LeBron James

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Image:LeBronJ.jpg

Born December 30, 1984
Akron, Ohio
Height 6 ft 8 in (203 cm)
Weight Weight: 240 lb (108 kg)
Position' Small Forward/G-F
NBA Team Cleveland Cavaliers
Pro career 3rd Season

LeBron Raymone James (IPA: Template:IPA, born December 30, 1984 in Akron, Ohio); nicknamed as King James or The Chosen One, is an All-Star NBA basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The 21-year-old James is considered one of the most gifted and versatile players in the NBA. Although he primarily plays the small forward position, he is capable of shifting to any of the guard positions in instances as well. James' overall skill sets and on court play have led to comparisons between him and NBA greats such as Magic Johnson as well as his childhood idol Michael Jordan. Due to LeBron's versatile gameplay-often considered to be a triple-double threat, some consider James more like the legendary Oscar Robertson, who was known for his superb all-around talents.

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Early life

LeBron James was born an only child in a low-income area of Akron, Ohio to the unwed Gloria James on December 30, 1984. His mother was only 16 at the time and six months shy of graduating from high school. Due to his family's humble circumstances, James (being raised solely by his mother), led a nomadic lifestyle moving frequently from one home to another. Things began to look up for him when his mother began seeing a man by the name of Eddie Jackson. James was young enough at the time to have him serve as a father figure; he did not have any contact with his biological father. Jackson would often be seen supporting James later on at his high school basketball games.

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High school

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Freshman year

LeBron attended St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron. He was the starting point guard on a team led by James's future best friend and manager Maverick Carter. Although Carter is commonly referred to as James's cousin, they are not actually related. With James at the point and the primacy of Carter, the team cruised to a perfect 27-0 record and won the Division III state championship. James averaged 18.2 points and 6 rebounds per game.

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Sophomore year

James took over the helm of the team after Carter's graduation and averaged 27.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 4 steals for SVSM en route to another state title. He was subsequently named Ohio's "Mr. Basketball" and selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team—the first sophomore to be so honored.

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Junior year

James's third year of high school contributed more to the phenom's impressive stats as James averaged 29.7 points and 8.4 rebounds and was once again named Mr. Basketball Ohio, in addition to his spot on the All-USA First Team and being named the 2001-02 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year. It was then that his nickname "King" James would become a household staple in Ohio.

An avid football player in addition to basketball, LeBron was also able to add to his resume the distinction of being First-Team All-State as a wide receiver for his high school team. However, injury concerns influenced James to concentrate solely on basketball. In his junior year, he appeared on the cover of SLAM Magazine which was the beginning of his nationwide exposure.

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However, the St. Vincent-St. Mary basketball team failed to defend its state title when it moved up to the more-challenging Division II. LeBron attempted to declare for the NBA Draft, petitioning for an adjustment to the NBA's rules of draft eligibility, which then required the completion of high school by a prospective player. The petition was unsuccessful, but it led to an unprecedented level of attention on him as he entered his senior year. By then, "King" James had already appeared on the covers of Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine. His popularity soared to new heights, forcing his team to move from their playing at the school gym to the nearby James A. Rhodes Arena at the University of Akron. Celebrities such as Shaquille O'Neal and Jake J. Brotter attended some of the games, hoping to get a glimpse of the prodigious young basketball player. A few of James's high school games were even televised nationally on ESPN2 and regionally on pay-per-view.

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Senior year

Gloria James touched off a firestorm of controversy when she was allowed to use her son's future earning power as collateral to secure a bank loan and buy an $80,000 Hummer H2 for her son's 18th birthday, prompting 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. When James later accepted two throwback basketball jerseys 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. 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.

Despite the distractions, the Irish won a third state title, and James, for an unprecedented third time, was named Mr. Basketball Ohio and to the All-USA First Team. He earned MVP honors at the McDonald's All-American Game, the EA Sports Roundball Classic, and the Jordan Capital Classic. Although it was a foregone conclusion, by participating in more than two high school all-star events, LeBron legally lost his NCAA eligibility.

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NBA career

James was the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Because of immense public interest surrounding LeBron's potential, James quickly became an instant celebrity. Even before James played a single NBA game, he was awarded with an unprecedented $90 million dollar shoe contract by Nike.

James would not disappoint marketers and fans alike, netting in his first NBA game against the Sacramento Kings as he went on to win Rookie of the Year honors in a season where he averaged 20.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game, joining Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan as the only three players to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in a rookie season. The Cavaliers improved by 18 wins in his first season, yet despite James' success, failed to make the playoffs.

In the offseason, James played for Team USA in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece where he and his teammates won the bronze medal in men's basketball, the first time an American Olympic team using NBA players (called the Dream Teams) failed to win the gold medal. Due to coach Larry Brown's preference for experienced players, James' minutes on the court were limited.

In the 2004-2005 season, James became the youngest player to register a triple-double (double digits in three statistical categories such as points, assist, rebounds) and the youngest player to score 50 points in one game (56 points in a loss to the Toronto Raptors), making his first All-Star team in the process. James joined a select group of players to average over 25 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds in a season (together with Larry Bird, Jordan, Havlicek and Robertson). Again, James failed to reach the playoffs by only one game, finishing two games over the .500 mark.

