lebron james basketball biography

LeBron James

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.

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Who Is LeBron James?

LeBron James is an American basketball player with the Los Angeles Lakers. James first garnered national attention as the top high school basketball player in the country. With his unique combination of size, athleticism and court vision, he became a four-time NBA MVP. After leading the Miami Heat to titles in 2012 and 2013, James returned to Cleveland and helped the franchise claim its first championship in 2016.

Early Life and High School Basketball Career

James was born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio. At an early age, James showed a natural talent for basketball. He was recruited by St. Vincent-St. Mary High School to join their basketball team in 1999. Overall, James scored 2,657 points, 892 rebounds and 523 assists during his four years there.

As a freshman, James averaged 18 points per game. He helped the team to a Division III state title by scoring 25 points in the championship game. Word of his advanced basketball skills spread, and James received several honors for his performance.

As a high school sophomore, James was chosen for the USA Today All-USA First Team. He was the first sophomore ever selected for this award. His team also won the Division III state title for the second year in a row.

The following school year, James was named PARADE magazine's High School Boys Basketball Player of the Year and Gatorade Player of the Year. Following the end of his junior year, James was such a strong player that he contemplated going pro.

Deciding to finish his education, James had a tremendous senior year on the court. He averaged 31.6 points per game, helping his team clinch their third state title. The St. Vincent-St. Mary High School team also earned the top national ranking that year. James would soon emerge as one of the National Basketball Association's leading players.

With his impressive record, it was no surprise that James was the first player picked in the 2003 NBA Draft straight out of high school. The Cleveland Cavaliers signed the powerful young forward, and he proved to be a valuable addition to the then-struggling franchise. The team had ended the previous season in eighth place in the Eastern Conference.

Cleveland Cavaliers

During the 2003-04 season, James made history when he became the first member of the Cavalier franchise to win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He also became the youngest player — at only 20 years old — to receive this honor.

James continued to excel professionally in the NBA the following season, upping his average points per game to 27.2. He made NBA history again in 2005 when he became the youngest player to score more than 50 points in one game.

In 2006, James helped his team defeat the Washington Wizards in the first round of playoff action. From there, the Cavaliers took on the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference semifinals. James scored an average of 26.6 per game in this postseason matchup, but it wasn't enough to secure victory for his team. While his team wasn't at the top of the rankings, James himself continued to receive special recognition for his abilities.

In 2006, James reached a new contract agreement with the Cavaliers. The team proved to be stronger competitors the following season, defeating Detroit to win the Eastern Conference. In the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, however, the Cavaliers lost their championship bid in four consecutive games.

During the 2007-08 season, James continued to help the Cavaliers improve their standing in the Eastern Conference. The team made it to the semifinals, where they were defeated by the Boston Celtics in seven games. In terms of individual performance, James had a stellar year, outperforming such rival players as Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson by scoring an average of 30 points per game, the highest average in the NBA regular season.

Early in the 2008-09 season, sports journalists and fans began talking about James' future in the sport. He had the option to become a free agent in 2010, and there was much discussion as to where James would end up. Some journalists identified the New York Knicks as a potential suitor for the rising player.

James made several references to his impending free-agent status, but he was sure to downplay the matter. "I am focused on the team that I am on right now and winning a championship ... I don't think about making a change at this point," James told reporters.

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Shortly after becoming a free agent, James announced that he would be joining the Miami Heat for the 2010-11 season. His fans in Cleveland were less than pleased, and many considered his departure a betrayal to his hometown.

Soon after James' announcement, Cleveland Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert wrote an open letter declaring James' decision as "selfish," "heartless" and a "cowardly betrayal." Unfazed, James finished second in the league during his first season with the Heat, scoring 26.7 points per game.

The 2011-12 season saw major success for James and the Miami Heat. With his team's victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals, the superstar forward finally earned his first title. In the clinching Game 5, James scored 26 points, and had 11 rebounds and 13 assists. "I made a difficult decision to leave Cleveland, but I understood what my future was about," James told FOX Sports following the game. "I knew we had a bright future [in Miami]."

During the 2012-13 season, James made NBA history yet again: On January 16, 2013, at age 28, he became the youngest player to score 20,000 points, succeeding Bryant of the Lakers — who accomplished this feat when he was 29 — and becoming only the 38th player in NBA history to achieve this distinction. James made a jump shot the final seconds of the game, bringing his scoring total 20,001 and leading the Heat to a 92-75 victory over the Warriors.

Success followed the Heat to the end of the 2012-13 season: Following a hard-fought, six-game series against the Indiana Pacers to win the Eastern Conference, Miami outlasted the San Antonio Spurs in seven games to win its second consecutive NBA championship.

At the culmination of the 2013-14 season, Miami returned to the NBA Finals to face off against the Spurs again, this time losing to San Antonio after five games.

Return to Cleveland Cavaliers

In July of 2014, after opting out of his contract with the Heat and considering other teams, James announced that he would be returning to the Cavaliers.

Hampered by back and knee problems, James missed 13 of 82 regular-season games in 2014-15. However, he was as dominant as ever when healthy, averaging 25.3 points and 7.4 assists per game. James led the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals, becoming the first player in nearly 50 years to reach the championship round in five consecutive seasons. However, injuries to star teammates Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving damaged his hopes of claiming a third title, and the Cavaliers lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games.

Over the course of 2015-16, the Cavs overcame the distraction of a mid-season coaching change and breezed through the playoffs to earn a rematch with the Warriors, marking the sixth straight NBA Finals appearance for "King James." In perhaps the crowning achievement of his career, he led his team back from a 3-1 deficit, scoring 41 points in both Games 5 and 6, before recording a triple-double in Game 7 to give the Cavs their first championship in franchise history.

Voted Finals MVP, James said, "I came back to bring a championship to our city. I knew what I was capable of doing. I knew what I learned in the last couple years that I was gone, and I knew if I had to — when I came back — I knew I had the right ingredients and the right blueprint to help this franchise get back to a place that we've never been. That's what it was all about."

The following year, James again paced himself and took charge when necessary, driving the Cavs through the Eastern Conference to make an incredible seventh consecutive appearance in the NBA Finals. This time, with former MVP Kevin Durant added to the mix, the Warriors proved too formidable for James and his teammates, claiming the championship in five games.

For all his accomplishments, James achieved another first early in the 2017-18 NBA season: After yelling at a referee during a late November win over the Heat, he was ejected for the first time in 1,082 career games.

The superstar likely felt like yelling often during the course of a frustrating campaign, as an offseason trade that sent Irving to Boston for Isaiah Thomas failed to bear fruit and forced the Cavs to make another major deal before the All-Star break.

After averaging a career-best 9.1 assists in the regular season, James had to dig deep just to get the team out of the first round of the playoffs, delivering a brilliant 45-point effort to sink the Pacers in Game 7. The Cavs were again pushed to the limit two rounds later by the scrappy Celtics, but James scored 81 points over the last two games to pull out the series win and make his eighth straight NBA Finals appearance.

Game 1 of the rematch against Golden State went down to the wire, thanks to James's 51-point outburst, but Cleveland guard J.R. Smith inexplicably dribbled out the clock with the game tied in regulation, before the Warriors pulled away for the win in overtime. That represented the Cavs' best chance to get a leg up on their opponents, as the Warriors won the next three games handily to claim their third title in four years.

