Did you know that:King James is LeBron Raymone James.
James was born December 30, 1984 in Akron, Ohio.
He was a three-time Mr Ohio in high school.
James attended
St. Vincent - St. Mary High School in
Akron, Ohio; he was named a starter for the Fighting Irish
James," was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar while still a sophomore in high school.
He was the first sophomore to be named Ohio's "Mr. Basketball" and also became the first sophomore player ever selected to the
USA Today All-USA First Team.
[4]He also earned a spot on the All-USA First Team, and was named the 2001–2002 boys' basketball
Gatorade National Player of the Year.
He was selected with the
number one pick in the
2003 NBA draft and drafted by the Cavaliers.
He signed a
US$ 90 million shoe contract with
Nike before he ever walked on the court.
He is listed as a
small forward but often classified as a
point forward due to his ability to run the offense like a
point guard.
He was named the NBA
Rookie of the Year in
2003-2004.
He has been both
All-NBA and an
All-Star every season since 2005.
James has led the team to consecutive
playoff appearances in
2006,
2007, and
2008 and 2009.
In 2007, the Cavaliers advanced to the
Conference Finals for the first time since 1992 and the
NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.
He was Runner-up in the 2006
NBA Most Valuable Player Award balloting.
James is also a member of the
United States men's national basketball team, winning the
bronze medal at the
2004 Olympics and a
gold at the
2008 Olympics.
LeBron James was an avid
football player, James was also named First-Team All-State as a
wide receiver.
[5] James accumulated more than 700 yards and was highly recruited by college scouts.
[2]James always wears the number 23 on his jerseys.
James attempted to declare for the
NBA Draft after the season ended, petitioning for an adjustment to the NBA's draft eligibility rules which at the time required prospective players to have at least completed high school. The petition was unsuccessful, but it ensured him an unprecedented level of nation-wide attention as he entered his senior year.
Sports Illustrated had deemed him as the chosen one.
He has a tattoo on his back that says chosen one.
With James popularity it forced his team to move their practices from the school gym to the nearby
James A. Rhodes Arena at the University of Akron.
NBA stars such as
Shaquille O'Neal attended the games, and a few of James' high school games were even televised nationally on
ESPN2 and regionally on
pay-per-view.
James mother feared a football injury could hurt his chances in the NBA.
James played his junior year of football and had 52 receptions for more than 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns.
James fractured the index finger on his left hand in the first game of the post-season, but did not reveal the injury until after the state finals, where his team lost.
Gloria James
created a firestorm of controversy when a bank took her son's future earning power into consideration, resulting in an approval of a loan used to buy an $80,000
Hummer H2 for her son's 18th birthday.
The event prompted an investigation by the
Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA). Under the OHSAA guidelines, no amateur may accept any gift valued over $100 as a reward for athletic performance.
[6] When James later accepted two throwback jerseys of
Wes Unseld and
Gale Sayers worth $845 from NEXT, an urban clothing store in
Shaker Square, in exchange for his posing for pictures to be displayed on the store's walls, OHSAA stripped him of his eligibility.
[7] James appealed and a judge blocked the ruling, reducing the penalty to a two-game suspension and allowing him to play the remainder of the season. However, James's team was forced to forfeit one of their wins as a result.
[8] That forfeit loss was the team's only official loss that season.
Despite the distractions, the Irish won a third state title, with James averaging 31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.4 steals on the season.
[4]James was named to the All-USA First Team for an unprecedented third time, and was selected as Mr. Basketball of Ohio.
[4] He earned MVP honors at the
McDonald's All-American Game, the
EA Sports Roundball Classic, and the Jordan Capital Classic.
That by participating in more than two high school all-star events, James officially lost his
NCAA eligibility.
James finished his high school career with 2,657 points, 892 rebounds and 523 assists.
[4] James was selected by the
Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick in the
2003 NBA Draft.
Facing the
Sacramento Kings in his first NBA game, James recorded 25 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals and shot 60% from the floor.
[9]James was asked who he wanted to be like the most and his answer was
Jason Kidd . James had admired Kidd since he took the floor in 1994 and dedicated his first triple double to him. James praised Kidd by saying he was the best point guard alive today, and his passing abilities were second to none.
After recording a season-high 41 points against the
New Jersey Nets, James became the youngest player in league history to score at least 40 points in a game.
