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LeBron Raymone James Sr. (/ləˈbrɒn/ lə-BRON; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely recognized as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport and is often compared to Michael Jordan in debates regarding who is the greatest basketball player of all time.[a] He has competed in 10 NBA Finals (with eight consecutive appearances from 2011 to 2018), winning four NBA championships.[1] He also won the inaugural NBA Cup in 2023 with the Lakers, and two Olympic gold medals as a member of the U.S. men's national team.
Individually, James is the all-time leading scorer in NBA history and ranks fourth in career assists, 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 has been named an All-Star a record 20 times, selected to the All-NBA Team 20 times (including 13 First Team selections)[2][3] and the All-Defensive Team six times, and was a runner-up for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award twice in his career.[4][5] Noted for his longevity, James is currently the oldest player in the NBA.[6] After his son Bronny was drafted in 2024, he became part of the first active father-son duo in NBA history.
James grew up playing basketball for St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. He was heavily touted by the national media as a future NBA superstar for his all-around scoring, passing, athleticism and playmaking abilities.[7] A prep-to-pro, he was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft. Named the 2004 NBA Rookie of the Year,[8] he soon established himself as one of the league's premier players, leading the Cavaliers to their first NBA Finals appearance in 2007 and winning the NBA MVP award in 2009 and 2010.[4] After failing to win a championship with Cleveland, James left in 2010 as a free agent to join the Miami Heat;[9] this was announced in a nationally televised special titled The Decision and is among the most controversial free agency moves in sports history.[10]
James won his first two NBA championships while playing for the Heat in 2012 and 2013; in both of these years, he also earned the league's MVP and Finals MVP awards. After his fourth season with the Heat in 2014, James opted out of his contract and re-signed with the Cavaliers. In 2016, he led the Cavaliers to victory over the Golden State Warriors in the Finals by coming back from a 3–1 deficit, delivering the team's first championship and ending the Cleveland sports curse.[11] In 2018, James exercised his contract option to leave the Cavaliers and signed with the Lakers, where he won the 2020 NBA championship and his fourth Finals MVP.[12] On February 7, 2023, James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the leading scorer in league history.
Off the court, James has earned more wealth and fame from numerous endorsement contracts. He is the first player in NBA history to accumulate $1 billion in earnings as an active player.[13] He has been featured in books, documentaries (including winning three Sports Emmy Awards as an executive producer), and television commercials. James was among Time's 100 most influential people in the world in 2005, 2013, 2017, and 2019, the most selections by a professional athlete. He has won 20 ESPY Awards, hosted Saturday Night Live, and starred in the sports film Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021). James has been a part-owner of Liverpool F.C. since 2011 and leads the LeBron James Family Foundation, which has opened an elementary school, housing complex, retail plaza, and medical center in Akron.[14][15]
Early life[edit]
James was born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio, to Gloria Marie James, who was 16 at the time of his birth.[16]: 22 His father, Anthony McClelland, has an extensive criminal record and was not involved in his life.[17][18][19] When James was growing up, life was often a struggle for the family, as they moved from apartment to apartment in the seedier neighborhoods of Akron while Gloria struggled to find steady work.[20] Realizing that her son would be better off in a more stable family environment, Gloria allowed him to move in with the family of Frank Walker, a local youth football coach who introduced James to basketball when he was nine years old.[16]: 23
James began playing organized basketball in the fifth grade.[21] He later played Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball for the Northeast Ohio Shooting Stars.[20] The team enjoyed success on a local and national level, led by James and his friends Sian Cotton, Dru Joyce III, and Willie McGee.[16]: 24 The group dubbed themselves the "Fab Four" and promised each other that they would attend high school together.[16]: 27 In a move that stirred local controversy, they chose to attend St. Vincent–St. Mary High School, a private Catholic school with predominantly white students.[22]
High school career[edit]
Basketball[edit]
As a 6-foot-2-inch (1.88 m) tall freshman, James averaged 21 points and 6 rebounds per game for the St. Vincent–St. Mary varsity basketball team.[23] The Fighting Irish went 27–0 en route to the Division III state title, making them the only boys high school team in Ohio to finish the season undefeated.[24] As a sophomore, James averaged 25.2 points and 7.2 rebounds, along with 5.8 assists and 3.8 steals per game.[25] 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, as well as college and NBA scouts who wanted to see James play.[26] The Fighting Irish finished the season 26–1 and repeated as state champions.[23] For his outstanding play, James was named Ohio Mr. Basketball and selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team, becoming the first sophomore to do either.[23]