Afterward, with questions swirling about his future with the team, James revealed that he had played out the series with a broken right hand after punching a whiteboard in the aftermath of the Game 1 loss.

Los Angeles Lakers

On July 1, 2018, 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, a storied franchise that counted Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson among its all-time greats.

The good vibes had worn off by midseason, as the Lakers sputtered through a 17-game stretch without their injured star.

With the team still struggling in late February 2019, James accused his teammates of losing focus over trade rumors, 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.'"

When the Lakers were officially eliminated from playoff contention in March 2019, it snapped James' personal marks of 13 consecutive postseasons and eight straight NBA Finals appearances. Capping a difficult first season in Los Angeles, the Lakers announced that their star would miss the final six games because of his lingering groin injury.

Things got off to a much better start the following season, thanks in large part to the addition of athletic big man Anthony Davis to the roster. Spearheading the Lakers' rise to the top of the standings was James, who became the first player to record a triple-double against all 30 NBA teams in November 2019.

The following month, James added another accolade to his ever-growing list by earning AP Male Athlete of the Decade honors.

Championships and Rings

James participated in eight straight NBA championships from the 2010-11 season to the 2018-19 season. During that time, he captured three championship rings: twice with the Heat (2011-12 and 2012-13) and once with the Cavaliers (2015-16).

All-Star Games and MVPs

James was selected for the NBA All-Star Game for the first time in 2005 and would go on to earn a spot in the annual showcase in each of the next 15 seasons.

In January 2018, the NBA announced that James and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry had topped the ballots and would serve as captains for that year's All-Star Game.

In 2006, James was named the Most Valuable Player in the NBA All-Star Game, a feat he would repeat in 2008 and 2018. James has also been named NBA MVP four times, in seasons 2008-09, 2009-10, 2011-12 and 2012-13.

Stats and Points

In January 2018, at age 33, James surpassed Bryant as the youngest player to accumulate 30,000 career points and became the seventh player in NBA history to achieve that milestone. The feat put him just more than 8,000 points shy of Abdul-Jabbar's all-time record of 38,387 points.

In 2019, James surpassed Jordan's career tally of 32,292 points to move into fourth place on the all-time list. In January 2020, he eclipsed Bryant's total of 33,643 points to slide into third place, one night before his predecessor's shocking death in a helicopter accident.

After 16 NBA seasons, James' stats included regular season per-game averages of:

• 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
• 3.5 turnovers

Olympic Games

James competed on the U.S. Olympic basketball team during three Summer Olympic Games, in 2004, 2008 and 2012. James made his Olympic debut at the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, Greece. He and his teammates won bronze medals after defeating Lithuania. Argentina took home the gold after beating Italy in the finals.

In the summer of 2008, James traveled to Beijing, China, to play with the likes of Bryant, Jason Kidd and Dwyane Wade on the U.S. Olympic basketball team. This time around the U.S. team brought home the gold after defeating Spain in the final round.

James competed at his third Olympic Games in 2012, at the Summer Olympics in London, along with Durant, Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and several other top players. The U.S. basketball team took the gold medal — James' second consecutive Olympic gold.

Contract With Nike

In 2003, James signed several endorsement deals, including a deal with Nike for $90 million that could net him over $1 billion over his lifetime.

Other endorsements include Intel, Verizon, Coca-Cola, Beats by Dre and Kia Motors.

Salary and Earnings

In the 2016-17 season, James collected a $31 million salary, making him the third player to earn that much after Jordan and Bryant. The NBA superstar went on to sign a four-year, $153.3 million contract with the Lakers in July 2018. He’s also a co-owner of the production company SpringHill Entertainment and has invested in Blaze Pizza.

In February 2019, Forbes magazine's estimated James’ yearly earnings at $88.7 million, making him the NBA's highest-earning player for the fifth year in a row.

Wife and Kids

On January 1, 2012, James proposed to his high school sweetheart, Savannah Brinson. The couple married in a private ceremony with about 200 guests in San Diego on September 14, 2013.

James and Brinson have two sons and one daughter together. In October 2004, James welcomed his first son LeBron Jr. On June 14, 2007, Brinson gave birth to their second son, Bryce Maximus James. Their third child, daughter Zhuri James, was born on October 22, 2014.

LeBron James Family Foundation

Outside of the NBA, James has worked to help others. He established the LeBron James Family Foundation in 2004, along his mother Gloria, to help out children and single-parent families in need.

Among its many programs, the organization builds playgrounds in economically disadvantaged areas and hosts an annual bike-a-thon.

Outspoken Posts on Social Media

One of the world's most recognizable athletes, James hasn't been shy about expressing his views on social media. Among other issues, he displayed his support for Trayvon Martin after the teen's death in 2012, and he has clashed with U.S. President Donald Trump .

James waded into delicate territory in October 2019, after Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey posted a tweet in support of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protesters that ignited a Chinese media boycott of NBA preseason games in the country. James said he believed Morey was "misinformed" about the situation, although he later tweeted that he mainly took issue with the executive posting comments that could have exposed traveling players to danger.

The basketball superstar has also shown a playful side on social media, such as when he posted a picture of cartoon character Arthur clenching his first during the Cavaliers' slow start to the 2017-18 season.

'Space Jam 2'

James starred in Space Jam 2 , the 2021 sequel to the 1996 hit starring Jordan. "The Space Jam collaboration is so much more than just me and the Looney Tunes getting together and doing this movie,” James told The Hollywood Reporter .

“It's so much bigger. I'd just love for kids to understand how empowered they can feel and how empowered they can be if they don't just give up on their dreams."

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
• 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.

We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us !

• I made a difficult decision to leave Cleveland but I understood what my future was about ... I knew we had a bright future [in Miami].
• I'm never in a defer mentality. I'm in attack mode. No matter how many weapons we have on the court, I'm still going to play my game.
• Sports carried me away from being in a gang, or being associated with drugs. Sports was my way out.
• It's not about the money. It's all about winning for me.
• I never feel sad [about not going to college]. But I do wish I could have been part of March Madness.
• Basketball is my life.
• We all prepare differently, but there's just one basketball on that court.
• We knew it wasn't going to be easy. We didn't want it to be easy. A lot of teams have won golds easy. We didn't want it that way.
• I don't judge my career by saying I want to be better than this person or that person at the end of my career because it's not possible. The only person on and off the court to satisfy is me.
• LeBron stays humble just by being LeBron.
• Why would you think he's coming back? People move from Cleveland to Miami every [expletive] day. They don't move from Miami to Cleveland.