[10]He averaged 20.9 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game for the season,
[11] and was named
2003-04 NBA Rookie of the Year;
becoming the first Cavalier and youngest NBA player to ever receive the award.
[3]He joined
Oscar Robertson and
Michael Jordan as the only three players in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game in their rookie season.
[3]In the
2004–05 season, James was selected to his first
NBA All-Star Game and recorded 13 points, 6 assists, and 8 rebounds, as the
Eastern All-Stars defeated the
Western All-Stars
125–115.
[13]During the season, James became the youngest player in league history to record a
triple-double, score 50 points in a game, and make the
All-NBA Team.
[3] He averaged 27.2 points, 7.2 assists, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game.
[11] In the
2005–06 season, James was elected to his second straight
All-Star Game appearance and led the Eastern All-Stars to a 122–120 victory, with 29 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists.
He became the youngest All-Star MVP at 21 years, 51 days.
[15]He scored 35 or more points in nine consecutive games and joined
Michael Jordan and
Kobe Bryant as the only players since 1970 to accomplish the feat.
[16]For the season, James averaged 31.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game,
[11] and became the youngest player in NBA history to average at least 30 points.
He also became the fourth player in NBA history to average more than 30 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in a single season.
[17] The Cavaliers made the playoffs for the first time since 1998,
[18] and improved from a record of 17–65 in 2002–03 to 50–32 in 2005–06.
[19]Following the regular season, James was named as one of the top candidates for the
NBA Most Valuable Player Award. Although he finished second to
Steve Nash of the
Phoenix Suns in MVP voting, he was awarded co-MVP honors with Nash by
The Sporting News; an award given by the publication that is based on the voting of thirty NBA
general managers.
[20]James made his playoff debut against the
Washington Wizards in 2006. He recorded a
triple-double with 32 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds, as the Cavaliers defeated the Wizards 97–86.
[21] He joined
Johnny McCarthy and
Magic Johnson as the only players in NBA history to register a triple-double in their playoff debut.
[21] For the series, James averaged 35.7 points, as the Cavaliers defeated the Wizards in six games.
[22]James set a new record for turnovers in a 6-game series, with 34. In the second round of the playoffs, James and the Cavaliers lost in seven games to the defending
Eastern Conference champion and divisional rival
Detroit Pistons. James averaged 30.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in the playoffs.
[11] At the end of the season, James negotiated a three-year contract extension, with a player option for a fourth year. The contract is worth
US$60 million and begins at the start of the
2007–08 season.
[23]Although it is for fewer years and less money than the maximum he could sign, it allows him the option of seeking a new contract worth more money as an unrestricted
free agent following the 2010 season.
[23] James was elected to his third consecutive
All-Star game appearance during the
2006–07 season. He played a game high 32 minutes and finished with 28 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists.
[24] In the regular season, the Cavaliers tied the previous season's record with 50 wins and clinched the second seed of the Eastern Conference on the last day of the season.
[25] For the season, James averaged 27.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.
[3]He joined
Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to average 27 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists for three consecutive years.
[26]In the first round of the 2007 NBA Playoffs, James led the Cavaliers to their first
sweep in franchise history over the
Washington Wizards in four games.
[27] It was also the first time the franchise had won consecutive road playoff games.
[27] For the series, James averaged 27.8 points, 7.5 assists, and 8.5 rebounds.
[11] In the second round of the playoffs, James led the Cavaliers to a 4–2 series victory over the
New Jersey Nets.
[28] He averaged 25.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 8.6 assists in the series,
[11] as the Cavaliers advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 15 years.
[28]In the Eastern Conference Finals, James led the Cavaliers from an 0–2 deficit against the
Detroit Pistons to win the series in six games. His performance in Game 5 was especially memorable. James recorded a franchise-record 48 points on 54.5% field goal shooting, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. In addition, James scored 29 of Cleveland's last 30 points, including the team's final 25 points in a double-
overtime victory.
[29]NBA analyst
Marv Albert r
eferred to James's performance as "one of the greatest moments in postseason history," while color commentator
Steve Kerr called it "Jordan-esque."
[30]In the
2007 NBA Finals, James averaged 22.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.8 assists, as the Cavaliers were
swept by the
San Antonio Spurs in four games.
[3] For the postseason, James averaged 25.1 points, 8.0 assists and 8.1 rebounds per game.
[11] He set a franchise record for double-doubles in a playoff season with eight and became the first Cavalier and the first non-guard in NBA history to have at least seven assists in eight consecutive playoff games.
