LeBron Raymone James

LeBron Raymone James (born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has started at the small forward and power forward positions. James has won two NBA championships (2012, 2013), four NBA Most Valuable Player Awards (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013), two NBA Finals MVP Awards (2012, 2013), twoOlympic gold medals (2008, 2012), an NBA scoring title (2008), and the NBA Rookie of the Year Award (2004). He has also been selected to 11 NBA All-Star teams, 11 All-NBA teams, and six All-Defensive teams, and is the Cavaliers’ all-time leading scorer.

James played high school basketball at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, where he was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar. After graduating, he was selected with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft by the Cavaliers. James led Cleveland to the franchise’s first Finals appearance in 2007, losing to the San Antonio Spurs. In 2010, he left the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat in a highly publicized ESPN special titled The Decision. James played four seasons for the Heat, reaching the Finals all four years and winning back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013. In 2013, he led Miami on a 27-game winning streak, the third longest in league history. Following his final season with the Heat, James opted out of his contract and re-joined the Cavaliers. Behind his leadership, Cleveland advanced to the Finals before losing to the Golden State Warriors.

Off the court, James has accumulated considerable wealth and fame from numerous endorsement deals. His public life has been the subject of much scrutiny, and he has been ranked as one of America’s most influential and popular athletes. He has been featured in books, documentaries, and television commercials, and he has hosted the ESPY Awards and Saturday Night Live.

High school career

In his freshman year, James averaged 21 points and 6 rebounds per game for St. Vincent-St. Mary’s varsity team. The Fighting Irish finished the year 27–0, winning the Division III state title. In his sophomore year, James averaged 25.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game with 5.8 assists and 3.8 steals per game. For some home games during the season, St. Vincent-St. Mary played at the University of Akron’s 5,492-seat Rhodes Arena to satisfy ticket demand from alumni, fans, and college and NBA scouts who wanted to see James play. The Fighting Irish finished the season 26–1 and repeated as state champions. For his outstanding play, James was named Ohio’s Mr. Basketball and was selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team, becoming the first sophomore to do either.

Prior to the start of James’ junior year, he appeared in SLAM Magazine and was lauded as possibly “the best high school basketball player in America right now” by writer Ryan Jones. During the season, he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, becoming the first underclass high school basketball player to do so. With averages of 29 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 3.3 steals per game, he was again named Ohio’s Mr. Basketball and selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team, and became the first junior to win the boys’ basketball Gatorade National Player of the Year Award. St. Vincent-St. Mary finished the year with a 23–4 record, ending their season with a loss in the Division II championship game. Following the loss, James seriously considered declaring for the 2002 NBA draft, unsuccessfully petitioning for an adjustment to the NBA’s draft eligibility rules which required prospective players to have at least graduated from high school. During this time, James used marijuana to help cope with stress resulting from the constant media attention he was receiving.

During his senior year, James and the Fighting Irish traveled around the country to play a number of nationally ranked teams, including a game against Oak Hill Academy that was nationally televised onESPN2. Time Warner Cable, looking to capitalize on James’ popularity, offered St. Vincent-St. Mary’s games to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis throughout the season. For the year, James averaged 31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 3.4 steals per game, was named Ohio’s Mr. Basketball and USA Today All-USA First Team for an unprecedented third consecutive year, and was named Gatorade National Player of the Year for the second consecutive year. He participated in three year-end high school basketball all-star games—the EA Sports Roundball Classic, the Jordan Capital Classic, and the 2003 McDonald’s All-American Game—losing hisNCAA eligibility and making it official he would enter the 2003 NBA draft. According to Ryan Jones, James left high school as “the most hyped basketball player ever”.

During his senior year, James was the centerpiece of several controversies. For his 18th birthday, he accepted a Hummer H2 from his mother, who secured a loan for the vehicle utilizing LeBron’s future earning power as a professional athlete. This prompted an investigation by the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) as its guidelines state that no amateur may accept any gift valued over $100 as a reward for athletic performance. Later in the season, James accepted two throwback jerseys worth $845 from an urban clothing store in exchange for posing for pictures, officially violating OHSAA rules and resulting in his being stripped of his high school sports eligibility. James appealed the ruling and his penalty was eventually dropped to a two-game suspension, allowing him to play the remainder of the year. The Irish were also forced to forfeit one of their wins, their only official loss that season. In his first game back after the suspension, James scored a career-high 52 points.

LeBron James’ Top 10 Playa of the 2013-2014 Season

Return to the Cavaliers (2014-present)

On June 25, James opted out of his contract with the Heat, officially becoming an unrestricted free agent on July 1. On July 11, he revealed via a first-person essay in Sports Illustrated that he intended to rejoin the Cavaliers. In contrast to The Decision, his announcement to return to Cleveland was well received. On July 12, he signed a two-year contract with the team worth $42.1 million with an option to become a free agent again in 2015. A month after James’ signing, the Cavaliers acquired Kevin Love from the Minnesota Timberwolves, forming a new star trio along with Kyrie Irving.

In January of the 2014–15 season, James missed two weeks due to left knee and lower back strains, the longest stretch of missed games in his career. Shortly after the All-Star break, he reached several passing milestones, including becoming the Cavaliers’ all-time assists leader. His final season averages were 25.3 points, 6 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game. In the second round of the playoffs, he hit a baseline jumper at the buzzer to give Cleveland a 2–2 series tie with the Bulls. In the Conference Finals, the Cavaliers defeated the Hawks to advance to the Finals, making James the first player since the 1960s to play in five consecutive Finals. For the championship round, and with both Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving sidelined due to injury almost throughout, James averaged 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game, but the Cavaliers were defeated by the Warriors. Despite the loss, the media was complimentary of James’ performance; Bradford Doolittle of ESPN wrote, “Hopefully we all appreciate what we just saw because it might not happen again anytime soon.”

On June 28, James announced that he would opt out of his contract with the Cavaliers, and on July 10, he re-signed with the team on another two-year contract with a player option for the second year.