The Biography.com staff is a team of people-obsessed and news-hungry editors with decades of collective experience. We have worked as daily newspaper reporters, major national magazine editors, and as editors-in-chief of regional media publications. Among our ranks are book authors and award-winning journalists. Our staff also works with freelance writers, researchers, and other contributors to produce the smart, compelling profiles and articles you see on our site. To meet the team, visit our About Us page: https://www.biography.com/about/a43602329/about-us

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LeBron James

LeBron Raymone James ▪ Twitter : KingJames ▪ Instagram: kingjames

(King James, LBJ, Chosen One, Bron-Bron, The Little Emperor, The Akron Hammer, L-Train, Benjamin Buckets)

Position: Small Forward, Power Forward, Point Guard, Center, and Shooting Guard ▪ Shoots: Right

6-9 ,  250lb  (206cm, 113kg)

Born: December 30 , 1984 in Akron,  Ohio us

High School: St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, Ohio

Recruiting Rank: 2003 (1)

Draft: Cleveland Cavaliers , 1st round (1st pick, 1st overall), 2003 NBA Draft

NBA Debut: October 29, 2003

Experience:  20 years

• 20x All Star
• 2007-08 Scoring Champ
• 2019-20 AST Champ
• 4x NBA Champ
• 19x All-NBA
• 2003-04 All-Rookie
• 2003-04 ROY
• 6x All-Defensive
• 4x Finals MVP
• NBA 75th Anniv. Team
• 2023-24 IST MVP

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• Play-by-play data available for the 1996-97 through 2023-24 seasons.
• Shot location data available for the 1996-97 through 2023-24 seasons.
• Click Season link for player's season game log Click value for box score or list of games Search LeBron James' game log history
• Most similar performance arc through 20 seasons ( Explanation )
• Most similar career performance arc ( Explanation )

Appearances on Leaderboards, Awards, and Honors

June 26, 2003 : Drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1st round (1st pick) of the 2003 NBA Draft.

July 10, 2010 : Traded by the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Miami Heat for a 2011 2nd round draft pick ( Milan Mačvan was later selected), a 2012 2nd round draft pick ( Jae Crowder was later selected), a 2013 1st round draft pick ( Nemanja Nedović was later selected) and a 2016 1st round draft pick ( Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot was later selected). Cleveland also received a trade exception from Miami. Cleveland had the option to swap 1st round draft picks with Miami in 2012 but did not do so.

July 12, 2014 : Signed a multi-year contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers .

July 10, 2015 : Signed a multi-year contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers .

August 12, 2016 : Signed a multi-year contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers .

July 9, 2018 : Signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers .

November 22, 2021 : Suspended by the league. (1-game suspension)

August 18, 2022 : Signed a contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers .

• Player Option , Team Option   ·   NBA Contracts Summary
• Declined 2021-22 player option to sign extension Thursday, December 3, 2020.
• Signed 4-yr maximum salary contract on Monday, July 9, 2018 2021-22 is player option.

How old is LeBron James?

LeBron James is 39 years old.

Where was LeBron James born?

LeBron James was born in Akron, Ohio.

When was LeBron James born?

LeBron James was born on December 30, 1984.

How tall is LeBron James?

LeBron James is 6-9 (206 cm) tall.

How much does LeBron James weigh?

LeBron James weighs 250 lbs (113 kg).

Is LeBron James in the Hall of Fame?

LeBron James is not in the Hall of Fame.

When was LeBron James drafted?

LeBron James was drafted by Cleveland Cavaliers , 1st round (1st pick, 1st overall), 2003 NBA Draft .

What position does LeBron James play?

Small Forward, Power Forward, Point Guard, Center, and Shooting Guard.

What is LeBron James' net worth?

LeBron James has made at least $434,986,578 playing professional basketball.

How much does LeBron James make?

LeBron James made $44,474,988 in 2023.

What does LeBron James average?

LeBron James averages 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game.

How many rings does LeBron James have?

LeBron James has won 4 championships.

What is LeBron James' Twitter account?

LeBron James is on Twitter at KingJames .

What is LeBron James' Instagram account?

LeBron James is on Instagram at kingjames .

What schools did LeBron James attend?

LeBron James attended St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, Ohio .

More James Pages

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The Story of LeBron James’s 38,390 Points, by Those Who Were There

Teammates. Competitors. Victims of his memes. They each have a story about James’s road to breaking the N.B.A. career scoring record.

Credit... WalkerTKL

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By Sopan Deb

• Feb. 7, 2023

Stephen Curry’s favorite memory of playing against LeBron James isn’t from any of the three championships he won with the Golden State Warriors against James’s teams. It was from his 2009-10 rookie season, when James was in his seventh year with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

They first met when James attended one of Curry’s college games for Davidson . The night before their first N.B.A. clash, in Cleveland, James hosted Curry at his home.

“For me, as a rookie, it was a whirlwind of excitement,” Curry said. He added: “The fact that he’s as big as he is, as strong as he is, as skilled as he is, there’s never a time he can’t get a shot off.”

James scored 31 points, most coming from near the rim or at the free-throw line . He hit just one 3-pointer.

More than a decade later, James’s game looks different, though he can still dunk as if the rim insulted his honor. The N.B.A. has evolved rapidly since James entered the league in 2003, and his ability to change with it helped him break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s seemingly unbreakable career scoring record of 38,387 points on Tuesday. James has 38,390 points now.

“Nobody could imagine somebody doing it,” said Drew Gooden, who played hundreds of games alongside James in Cleveland. He added: “If you would have said or told somebody in 2003 when LeBron James got drafted when he was 18 years old that he was going to break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring record, they would have looked at you like you were crazy.”

N.B.A. Commissioner Adam Silver, in an email, called the record “one of the most hallowed” in all sports. Of James, he said, “His extraordinary athleticism, power and speed leave you in awe.”

Over the past 20 years, James’s ascent to the top of the scoring list has impressed Hall of Fame players as he made a definitive case to join their ranks and perhaps be considered the best among them. His shots have felled the toughest competitors, yet made them fans as he blocked them from fulfilling their sports dreams. His teammates have amassed stories of the joys of playing with him — and the pain of being on the other side.

At 38, James is one of the N.B.A.’s oldest players. He’s also still one of its best.

“It’s not like he’s holding on for dear life just to get the award,” Curry said. “He’s still playing at a high level. So it’s pretty damn impressive.”

‘Scored baskets in every way possible’

Abdul-Jabbar, 75, played in the N.B.A. from 1969 to 1989 after starring for three seasons at U.C.L.A. When he broke Wilt Chamberlain ’s career scoring record in April 1984 , he did so with his patented, and nearly unstoppable, shot: the sky hook .

James hasn’t cultivated that kind of signature.

“Now, is there a shot that you know that he got that would make you say LeBron James? No,” said George Gervin, 70, a Hall of Fame player who won four scoring titles and is known for his finger roll .

Instead, Gervin said, James’s “greatest attribute will be his ability to be consistent.”

James has methodically developed his game all over the floor, borrowing from the greats. During any given game, he might shoot the fadeaway from the post perfected by Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, go for a logo 3-pointer like Curry or do the “Dream Shake” he was taught by its namesake, Hakeem Olajuwon .

“LeBron has scored baskets in every way possible,” Philadelphia 76ers Coach Doc Rivers said.

Rivers, who has also coached the Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers, said he recently ran into James in Los Angeles and joked, “I think you scored at least 10,000 of those points against one of my teams.”

He said James responded, “‘Those Celtics points were the hardest damn points that I’ve ever had to score.’”

Defenders became “more fearful” as James expanded his game, Rivers said.