[3] LeBron James greeted the then-
US President,
George W. Bush, at the
2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. In the
2007–08 season, James continued his dominant play, earning his fourth consecutive All-Star Game appearance
[31] and once again positioning himself as one of the frontrunners for the
NBA Most Valuable Player award. James was named the
Eastern Conference Player of the Month for January 2008.
[32] He won the 2008
All-Star Game MVP with 27 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals as the
Eastern Conference All-Stars defeated their Western counterparts, 134–128.
[33]On February 19, 2008, James recorded his fifth
triple double of the
2007–08 season by putting up 26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists against the
Houston Rockets. Five triple doubles in a season ties his personal and team records for triple doubles in a season. It was the 15th triple double of his career, another Cavaliers' record. He is the third youngest player to post 15 triple doubles, behind
Oscar Robertson and
Magic Johnson.
[34] He scored his 6th
triple double of the season and 16th of his career against the
Indiana Pacers the very next game. It was the second time this season that he had triple double in back-to-back games. The last player to accomplish that feat was
Magic Johnson in 1988.
[35]James was named NBA's
Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, February 18 through Sunday, February 24.
[36] It was the third time he has won the award this season and the 13th time he has won the award in his career.
On February 27, 2008, against the
Boston Celtics, James became the youngest person to score 10,000 points in his career at 23 years and 59 days, achieving the feat in style with a slam-dunk over 11-time All-Star
Kevin Garnett,
eclipsing the old mark by more than a year. James did so in 368 games, the ninth fastest in league history.
[37][38]On March 3, 2008 James was named the
Eastern Conference Player of the Month for February 2008.
[39] It was the second straight month that he won the award. On March 5, 2008, James scored 50 points with 8 rebounds and 10 assists on the
New York Knicks,
[40] becoming only the third player since the
ABA-NBA merger to record a 50-point 10-assist game.
[41] On March 10, 2008, James notched his seventh
triple double of the season against the
Portland Trail Blazers. Seven triple doubles in a season broke his personal and team records for triple doubles in a season and 17 career triple doubles broke his team record as well.
[42] On March 12, 2008, James scored 42 points against the
New Jersey Nets and surpassed
Austin Carr for second all-time in Cavaliers points scored. On March 21, 2008, James scored 29 points against the
Toronto Raptors, taking him past
Brad Daugherty's
all-time Cavaliers scoring record of 10,389 points. Daugherty achieved this record over the course of 548 games, while James took only 380 games to score 10,414 points.
[43]On February 14, 2009 at the All Star Game in Phoenix, when asked by Cheryl Miller
whether he will participate in the 2010 Slam Dunk Contest, he said that he's going to be part of it, following the path of mercurial superstars Michael Jordan
and Kobe Bryant
.
After his
rookie season, James played on the 2004
U.S. Olympic basketball team in
Athens, where the United States won the
bronze medal in
men's basketball. It was the first time a U.S. Olympic team with NBA players failed to win the
gold medal. Limited to 14.6 minutes per game, James averaged just 5.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.
[48]James also competed in the
2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan and averaged 13.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game.
[49] However, the team finished with an 8–1 record, and was again awarded the bronze medal.
[49] James was named as one of three
captains for the 2006 USA Men's World Championship team, alongside
Carmelo Anthony and
Dwyane Wade.
[50] After failing to win the 2006 World Championships, the team competed at the 2007
Tournament of Americas Olympic qualifiers to qualify for the
2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
During the gold medal game against Spain, James recorded 31 points, the most by an American in an Olympic qualifier, as the United States captured gold medal honors.
[51] He averaged 18.1 points (on tournament-high field-goal percentage (76%) and three-point percentage (62.2%), 4.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 22.2 minutes per game.
James, along with the rest of Team USA reclaimed the gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, defeating Spain 118 to 107. He finished the gold medal game with 14 points along with 6 rebounds and 3 assists as the USA went unbeaten, avenging their gold medal drought dating back to the
2000 Olympics.
[52] James has established himself as a legitimate
triple-double threat and has averaged 27.3 points, 6.6 assists and 6.9 rebounds per game for his career.
[11]As of the
2007–08 season, he has recorded 17 triple-doubles in his career,
[53] with 14 in the regular season and 3 in the postseason.
[3].
[3] He is a solid rebounder who regularly ranks among the league leaders in rebounds for the small forward position.
