team history to win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. This accomplishment took place during the 2003–2004 season. At the time, he was only 20 years old, making him the youngest player to receive this accolade.

In addition, James, averaging 20 points per game then, became one of just three rookies to accomplish this feat. This put James in the same company as Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson.

James’s performance in the NBA improved from one season to the next, as seen by his points-per-game average rose to 27.2. In 2005, he once again made NBA history as he became the youngest league player to score more than 50 points in a single game.

In the first round of the playoffs in 2006, James was an instrumental part in his team’s victory over the Washington Wizards. The Cavaliers continued to the Eastern Conference semifinals, facing off against the Detroit Pistons. During this postseason matchup, James scored an average of 26.6 points per game for his side, but it was not enough to secure a win for his squad. James continued to earn special acclaim for his accomplishments, even though his team was not at the top of the rankings.

In 2006, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers agreed to a new deal. The following season, the squad competed more effectively overall, as seen by their victory over Detroit for the Eastern Conference title. The Cavaliers could not prevail against the San Antonio Spurs in any of the four games in the NBA Finals, and as a result, they could not win the championship.

James continued to be a major contributor to the Cavaliers’ success in the 2007–2008 season, during which they advanced their place in the Eastern Conference. The Boston Celtics eliminated the team in seven games in the semifinals after making it all the way to that point in the tournament. James had an outstanding year in terms of his individual performance. He outperformed rival players like Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson by scoring an average of 30 points per game, which was the highest average in the NBA regular season. James’s performance was the best in the league.

At the beginning of the 2008-2009 campaign, sports writers and fans started discussing James’ possible future roles in the sport. In 2010, he could have chosen to become a free agent, and there was a lot of speculation about where LeBron James would wind up playing basketball. A few journalists have suggested that the New York Knicks might be interested in signing the up-and-coming player.

James made some references to the fact that he would soon be a free agent, but he was careful to play down the significance of the situation. “My current squad and our pursuit of a championship are the primary focuses of my attention right now… At this juncture, I have no intention of making any adjustments, “James said to the press.

Miami Heat

James announced shortly after becoming a free agent, saying he would be playing for the Miami Heat during the 2010-2011 season. His devoted following in Cleveland did not take kindly to the news, and many felt he had betrayed his city by leaving it.

Shortly after James made his statement, the majority owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dan Gilbert, published an open letter in which he called James’ move “selfish,” “heartless,” and a “cowardly betrayal.” James, unfazed, finished second in the league during his first season with the Heat, averaging 26.7 points per game and scoring more than he had in any of his previous teams.

James and the Miami Heat enjoyed great success throughout the 2011-12 season. The superstar forward ultimately won his first championship as his team prevailed in the NBA Finals against Oklahoma City Thunder and claimed the championship. James finished the decisive fifth game of the series with a score of 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists. James told FOX Sports after the game, “I made a difficult decision to leave Cleveland, but I understood what my future was about.” “I made a difficult decision to leave Cleveland,” “I did not doubt that we would have a successful future here in Miami.”

James once again made NBA history during the 2012–13 season. On January 16, 2013, at 28, he became the youngest player to score 20,000 points, passing Kobe Bryant of the Lakers, who accomplished this feat when he was 29. James is only the 38th player in the history of the NBA to achieve this distinction. The Heat defeated the Warriors with a score of 92-75 thanks to a jump jumper made by LeBron James in the last seconds of the game. James now has 20,001 points scored in his career.

After a gruelling, six-game series against the Indiana Pacers to win the Eastern Conference, the Miami Heat prevailed against the San Antonio Spurs in seven games to capture their second consecutive NBA championship. This success followed the Heat all the way to the end of the 2012–13 season.

After the 2013–14 NBA season, Miami returned to the NBA Finals to compete against San Antonio again. However, San Antonio eliminated Miami this time in the series’ fifth game.

Return to Cleveland Cavaliers

James announced that he would return to the Cavaliers in July 2014, after having previously considered other teams and exercising his right to opt out of his contract with the Heat.

James was out for 13 of the season’s 82 regular-season games in 2014-2015 due to issues with his back and knees. When he was healthy, he averaged 25.3 points and 7.4 assists per game, making him one of the most dominant players in the league. James became the first player in almost half a century and the first player overall to reach the championship round in five consecutive seasons as he guided the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals. However, injuries to star teammates Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving hampered his prospects of winning a third championship with the Cavaliers, and they were ultimately unable to overcome the Golden State Warriors in the series.

It was “King James'” sixth consecutive appearance in the NBA Finals. During the 2015–16 season, the Cavaliers overcame the disruption of a midseason coaching change and cruised through the playoffs to earn a rematch with the Warriors. This was “King James'” sixth consecutive appearance in the NBA Finals. After leading his team to a comeback from a 3-1 deficit in the series, scoring 41 points in Games 5 and 6, and then recording a triple-double in Game 7 to earn the Cavaliers their first championship in franchise history, this may be considered the pinnacle achievement of his career.