“When LeBron first started, you wanted to take away his right hand. His drive. His attacks to the basket,” Rivers said. “You actually would sag off and give him shots. Then he started going both ways with the ball, which made it more difficult to guard. Then he got the in-between game.”

The Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo, one of the league’s best defenders, said James was “like a computer.”

“He’s calculating everything that is going on at a rapid speed,” Adebayo said. “So it would be like you typing normally and you got somebody on, like, Excel saying it to the computer and the computer is just reading what they’re saying and just typing it.”

James is known for his savvy, but also for his strength.

“His area of attack is at the top of the floor,” said Mike Brown, who coached James for five seasons in Cleveland. “Everybody knows it, but nobody can stop it.”

Diana Taurasi , who holds the W.N.B.A.’s career scoring record , said James was “probably still the most dangerous man in transition.”

Gooden said he “took it for granted” that he had played with James. That is, until 2008, when Cleveland traded Gooden to Chicago and he tried to make the Cavaliers regret it the first time he faced off with James.

“I jumped right in LeBron’s way, and it was like a freight train hit me,” Gooden said. “He came across with two elbows. All his elbows went across my face. Basically, he got an and-one. And I came out of the smoke with a bloody, busted lip. And I was like, ‘Wow, that’s what everybody’s been having to deal with.’”

More passer than scorer?

James’s points are often an afterthought to his skill as a passer.

“He never set out to be a scoring leader,” Golden State forward Draymond Green said. “He’s never been viewed as a scorer. I think that’s more impressive than anything .”

James passed Magic Johnson for sixth on the career assists list in December and passed Mark Jackson and Steve Nash to become fourth in January.

Jeff Green, who was James’s Cavaliers teammate in 2017-18, said James’s passing “allowed me to get a lot of buckets.”

James has led the league in assists only once, in the 2019-20 season. But Erik Spoelstra, who coached James to two championships with the Heat, said he believed that James could have done it any time he wanted to.

“ The skill that I thought was most fascinating with him, with his size and skill and his vision, is his passing,” Spoelstra said.

Some think the most momentous play of James’s career wasn’t even on offense.

Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, said: “In terms of memorable, it’s not points he has scored. It’s his chase-down block of Andre in the finals.”

Late in Game 7 of the 2016 N.B.A. finals against Golden State, James, then with Cleveland, flashed the length of the court to block a crucial shot by Andre Iguodala, helping the Cavaliers complete an improbable championship run.

“I never got mad about that,” Iguodala said. “Like, people think it hurts me when they say, ‘You got blocked by LeBron.’ That was an amazing play. Even in real time, I was like, ‘Geez, bro, that was incredible.’ ”

‘A grown man playing among kids’

During James’s rookie year, he averaged fewer than three 3-point attempts a game. Last season, he averaged eight a game — a reflection of the N.B.A.’s shift to emphasize 3-point shooting and his willingness to go with the tide. It’s also a reflection of graceful aging to preserve his legs.

Abdul-Jabbar rarely missed games because of injury and James largely had not either, until recent seasons with the Lakers. James is known for a diligent diet and exercise regimen that has allowed him to stretch his career and remain dominant past the typical N.B.A. retirement age.

“The reward for doing that is he’s a grown man playing among kids now,” Gooden said.

As James’s game has drifted toward the perimeter, his drives to the basket — and the foul shots they often draw — have become less common. Instead, he’s become a better shooter, with more of his points coming from 3-point range.

Still, Silver said he had always been struck by “the sheer force of his dunks.”

In 2012, when James was with the Heat, he jumped over the 5-foot-11 John Lucas III for a dunk against Chicago.

“It happened so fast that I didn’t know he actually jumped over me until it was on the Jumbotron and we called the timeout and the crowd was going crazy,” said Lucas, who was an assistant coach on James’s Lakers team last season. “My phone was blowing up at halftime.”

Lucas even has a picture of himself getting dunked on hanging in his house.

“That picture is going to be in the Hall of Fame,” Lucas said. “I have a great sense of humor.”

Malik Monk, who played with James on the Lakers last season, said he often teased Lucas about the dunk. “He said he wanted to punch him,” Monk said.

James has spent a career making once-in-a-lifetime athleticism look casual, which is why his career-best 61-point performance against the Charlotte Hornets in 2014 seemingly blends in with last season’s 56-point explosion against Curry and Golden State, not to mention his scoring at least 40 points against every N.B.A. team.

But James’s greatness is far from casual. He has been a symbol of consistent dominance for decades — just as Abdul-Jabbar was. When James entered the league straight from high school, he did so with unprecedented hype. He had already been on the cover of Sports Illustrated . His high school games were on national television .

As Rivers put it: “LeBron is one of the few people in the history of sports to overachieve from a position that was impossible to overachieve.”

Decades later, perhaps the most remarkable fact about James’s career is that his scoring at age 38 is at least as good as it’s ever been — meaning the story of his offensive prowess has not been fully written.

Sopan Deb is a basketball writer and a contributor to the Culture section. Before joining The Times, he covered Donald J. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign for CBS News. More about Sopan Deb

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LeBron James Biography: Life, Career & Records

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Matt MacDonald

LeBron James has been dominating the court ever since he entered the league in 2003. He’s considered one of the best basketball players of all-time and many will sit and debate him amongst the likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant.

But did LeBron James go to college? When did LeBron start playing basketball? And of course, how many rings does LeBron James have now? All of these questions and more will be answered in our biography.

Lebron’s Early Life

Where was LeBron James Born? He’s just a kid from Akron, Ohio!

LeBron “King” James was born December 30, 1984, to a single mother when she was only 16 years old. Gloria Marie James gave birth to LeBron and his father, Anthony McClelland had various run-ins with the law so he was not in his son’s life as he was growing up.

James faced a lot of difficulties growing up as his family moved around a lot amongst some of the “less desirable” neighborhoods in Akron.

LeBron ultimately moved in with a local football coach when he was nine years old. Frank Walker, the coach, introduced LeBron to basketball. He quickly became a star player in his local leagues.

High School Career

In high school, James played for St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio. He led the school to three state championships and was named Ohio’s Mr. Basketball three times. He was also selected to play for USA Today’s All-USA First Team as a sophomore.

During his senior year, he was widely regarded as the best high school player in the country.

LeBron put up 21 points and 6 rebounds per game during his high school career and ultimately entered into the 2003 NBA Draft.

Professional Career

How long has LeBron James been in the NBA? Let’s go through the details of LeBron’s career in the league:

Cleveland Cavaliers – 2003-2010

In 2003, LeBron James was drafted first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was only 18 years old at the time and was immediately hailed as a prodigy. In fact, he put up 25 points in his first regular season game.

James quickly lived up to the hype, averaging 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game in his rookie season. He became the first Cavalier to ever receive the NBA Rookie of the Year Award .

He went on to spend seven seasons with the Cavaliers, becoming the team’s all-time leading scorer in the process.

Miami Heat – 2010-2014

In 2010, James shocked the basketball world by leaving the Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat. He was contacted during this time by a number of teams but he ultimately chose Miami for the opportunity to keep winning.

James was heavily criticized during this time by analysts, fans, and even former players like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.