In 2001, during the summer before his junior year, James was the subject of a feature article in Slam magazine in which writer Ryan Jones lauded the 16-year-old James, who had grown to 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m), as "[possibly] the best high school basketball player in America right now".[27] During the season, James also appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, becoming the first high school basketball underclassman to do so.[16]: 104 With averages of 29 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 3.3 steals per game, he was again named Ohio Mr. Basketball and selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team,[23] and became the first junior to be named male basketball Gatorade National Player of the Year.[16]: 117 St. Vincent–St. Mary finished the year with a 23–4 record, ending their season with a loss in the Division II championship game.[16]: 114 Following the loss, James unsuccessfully petitioned for a change to the NBA's draft eligibility rules in an attempt to enter the 2002 NBA draft.[28][29] During this time, he used marijuana, which he said was to help cope with the stress that resulted from the constant media attention he was receiving.[30]
Throughout his senior year, James and the Fighting Irish traveled across the country to play a number of nationally ranked teams, including a game on December 12, 2002, against Oak Hill Academy that was nationally televised on ESPN2.[16]: 142 Time Warner Cable, looking to capitalize on James's popularity, offered St. Vincent–St. Mary's games to Ohio-based subscribers for $7.95 per game on a pay-per-view basis throughout the season, but ended up not being profitable.[16]: 143 [31] For the year, James averaged 31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 3.4 steals per game,[23] was named Ohio Mr. Basketball and selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team for an unprecedented third consecutive year,[16]: 178 and was named Gatorade National Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.[23] He participated 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—losing his National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) eligibility and making it official that he would enter the 2003 NBA draft.[32]
Also during his senior year, James was the centerpiece of several controversies. For his 18th birthday, he skirted state amateur bylaws by accepting a Hummer H2 as a gift from his mother, who had secured a loan for the vehicle by utilizing James's future earning power as an NBA player.[33] This prompted an investigation by the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) because its guidelines stated that no amateur may accept any gift valued over $100 as a reward for athletic performance. James was cleared of any wrongdoing because he had accepted the luxury vehicle from a family member and not from an agent or any outside source.[32] 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.[32] 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.[34] In his first game back after the suspension, James scored a career-high 52 points.[35] St. Vincent–St. Mary went on to win the Division II championship, marking their third division title in four years.[36]
Football[edit]
As an underclassman, James played wide receiver for St. Vincent–St. Mary's football team.[16]: 51 He was recruited by some Division I programs, including Notre Dame.[37] At the conclusion of his second year, he was named first team all-state, and as a junior, he helped lead the Fighting Irish to the state semifinals.[25] He did not play during his senior year because of a wrist injury that he sustained in an AAU basketball game.[38] Some sports analysts, football critics, high school coaches, former and current players have speculated that James could have played in the National Football League.[b]
Professional career[edit]
Cleveland Cavaliers (2003–2010)[edit]
2003–2004: Rookie of the Year[edit]
James was selected by his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, as the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft.[43] In his first regular season game, he scored 25 points in a 106–92 loss to the Sacramento Kings, setting an NBA record for the most points scored by a prep-to-pro player in his debut performance.[44] At the conclusion of the 2003–2004 season, he became the first Cavalier to receive the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.[8] With final averages of 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game,[45] he also became the third player in league history to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game as a rookie.[46] Cleveland ultimately finished the season 35–47, failing to make the playoffs despite an 18-game improvement over the previous year.[47]
2004–2008: Rise to superstardom[edit]
In the 2004–2005 season, James earned his first NBA All-Star Game selection, contributing 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in a winning effort for the Eastern Conference.[48] Around the league, teams took note of his rapid development, and Denver Nuggets coach George Karl told Sports Illustrated: "It's weird talking about a 20-year-old kid being a great player, but he is a great player ... He's the exception to almost every rule."[49] On March 20, James scored 56 points against the Toronto Raptors, setting Cleveland's new single-game points record.[50] With final averages of 27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 2.2 steals per game, he was named to his first All-NBA Team.[25] Despite a 30–20 record to start the year,[50] the Cavaliers again failed to make the playoffs, finishing the season 42–40.[51]
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