[55][56] His overall skill sets and on-court play has led to many comparisons to NBA legends
Oscar Robertson,
Magic Johnson,
and
Michael Jordan .
[57]Although James exhibits exceptional offensive ability, he has yet to be featured on the
NBA All-Defensive Team[58] and has struggled with his
free throw shooting — he averaged a subpar .698 free throw percentage in the
2006-07 season.
[11] James has two children with his high school sweetheart, Savannah Brinson. The first, LeBron James Jr., was born on October 6, 2004
[59] and the second, Bryce Maximus James, on June 14, 2007.
[59][60]James has endorsement contracts with
Nike,
Sprite,
Glacéau,
Bubblicious, and
Upper Deck. With Nike, James has released six signature shoe styles, and four additional shoes (20-5-5, Soldier, Soldier 2, Ambassador). He has acted in a series of commercials called "
The LeBrons".
During the
2007 NBA Playoffs, James drew criticism
[62] when he declined to
James,
with comedian
Jimmy Kimmel, co-hosted the 2007
ESPY Awards. James himself was nominated for three ESPYs: Best Male Athlete, Best NBA Player (winner), and Best Record Breaking Performance. The Record Breaking performance was when he scored 48 points in Game 5 of the 2007 NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons, including 29 of the last 30 points and all of the team's 25 points in overtime.
[30]James hosted the 33rd season premiere of
Saturday Night Live . The show's creator
Lorne Michaels praised him for his versatility.
In December 2007, James was ranked at #1 in the
Forbes Top 20 Earners Under 25 with annual earnings of $27 million.
[66] James has received criticism from Cleveland fans and critics for attending
Cleveland Indians games against the
New York Yankees dressed in a Yankees hat. James said, "As individuals I want every Indian to succeed. I love all these fans for coming out and supporting us. But team-wise I want the Yankees to win." Despite residing in Ohio for all of his childhood, James added that he grew up as a Yankees fan, a
Dallas Cowboys fan for the
NFL and a
Chicago Bulls fan for the NBA.
[67] In January 2008, Nike released of the Air Zoom V LeBron shoe
, which featured a Yankees-type motif and was made available only in New York City.
[68]In March 2008, James became the first black man to appear on the cover of
Vogue magazine, posing with
Gisele Bündchen.
[69] He also was just the third man to appear on the cover of Vogue, after
Richard Gere and
George Clooney.
Some considered the cover offensive, describing the positioning of James and Bündchen as a reference to classic imagery of the movie monster
King Kong.
[69] James told the
The Plain Dealer he was pleased with the cover, saying he was "just showing a little emotion," and "Everything my name is on is going to be criticized in a good way or bad way."
In June 2008, James donated $20,000 to a committee to elect
Barack Obama.
[70]In August 2008, a source close to James said he would strongly consider playing in Europe for
Olympiacos if given a $50-million annual salary.
[71] However, James later said he may sign a contract extension with the
Cleveland Cavaliers at the conclusion of the 2008-2009 NBA season.
[72]On October 29, 2008, James gathered almost 20,000 people at the
Quicken Loans Arena for a viewing of Democratic presidential nominee
Barack Obama's
30-minute
American Stories, American Solutions television advertisement. It was shown on a large screen above the stage, where
Jay-Z later held a free concert.
[73] .
James and
Ice Cube have paired up to pitch a one-hour special to
ABC based on James' life. James will also act as
executive producer if the show is
greenlighted.
[74] Avant-garde guitarist
Buckethead honoured James' 24th birthday with two new songs on his website called "LeBron" and "LeBron's Hammer" both later released on the 2009 album
Slaughterhouse on the Prairie.
[75] One of his earlier songs, "King James" from
Crime Slunk Scene (2006), is also dedicated to James.
[76]F
ollowing the release of teaser ads on TV and the internet
[77] featuring James from behind making an announcement to a crowded room (supposedly full of media) that he will "follow his first love", a State Farm ad aired on Sunday
January 18 in which James fantasizes about playing for the NFL's Cleveland Browns.
James appeared on the cover of the February 2009 edition of
GQ magazine.
[78] Lebron James
has been having a great year. The 24 year old phenom is averaging 27.3 points per game, almost 7 rebounds and 6 assists per game. Lebron is the NBA MVP in 2009.
Lebron Lebron James has put up 38 points and 33 points in his last two games and has the Cleveland Cavaliers at 66-16 with the best record in the NBA.
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