Along with fellow All-Stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, James formed a “big three” that was expected to dominate the league. And dominate they did. James won two more MVP awards and led the Heat to four straight NBA Finals appearances, winning two championships in 2012 and 2013.

James averaged 29.7 points and 7.8 assists in February of the 2012-2013 season. The Heat had the third longest win streak in NBA history at 27. Everything seemed to be going right for the big three in Miami.

The Spurs eliminated the Heat in five games in 2014 where James averaged 28.2 points. He opted out of his contract and went back to Cleveland.

LeBron returns to Cleveland – 2014-2018

In 2014, James returned to the Cavaliers, determined to bring a championship to his hometown. He led the team to the NBA Finals in each of his four seasons back in Cleveland, winning the championship in 2016.

This was a historic moment for the Cavaliers, as they became the first team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the Finals. LeBron helped pave the way averaging a near triple-double with 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 8.9 assists. He became only the third player in history to record a triple-double in a game 7.

Los Angeles Lakers – 2018-present

LeBron signed with the Lakers in 2018 and while there have been many struggles, he still dominates the Western Conference averaging 25, 7, and 8. The team in 2018 was made up of a controversial bunch of veterans and the Lakers struggled to find cohesiveness in the lineup.

James had a strong mid-season performance right up until he had the first major injury of his career missing 17 consecutive games. The team was ultimately unable to make the postseason until the 2019 season.

The team entered the playoffs as the number one seed and James helped them defeat the Heat in the Finals with a huge game 6.

On February 7, 2023 – LeBron scored his 38,388th point to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time leading scorer in NBA history. This is a record that has remained since 1984.

LeBron James is a legend and will go down in history as one of the best basketball players to ever step foot on the court. He has contributed a lot on and off the court and has inspired countless young men to pursue their passion.

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Player Profile

Lebron james, los angeles lakers small forward.

LeBron Raymone James Sr.  ( / l ə ˈ b r ɒ n /   lə-BRON ; born December 30, 1984), also known as  LBJ , is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Nicknamed “ King James “, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport and is often compared to Michael Jordan in debates over the greatest basketball player of all time. James is the all-time leading scorer in NBA history and ranks fourth in career assists. He has won four NBA championships (two with the Miami Heat, one each with the Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers), and has competed in 10 NBA Finals.

He has also won four Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards, four Finals MVP Awards, and two Olympic gold medals, and has been named an All-Star 19 times, selected to the All-NBA Team 19 times (including 13 First Team selections) 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.

Quick Facts

Birth place, family, early life.

LeBron James was born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio, to Gloria Marie James, who was 16 at the time of his birth. His father, Anthony McClelland, has an extensive criminal record and was not involved in his life. 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. 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.

James began playing organized basketball in the fifth grade. He later played Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball for the Northeast Ohio Shooting Stars. The team enjoyed success on a local and national level, led by James and his friends Sian Cotton, Dru Joyce III, and Willie McGee.    The group dubbed themselves the “Fab Four” and promised each other that they would attend high school together.    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.

LeBron James’ Height, And Weight

LeBron James has an athletic body standing at the perfect height of 6 feet 8 inches and weighs around 113 kg.

He is a fitness fanatic who takes great care of his body. He has a healthy body overall. His hair is black. He has black eyes. Overall, he has a healthy body with tattoos on various regions of it.

LeBron James ’s Net Worth

LeBron James is estimated to be worth $1 billion in 2023. SpringHill Entertainment is owned by James and his business partner Maverick Carter. Their debut project was the Lions Gate documentary More Than a Game, which was published in 2009 and covered James’s high school years. James is a savvy investor who has put his money into a variety of portfolios. He holds a stake in Blaze Pizza and is also a partner in the tequila company Lobos.

He also owns shares in the football club Liverpool, which proved to be a wise investment. He’s also invested in smart gym manufacturer Tonal and ride-sharing behemoth Lyft. After acquiring $100 million from investors including James’ financial advisor Paul Wachter and Elisabeth Murdoch, the daughter of News Corp tycoon Rupert Murdoch, James and Carter merged everything into The SpringHill Company in 2020.

Last October, James sold a “significant minority stake” to a group of investors that included RedBird Capital Partners, Fenway Sports Group, Nike, and Epic Games for $725 million. James is the company’s greatest single stakeholder, albeit his stake is thought to be less than 50%. His contract with the Lakers was recently extended for $97.1 million through the 2024-2025 season. He is the highest-paid NBA player ever.

LeBron James was selected by the  Cleveland Cavaliers  in the 2003 NBA Draft. He was eventually named  Rookie of the Year , finishing with averages of 20.9 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game.

At nineteen, LeBron became the youngest member of the USA basketball squad sent to the  Olympics  in 2004, but he spent most of his time on the bench.

He made NBA history again in 2005, when he became the youngest player to score more than 50 points in one game. He was selected for the  NBA All-Star  game for the first time.

With averages of 27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 2.2 steals per game, he became the youngest player in NBA history to be named to an  All-NBA Team , which he achieved in the 2004–05 season.

In 2006, he helped his team beat the  Wizards  in the first round of Playoffs. Against the  Pistons  in the semifinals, even his average of 26.6 could not secure his team a victory.

After the 2006 Playoffs, LeBron James and the  Cavaliers  negotiated a three-year, $60 million contract extension with a player option of seeking a new contract as an unrestricted free agent.

The Cavaliers  proved to be stronger competitors in 2007, reaching the NBA finals and beating  Detroit  to win the  Eastern Conference.  But they lost in the finals against the  San Antonio Spurs.

During the 2007-08 season, the  Cavaliers  improved their standing in the  Eastern Conference.  The team made it to the semifinals, where they were defeated by the  Boston Celtics  in seven games.

The year 2008, was a stellar one for him as he outperformed rival players like Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson by scoring an average of 30 points per game, the highest average in the NBA regular season.

In 2008, he traveled to Beijing with the likes of Bryant, Jason Kidd, and Dwyane Wade as part of the U.S. Olympic Basketball Team and brought home the gold after defeating Spain in the finals.

Shortly after becoming a free agent in 2010, he announced that he would be joining the  Miami Heat  for the upcoming season. He finished second in the league, scoring 26.7 points per game.

LeBron James competed at his third  Olympic Games  in 2012, in London, along with teammates Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, and Kobe Bryant, and the team brought home the second consecutive  Olympic  gold.

At the end of the 2012-13 season, against the  San Antonio Spurs ,  Miami  transformed a seemingly impossible championship win into reality, winning their second consecutive national title with a 3-4 victory.

In 2014, LeBron James opted out of his contract with  Miami Heat  and signed with  Cleveland Cavaliers . In 2014–15 season,  Cleveland Cavaliers  advanced to the NBA finals and in the process, James became the first player since the 1960s to play in five consecutive NBA finals.

His 2015–16 season was marred by controversies, which also included the midseason firing of  Cavaliers’  coach David Blatt. In spite of all this, LeBron James performed admirably and became the third player to record a triple-double in an NBA Finals Game.

LeBron’s stint with  Cleveland Cavaliers  ended in 2018 and thereafter, he signed a contract with the  Los Angeles Lakers.

In February 2019, James became the fifth NBA player to reach 32,000 points. On March 6, 2019, in a game against  Denver Nuggets, he surpassed Michael Jordan to become the fourth-highest scorer on the NBA list.