James, named MVP of the Finals, said, “I came back to win a championship for our town. I was aware of my abilities and what I could do. I knew what I had learned in the last couple of years that I had been gone, and I knew that if I had to — when I came back — I knew that I had the right ingredients and the right blueprint to assist this franchise in getting back to a place that we have never been before. That was the central point of the whole thing.”

The year after, James continued to pace himself and take command when required, leading the Cavaliers through the Eastern Conference and into the NBA Finals for an amazing seventh straight year. This time around, with previous Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant added to the mix, the Warriors proved too powerful for James and his colleagues, and they were able to win the championship in five games.

James achieved another first early in the 2017-18 NBA season. He was dismissed for the first time in his career after swearing at a referee during a win against the Heat in late November. This was the first time James had been ejected from a game in his 1,082 career appearances.

Because an offseason transaction that sent Irving to Boston for Isaiah Thomas failed to yield fruit and caused the Cavaliers to make another major move before the All-Star break, the superstar probably felt the need to yell very frequently during a trying season.

James had to dig deep to get the team out of the first round of the playoffs after averaging a career-best 9.1 assists during the regular season. James delivered a great 45-point effort to defeat the Pacers in Game 7, eliminating them from the playoffs. James scored 81 points throughout the series’ final two games to lead the Cavaliers to a victory over the feisty Celtics and advance to their eighth consecutive NBA Finals appearance. This was James’ eighth consecutive appearance in the NBA Finals.

James’s outburst of 51 points helped bring Game 1 of the rematch against Golden State down to the wire. However, Cleveland player J.R. Smith inexplicably dribbled out the clock with the game tied in regulation, and the Warriors went on to win the game in overtime. That was the finest opportunity for the Cavaliers to get a step up on their rivals, but the Warriors went on to win the next three games convincingly and clinch their third championship in the last four years.

After that, when questions were being asked about his future with the team, James disclosed that he had played through the series with a broken right hand after striking a whiteboard in the aftermath of Game 1’s loss. This revelation came as concerns were being asked about his future with the team.

Los Angeles Lakers

On July 1, 2018, LeBron James announced that he was moving on to the next chapter of his career by signing a 4-year, $153.3 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Los Angeles Lakers are a legendary franchise that has counted Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Magic Johnson among its all-time greats.

The Lakers struggled through 17 games halfway through the season without their injured star player, and the positive vibes had worn off.

James accused his teammates of allowing trade rumours to distract them while the team was still struggling in late February of 2019, saying, “If you’re still allowing distractions to affect the way you play, this is the wrong franchise to be a part of, and you should just come in and be like, ‘Listen, I can’t do this.'”

The official elimination of the Los Angeles Lakers from playoff contention in March 2019 brought an end to LeBron James’ personal streak of 13 consecutive appearances in the postseason and eight consecutive trips to the NBA Finals. After a trying first season in Los Angeles, the Lakers made the disappointing announcement that their top player would be out for the final six games of the season due to an ongoing groin ailment.

The next season got off to a much better start than the previous one, and a huge part of the credit for this goes to the acquisition of the athletic big man Anthony Davis to the club. James was the driving force behind the Lakers’ ascent to the top of the standings in November 2019, when he became the first player in NBA history to post a triple-double against each of the league’s 30 clubs.

James was named the AP Male Athlete of the Decade the following month, which added yet another award to his ever-growing list of achievements and recognitions.

Championships and Rings

Beginning with the 2010–11 season and continuing through the 2018–19 season, James was a member of eight consecutive NBA championship teams. During that time, he won three championships, two of which were with the Heat (in 2011-12 and 2012-13) and one with the Cavaliers (2015-16).

All-Star Games and MVPs

In 2005, LeBron James was picked to participate in the NBA All-Star Game for the very first time. From that point forward, James would go on to be chosen for participation in the league’s showcase event in each of the subsequent 15 seasons.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced in January 2018 that James and the guard for the Golden State Warriors, Stephen Curry, had won the most votes and would serve as captains for that year’s All-Star Game.

The first time LeBron James won the Most Valuable Player award at the NBA All-Star Game was in 2006, and he went on to win the award again in 2008 and 2018. James has also been honoured as the Most Valuable Player of the NBA on four other occasions: in the 2008-2009, 2009-10, 2011-12, and 2012-13 seasons.

Stats and Points

James eclipsed Bryant in January 2018 to become the youngest player in the history of the NBA to score 30,000 points in his career. He did so at 33, making him the eighth player in the history of the NBA to accomplish this feat. Because of this accomplishment, he was only over 8,000 points away from breaking Abdul-all-time Jabbar’s record of 38,387 points.