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The Cavaliers made several off-season moves, adding Larry Hughes (from the Washington Wizards), Damon Jones (from the Miami Heat) and Donyell Marshall (from the Toronto Raptors). The Cavs' front office underwent substantial management changes at this time as well. Long-time owner Gordon Gund sold the franchise to Dan Gilbert, who subequently replaced General Manager Jim Paxson with Danny Ferry, and brought in Mike Brown as the new head coach. Currently, James is averaging career highs in points and minutes per game.

At the 2006 NBA All-Star Game, James led the Eastern Conference team to victory with a 29-point, six-rebound performance. He was awarded the game's MVP, becoming the youngest player to do so.

On March 29, 2006, the Cavaliers clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 1998. In three years time, James has transformed the Cavaliers from a lottery team (just 17-65 the season before James arrived) into a play-off contender ending the 2005-2006 season with a 50-32 record.Due to his superb regular season stats in that year, James joined Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to average at least 30 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assist in a single season.


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Criticism

James has recently developed a reputation according to some, for putting up spectacular regular season statistics, but failing to come through in clutch situations. James didn't make a game winning shot in his professional career until March 22nd, 2006 in an overtime win over Charlotte [1]. This has been noted by NBA analyst Charles Barkley who questioned James' efforts in close games as well as his often unselfish nature in ball games.[2]. That aspect as well with his sometimes lackadaisical defensive efforts however have seen improvements in the past season, as these are aspects of his game critics believe he has the most ability to improve on.

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Awards and honors

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NBA highlights

  • NBA All-Star Game MVP: 2006
  • 2-time NBA All-Star: 2005, 2006
  • All-NBA:
    • Second Team: 2005
  • NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2004
  • NBA Rookie of the Year: 2004
  • TSN NBA Rookie of the Year: 2003-2004
  • NBA regular-season leader, field goals made: 2005 (795)
  • NBA regular-season leader, minutes played: 2005 (3,388)
  • McDonald's All-American: 2003
  • McDonald's All-American Game MVP: 2003
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NBA milestones

  • Youngest player in NBA history and the first Cavalier to be named NBA Rookie of the Year, at 19 years of age.
  • Youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double in his career (20 years, 21 days), with 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists on January 20, 2005 vs. the Portland Trail Blazers.
  • Youngest player in NBA history to score 50 points in one game (20 years, 80 days), with 56 points vs. the Toronto Raptors on March 20, 2005.
  • Youngest player in NBA history to reach:
  • 1,000 points in his career
  • 2,000 points in his career
  • 3,000 points in his career
  • 4,000 points in his career
  • 5,000 points in his career (21 years, 22 days) set on January 21, 2006 vs. the Utah Jazz.
  • 6,000 points in his career (21 years, 89 days) set on March 29, 2006 vs. the Dallas Mavericks.
  • Youngest player in NBA history to win an All-Star Game MVP (21 years, 55 days) after leading the East to a 122-120 victory over the West at the 2006 NBA All-Star Game.
  • One of only three players in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in his rookie season (joining Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan).
  • One of only five players in NBA history to average at least 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists in a single season (joining Oscar Robertson, John Havlicek, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan).
  • One of only four players in NBA history to average at least 30 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in a single season (joining Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and Michael Jordan).
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Cavaliers franchise records

  • Points
    • Game: 56 (March 20, 2005 vs. Toronto Raptors).
    • Quarter: 21 (4th quarter, April 5, 2006 vs. New York Knicks).
    • Season: 2,478 (2005-06)
    • All time scoring average: 26.5
    • Scoring average, month: 32.9(March 2006)[3]
    • Consecutive games scoring at least 35 points: 9(March 22–April 8, 2006) [4]
  • Field goals made
    • Game: 19 (3 times, most recently April 5, 2006 vs. New York Knicks)
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High school achievements

2001
USA Today All-USA First Team (first sophomore to receive this honor)
Ohio Mr. Basketball (first sophomore to receive this honor)
Adidas ABCD Camp Underclassmen MVP
2002
USA Today High School Player of the Year
Gatorade Circle of Champions National Player of the Year
USA Today All-USA First Team
Ohio Mr. Basketball
2003
USA Today High School Player of the Year
Gatorade Circle of Champions National Player of the Year
USA Today All-USA First Team
Ohio Mr. Basketball
Ohio Division II Player of the Year
Naismith High School Player of the Year
Morgan Wootten Award (McDonald's National Player of the Year)
McDonald's High School All-American
McDonald's High School All-American Game MVP
Jeremy Nathaniel Memorial Classic MVP
Jordan Capital Classic MVP
EA Sports Roundball Classic MVP
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Trivia

  • Wore jersey #32 as a freshman while at Saint Vincent-Saint Mary High School before later adopting the number #23 in tribute to Michael Jordan. He currently still wears #23 with the Cavaliers.
  • He made a guest appearance on The Simpsons episode "Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass."
  • Shares his December 30th birthday with Tiger Woods.
  • A headline in the March 16, 2006 edition of the parody based newspaper the Onion, proclaimed "LeBron on pace to become the youngest player to turn 22".
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Further reading

  • Jones, Ryan: King James: Believe the Hype, St. Martin's Griffin 2003. ISBN 0312322291
  • Morgan, David Lee: LeBron James: The Rise of a Star, Gray & Company Publishers 2003. ISBN 1886228744
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External links

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