Relationship Status: Single?

LeBron James proposed to Savannah Brinson, his high school sweetheart, on January 1, 2012. On September 14, 2013, the couple married in a private ceremony attended by around 200 guests in San Diego.

Brinson and James have two boys and one daughter. LeBron Jr., James’ first child, was born in October 2004. Brinson gave birth to their second son, Bryce Maximus James, on June 14, 2007. Zhuri James, their third child, was born on October 22, 2014.

How old is LeBron James?

LeBron James is 38 years old.

How much is LeBron James’s net worth?

His estimated net worth is around £1 million.

How tall is LeBron James?

He has a height of 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m).

Also read: Quentin Grimes , Derrick Rose , Jalen Marquis Brunson , RJ Barrett

LeBron James

• Los Angeles Lakers
• Small Forward
• HT/WT 6' 9", 250 lbs
• Birthdate 12/30/1984 (39)
• Draft Info 2003: Rd 1, Pk 1 (CLE)
• Experience 20th Season

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News : 5 hours ago James (ankle) is listed as probable for Saturday's Game 1 against the Nuggets, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports.

Spin : James has once again been added to the team's injury report due to left ankle peroneal tendinopathy, but he should be able to continue to play through the issue. He's coming off a strong showing in Tuesday's Play-In Game against the Pelicans, falling one rebound and one assist shy of a triple-double.

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LeBron James Biography

December 30, 1984 • Akron, Ohio

Basketball player

Before LeBron James had completed his sophomore year of high school, basketball scouts were discussing his chances of playing for the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before playing his first regulation game for the NBA, James had signed deals with Nike and other corporations for multimillion-dollar product endorsements. Before he completed his rookie season in the NBA, sportswriters were discussing his chances of joining the most elite players in history in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Comparisons to NBA superstar Michael Jordan (1963–) became common, and some sportswriters began calling James "The Chosen One," indicating the hope that the rookie phenomenon would revive interest in the NBA that had declined since Jordan's retirement. LeBron James, by age eighteen, knew a thing or two about dealing with pressure. James's ability to cope with that pressure has proven to be a critical factor in his success. Sportswriters and his coaches agreed that James has shown uncommon maturity for a player his age, handling his newfound fame and the extraordinary expectations of others with grace.

During 2003, prior to his graduation from high school, James declared himself eligible for the NBA draft, the annual process by which professional basketball teams select new players to join them for the upcoming season. The Cleveland Cavaliers, one of the worst teams in the NBA, had the privilege of the number-one draft pick. The Cavs chose James, with the obvious expectation that this eighteen-year-old would lead the team to greatness. While James's first season with the Cavs did not exactly propel them to a championship, he did help his team win twice the number of games as they had the year before, and at the end of the 2003–04 season, James was named Rookie of the Year.

A team player

Born in Akron, Ohio, in 1984, James is the only child of Gloria James, who gave birth to him when she was just sixteen years old. Gloria struggled to provide for James during his childhood. When James was about five years old, he and his mother moved seven times in a year. For a couple of years during elementary school, James lived with a foster family. Gloria's longtime boyfriend, Eddie Jackson, has acted as a father figure for James, but he was not always around during James's youth, spending several years in prison for selling drugs and, later, for fraud. Regardless of any troubles they may have had, however, James and his mother have a close and supportive relationship. He told Jack McCallum of Sports Illustrated: "My mother is my everything. Always has been. Always will be."

"I don't want to be a cocky rookie coming in trying to lead right off the bat.... If there's one message I want to get to my teammates it's that I'll be there for them, do whatever they think I need to do."

Taller and more athletic than most other kids his age, James got hooked on basketball early in childhood. Dru Joyce II, who coached James for many of his early years, recalled in an article for the Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service that, while playing in a summer league during elementary school, James was an aggressive offensive player who "really liked to shoot the ball—a lot." Joyce remembered advice he gave James at the time: "I started telling LeBron about passing the ball, how great players make their teammates better. I talked about getting his shots in the flow of the game." Joyce assumed that he would have to repeat this advice many times, reminding the eleven-year-old to be a team player, but he was mistaken. James absorbed every word his coach said and immediately changed his playing style. "That was the last time I ever had to talk about LeBron shooting too much," Joyce recollected.

Another Rising Young Star: Carmelo Anthony

For the 2003 draft, the hype surrounding LeBron James nearly eclipsed another young basketball phenomenon: Carmelo Anthony (1984–). The number-three draft pick with just one year of college basketball under his belt, Anthony would have attracted even more attention than he did, had he not been drafted at the same time as James. His one year of college ball, playing for Syracuse University, had resulted in a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship for Syracuse, with Anthony named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, the NCAA championship series.

Anthony was drafted by the Denver Nuggets, a team that joined the Cleveland Cavaliers at the bottom of the NBA rankings. Expectations for Anthony, like those for James, were extremely high: the Nuggets would be relying on him to raise them from the depths and eventually make them playoffs contenders. Anthony performed impressively during his rookie season, racking up an average of 21 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. Perhaps the most significant statistic for his team: the Nuggets went from winning just seventeen games in 2002–03 to winning forty-three games in Anthony's first season.

Anthony grew up in the rough inner city of Baltimore, Maryland. His father died when he was two years old, and his mother, Mary Anthony, raised Carmelo and his three older siblings by herself. She pushed her son to stay focused and disciplined where basketball was concerned, and she pushed him to attend college before going professional. To fulfill his desire to play for Syracuse, Anthony had to leave his Baltimore high school to attend the prestigious Oak Hill Academy, a Baptist boarding school in Virginia. He studied hard to bring his grades up so he could get admitted to Syracuse, and he practiced basketball as often as possible. He helped the Oak Hill team to a number-three national ranking in 2002, and he earned the grades necessary to take him to Syracuse.

Anthony has been described as an unusually mature player who has maintained his down-to-earth style even in the midst of the money, celebrity, and pressure that have come his way. Among the first things he spent his money on after being drafted by the Nuggets were a home for his mother in Baltimore and a youth center there to replace one that was closed down by the police when he was growing up.

At the time, James played basketball with his best friends, including Dru Joyce III, the son of his summer-league coach, and Sian Cotton, the son of another summer-league coach, Lee Cotton. Those coaches, both of whom stressed the values of good sportsmanship and being a team player, helped James form the basis of his playing style. James and his pals Joyce III and Cotton, along with Willie McGee, played together every chance they could as kids, and they vowed to stay together all through high school. That childhood promise became a reality as the four boys all attended Akron's St. Vincent–St. Mary High School, a private school known for its basketball program. At St. Vincent–St. Mary, James not only became the school's star basketball player, he also played football for three years and maintained solid grades. James's philosophy about being a team player meant that he spent as much of his playing time passing the ball to teammates and setting up shots as he did taking shots himself, resulting in his extraordinary passing skills. His high school coaches asserted that James could have been a player who averaged fifty to sixty points per game. Instead, his average was closer to thirty points a game, but he helped his entire team play better basketball. Many coaches and sportswriters have described James's maturity and selflessness as a player; Keith Dambrot, who coached James for his first two years of high school, summed up the key to James's success in the Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service article: "LeBron is a basketball genius, there is no other way to say it."