In 2019, James surpassed Jordan’s career point total of 32,292 to move into fourth place on the list of players with the most points in NBA history. In January 2020, he surpassed Bryant’s overall score of 33,643 points to enter the third position. This occurred just one night before his predecessor was tragically killed in a helicopter accident.

After 16 seasons in the NBA, James finished his career with the following regular season per-game averages:

• 27.2 points
• 38.6 minutes
• 0.736 free-throw percentage
• 0.343 3-point field-goal percentage
• 0.504 field-goal percentage
• 1.2 offensive rebounds
• 6.2 defensive rebounds
• 7.2 assists
• 0.8 blocks
• 1.6 steals
• 3.5 turnovers

Olympic Games

In January 2018, at 33, James surpassed Bryant to become the youngest player in NBA history to amass 30,000 career points. He also became the eighth player in the history of the NBA to accomplish this feat. The accomplishment put him within a little over 8,000 points of breaking Abdul-all-time Jabbar’s record of 38,387 points.

In 2019, James climbed into fourth place on the list of all-time scorers, surpassing Jordan’s career total of 32,292 points. In January 2020, he surpassed Bryant’s total of 33,643 points to move into third position, one night before his predecessor was tragically killed in a helicopter crash. This allowed him to pass Bryant.

After 16 seasons in the NBA, James finished his career with regular-season per-game statistics.

Contract With Nike

In 2003, James signed multiple endorsement deals, one of which was a $90 million contract with Nike that could earn him over $1 billion throughout his lifetime.

Other companies like Intel, Verizon, Coca-Cola, Beats by Dre, and Kia Motors have endorsed him.

Salary and Earnings

James became the third player in NBA history to earn that much, following in the footsteps of Jordan and Bryant, when he collected a salary of $31 million for the 2016–17 season. After that, in July of 2018, the NBA superstar agreed to terms with the Lakers on a contract for $153.3 million over four years. In addition, he is an investor in Blaze Pizza and a co-owner of the production business SpringHill Entertainment.

According to an article published in February 2019 by Forbes magazine, James’ annual earnings were predicted to be $88.7 million, making him the highest-earning player in the NBA for the fifth year.

Wife and Kids

James made his long-awaited proposal to his high school girlfriend, Savannah Brinson, on January 1, 2012. On September 14, 2013, the pair wed in a small, private ceremony in San Diego, which approximately 200 guests attended.

James and Brinson have three children: two sons and a daughter. In October 2004, James became a father for the first time to LeBron James Jr. Bryce Maximus James was born to Brinson and her husband on June 14, 2007, making him the couple’s second son. On October 22, 2014, the couple welcomed their third child, a daughter named Zhuri James.

LeBron James Family Foundation

James has been active in the community outside his time with the NBA. Together with his mother Gloria, he formed the LeBron James Family Foundation in 2004 to assist underprivileged children and families consisting of single parent.

In addition to its many other projects, the organization constructs playgrounds in sections of the city that are economically depressed and organizes a bike-a-thon every year.

Outspoken Posts on Social Media

James, who is widely considered to be one of the most famous athletes in the world, is not one to hold back when it comes to sharing his opinions on social media. Among other things, he voiced his sympathy for Trayvon Martin following the death of the adolescent in 2012, and he has engaged in conflict with the current President of the United States, Donald Trump.

After Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted a tweet in support of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy demonstrators in October 2019, which sparked a Chinese media boycott of NBA preseason games in the country, LeBron James entered into a precarious situation and delved into the controversy. Although James later tweeted that he mainly took issue with the executive tweeting comments that could have exposed travelling players to danger, he initially stated that he believed Morey was “misinformed” about the situation. James said he believed Morey was “misinformed” about the situation.

The basketball superstar had often demonstrated a lighthearted side on social media, such as when he shared a photo of the cartoon character Arthur clenching his fist following the Cavaliers’ sluggish start to the 2017–18 season.

‘Space Jam 2’

James appeared in the 2021 sequel to the popular film Space Jam, in which Jordan starred in 1996. “According to James, who spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the Space Jam collaboration, “it’s so much more than just me and the Looney Tunes getting together and doing this movie.”

“It’s so much bigger than I expected. I just think it’s so important for young people to realize how empowered they can feel and how empowered they can be if they don’t just give up on the things they want to do in life.”

QUICK FACTS

• Name: James
• Birth Year: 1984
• Birth date: December 30, 1984
• Birth State: Ohio
• Birth City: Akron
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: LeBron James became an immediate star after skipping college to join the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers. He led the Miami Heat to NBA titles in 2012 and 2013 and won another championship with Cleveland in 2016, before joining the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018.
• Astrological Sign: Capricorn
• Schools
  • St. Vincent-St. Mary High School
• Interesting Facts
  • During the 2003-04 season, LeBron James became the first member of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the youngest NBA player in history to recieve the Rookie of the Year Award.
  • LeBron James was one of only three rookies to average 20 points per game during the 2003-04 season. The other rookies to accomplish the feat were Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson.

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