Fast-track to the NBA

Many observers had wondered, from James's earliest high school years, whether he would go to college or attempt to be drafted into the NBA straight out of high school. Eager to test his skills at the next level, James considered declaring for the draft as a junior, trying to get an exception to the rule that would have barred him from the draft before his graduation year. He decided instead to complete high school, announcing during his senior year that he would declare himself eligible for the 2003 NBA draft. James's decision to go professional right out of high school renewed the debate over whether players should be allowed to play for the NBA at such a young age. Supporters argue that if the player possesses the skills, he should be allowed to earn a living playing his sport. Critics suggest that most high school kids would benefit more from going to college first, using those years to improve their playing, acquire an education, and become more mature. Ignoring the debate and following his own instincts, James opted to skip college and head for the NBA.

Coming off a terrible season, tying for the worst record in the NBA, the Cleveland Cavaliers had a chance to reshape their future in June of 2003: they had the number-one draft pick. They chose James, pinning their hopes on the eighteen-year-old player to turn their fortunes around. At six-foot-eight and 240 pounds, James certainly looked the part of an NBA player. But many wondered if he could live up to the hype surrounding him and compete in the far more competitive arena of professional basketball. When James made his official NBA debut in the fall of 2003 in a game against the Sacramento Kings, he answered the concerns of many doubters. The Cavaliers lost the game, but James played better than most rookies could hope for in a debut game—and better than any rookie straight out of high school—with twenty-five points, nine assists, six rebounds, and four steals. While he occasionally showed his inexperience and youth, and while he did not live up to the most outrageous expectations that he would play like Michael Jordan right out of high school, James did perform extremely well in his rookie season. He ended the 2003–04 season with an average of 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. He ranked among the top fifteen players in the league in a number of categories, including points per game, total points, assists, and steals. In April of 2004, James was named the Rookie of the Year for the 2003–04 season. Speaking of the rookie's innate abilities on the court, Cleveland power forward Carlos Boozer told McCallum of Sports Illustrated, "You can only call it court sense. The way he takes advantage of a situation right away can't be taught. He just has it."

"I can handle it"

Barring injury, James will earn $19 million for his first four years with the Cavs, an amount that seems downright insignificant when compared to his endorsements. In a sponsorship deal that will pay James more than any other basketball player except Michael Jordan, Nike signed the player to a seven-year, $90 million contract—and that contract was signed before James had even inked a deal with the Cavs. He has also agreed to promote Coca-Cola products, including Sprite and Powerade, and Bubblicious bubblegum.

Predicting the amount of money James will generate for the Cavaliers, for Nike, and even for other NBA teams, Forbes magazine suggests that those investing in James will be repaid handsomely. During his rookie season, attendance for Cavs home games increased by fifty percent from the prior season. James sparked so much hype that basketball fans around the country sought out tickets for the Cavs' away games, moving the Cleveland team from last in the league for road attendance to first. As for his corporate sponsors, Nike released the first shoe endorsed by James, the Air Zoom Generation, in December of 2003. At $110 a pair, Nike sold 72,000 pairs in the first month alone. Bob Williams, the CEO of a company that matches athletes with corporations for endorsement deals, described to Sports Illustrated in 2003 the hurdles James will encounter in his first few years in the NBA: "He has to dominate his position, take a downtrodden franchise to the playoffs and eventually to a championship. He will make a lot of money and live happily ever after. But no one has ever had more expectations put on him than this young man right now." When reporters have asked him about dealing with the enormous pressure placed on him, James has frequently uttered what has become a sort of motto: "I can handle it." And with one successful season under his belt—both on court and off—many commentators have come to believe that perhaps he can.

For More Information

Jones, Ryan. King James: Believe the Hype—The LeBron James Story. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2003.

Morgan Jr., David Lee. LeBron James: The Rise of a Star. Cleveland: Gray and Company, 2003.

Periodicals

Badenhausen, Kurt. "Slam Dunk." Forbes (February 16, 2004): p. 64.

Chappell, Kevin. "Can LeBron James Repeat the Jordan Miracle?" Ebony (January 2004): p. 124.

Finnan, Bob. "Early to Rise." Sporting News (October 20, 2003): p. 40.

McCallum, Jack. "You Gotta Carry That Weight." Sports Illustrated (October 27, 2003): p. 68.

Pluto, Terry. "LeBron James, Once a Lanky Kid, Has Come a Long Way to the NBA." Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service (April 20, 2004): p. K1569.

Taylor, Phil. "Carmelo Anthony Has a Secret." Sports Illustrated for Kids (November 3, 2003): p. 24.

LeBronJames.com. http://www.lebronjames.com/hsc/hscMain.cfm (accessed August 1, 2004).

"LeBron James." NBA.com. http://www.nba.com/playerfile/lebron_james/index.html?nav=page (accessed August 1, 2004).

"LeBron Watch." Cleveland.com. http://www.cleveland.com/lebron/ (accessed August 1, 2004).

Morgan Jr., David Lee. "The Rise of a Star." HoopsHype. http://www.hoopshype.com/articles/lebron_morgan.htm (accessed August 1, 2004).

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LeBron James

• Born December 30 , 1984 · Akron, Ohio, USA
• Birth name LeBron Raymone James
• The Akron Hammer
• Height 6′ 7¼″ (2.01 m)
• LeBron James is an American basketball player and film producer who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers. He is one of the most accomplished basketball players of the 21st century. He played himself in Space Jam: A New Legacy and Trainwreck. He is the owner of a film production company called SpringHill Company. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Christian Frates
• LeBron James is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His accomplishments include four NBA championships, four NBA Most Valuable Player Awards, four NBA Finals MVP Awards, and two Olympic gold medals. LeBron has appeared in sixteen NBA All-Star Games and been named NBA All-Star MVP three times. He won the 2008 NBA scoring title, is the all-time NBA playoffs scoring leader, is first in all-time career points scored, and is fifth in all-time assists. He has been voted onto the All-NBA First Team twelve times and the All-Defensive First Team five times. LeBron joined the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003 as the first overall draft pick. Named the 2003-04 NBA Rookie of the Year, he soon established himself as one of the league's premier players; he won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award in 2009 and 2010. After failing to win a championship with Cleveland, James left in 2010 to sign as a free agent with the Miami Heat . James won his first two NBA championships while playing for the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013; in both of these years, he also earned league MVP and Finals MVP. After his fourth season with the Heat in 2014, James opted out of his contract to re-sign with the Cavaliers. In 2016, he led the Cavaliers to victory over the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, delivering the franchise's first championship and ending Cleveland's 52-year professional sports title drought. His teams appeared in the NBA Finals in eight consecutive seasons (from 2011 to 2018). In 2018, James opted out of his contract with the Cavaliers to sign with the Lakers. Off the court, James has accumulated additional wealth and fame from numerous endorsement contracts. 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. James has also hosted the ESPY Awards and Saturday Night Live, and appeared in the film Trainwreck (2015) . - IMDb Mini Biography By: Tango Papa
• Spouse Savannah Brinson James (September 14, 2013 - present) (3 children)
• Children Bronny James Bryce James
• Parents Gloria James
• Pregame ritual: dusting at the scorers table, he retired this ritual in 2014
• Simultaneously stomps on the court while pushing his arms down.
• Trademark line: Get that weak stuff outta here!
• Chasing down blocks
• Towering height
• His mother used her son's future earning power to get a bank loan to buy an $80,000 Hummer H2 for his 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 jerseys from a Cleveland sports store worth $845 in exchange for him posing for pictures to be displayed on its walls, the OHSAA stripped him of his eligibility. James appealed, and a judge blocked the ruling, reducing the penalty to a two-game suspension, allowing the phenom to play the remainder of the season (February 2003)
• Had posters of Allen Iverson , Tracy McGrady , Magic Johnson , Penny Hardaway , Kobe Bryant , Michael Jordan and himself on the walls of the apartment he shared with his mother.
• While he was in high school at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, NBA superstars, such as Shaquille O'Neal , were in attendance for his games. A few of his games were even televised nationally on ESPN2.
• #1 overall pick in the NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers out of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. At a 31 March press conference, James had verbally committed to play college basketball at Maryland. (26 June 2003)
• Children, with high school sweetheart, now wife Savannah Brinson James : sons Bronny James (b. October 6, 2004) and Bryce James (aka Bryce Maximus James) (b. June 14, 2007 and daughter Zhuri James (b. October 22, 2014).
• [on why he's not joining the 2018 Olympic USA basketball team] I could use the rest.
• [on the teammates his played with thus far] I've always [taken] a lot of pride, and I get more of a rush seeing my teammates succeed more than myself. And that's what an assist is all about. I was taught the game the right way, and seeing my teammates succeed has always been something that I've cared about more than anything, and that's what it's all about
• [on becoming the first player in NBA history to achieve 27,000 points, 7,000 rebounds and 7,000 assists during the course of his career ]I really don't know, I don't know what to say.I've played with two great organizations that I've been able to do what I do. They've allowed me to be the player that I want to be. It just shows that's the triple threat of me, to rebound, to pass, to put the ball in the hole a little bit. I'm just honored, just blessed and I just try to continue to give it to my teammates, give it to my fans, give it to this organization every single night that I go out there.[December 2016]
• on the recent sports players kneeling during the National anthem]I'm doing OK for myself, my family is doing OK. Even if we weren't doing OK financially, I'd still be trying to find a way to inspire the youth. Personally, my voice is more important than my knee
• [on President Donald Trump calling for the NFL to fire or suspend those who kneel during The Star-Spangled Banner]He used the sports platform to divide us. Sports is so amazing, what sports can do for everyone, no matter shape, size, race, or brings people together like no other. I'm not going to let one individual no matter the power, the impact he or she should have ever use sport as a platform to divide us. The people run this country, not one person. And damn sure not him

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LeBron James

• View history

LeBron Raymone James Sr. (born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely considered as the greatest Small Forward and one of the greatest players in NBA history, James is frequently compared to Michael Jordan and sometimes Kobe Bryant in debates over the greatest basketball player of all time. James has been nicknamed "LBJ" , "King James" , and " The Akron Hammer ".

During his 20-year NBA career, James has played for the Cleveland Cavaliers , the Miami Heat , and currently, the Lakers. His accomplishments include four NBA championships , four NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards, four NBA Finals MVP Awards, three NBA All-Star MVP Awards, an NBA scoring title , an NBA Rookie of the Year Award , an assist title , and two Olympic gold medals . He is the first player in NBA history to have been named the Finals MVP with three different franchises. James is the all-time leading scorer in NBA history and ranks fourth in career career assists . He has been named an All-Star a record 20 times, selected to the All-NBA Team a record 19 times (including 13 First Team selections, also a record), and to the All-Defensive Team six times (including five First Teams), and was a runner-up for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award twice in his career. He has competed in ten NBA Finals , the third most all time, including eight consecutive with the Heat and Cavaliers from 2011 through 2018 . In 2021, James was selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team , and in 2022 became the first and only player in NBA history to accumulate over 10,000 career points, rebounds, and assists. Noted for his longevity, James is currently the oldest player in the NBA.

James grew up playing 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 Cleveland Cavaliers . Named the 2004 NBA Rookie of the Year, 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. After failing to win a championship with Cleveland, James left in 2010 as a free agent to join the Miami Heat ; this was announced in the television special The Decision and is among the most controversial free-agent decisions in sports history.

James won his first two NBA championships while playing for the Heat in 2012 and 2013 over the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs , respectively; 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 returned to 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 (his third) and ending the Cleveland sports curse . In 2018, James exercised his contract option to leave the Cavaliers and signed with the Lakers, where he won the championship in 2020 over his former team, the Heat and his fourth Finals MVP. James is also the first player in NBA history to accumulate $1 billion in earnings as an active player. On February 7, 2023, James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the all-time leading scorer in NBA history.

Off the court, James has accumulated more wealth and fame from numerous endorsement contracts. He has been featured in books, documentaries (including winning three Sports Emmy Awards as an executive producer), and television commercials. He has hosted the ESPY Awards and Saturday Night Live , and won 19 ESPY Awards himself. He also appeared in films such as Trainwreck and Space Jam: A New Legacy . James has been a part-owner of Liverpool F.C. since 2011, with the club winning the 2018–2019 UEFA Champions League and 2019–2020 Premier League . Having become more involved in philanthropic and activist pursuits later in his career, James's charitable organization, the LeBron James Family Foundation, helped open an elementary school , housing complex, and community center/retail plaza in his hometown of Akron.

• 1 Early life
• 2.1 Freshman year
• 2.2 Sophomore year
• 2.3 Junior year
• 2.4 Senior year
• 4.1.1 2003–2004: Rookie of the Year
• 4.1.2 2004–2008: Rise to superstardom
• 4.1.3 2008–2010: MVP seasons
• 4.2.1 The Decision
• 4.2.2 2010–2011: Debut season, year of media, and fan of scrutiny
• 4.2.3 2011–2013: Back–to–back championships and second MVP reign
• 4.2.4 2013–2014: Final season in Miami and three–peat chase
• 4.3 Return to the Cavaliers (2014–2018)
• 4.4 2014–2016: Third championship and breaking the Cleveland sports curse
• 4.5 2016–2018: End of second stint in Cleveland
• 4.6.1 2018–2019: Injury and playoff miss
• 4.6.2 2019–2020: Fourth NBA championship
• 4.6.3 2020–21 NBA season: Back–to–back title chase, injury woes, play–in appearance, and early playoff exit
• 4.6.4 2021–2022: First in the 10K–10K–10K club, 37,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, and 10,000 assists, more injury woes, and play–in/playoff miss
• 4.6.5 2022–2023: Continued injury woes, climb to the all-time scoring record, second play–in appearance, and return to Conference Finals
• 5 International career
• 6.1 Offense
• 6.2 Defense
• 7.1 Personal life
• 7.2 Public image
• 7.3.1 Charities
• 7.3.2 Politics
• 8 Akron endeavors
• 9.1 Endorsements
• 9.2 Entertainment
• 9.3 Investments
• 9.4 Professional contracts
• 10.1.1 Regular season
• 10.2.1 Playoffs
• 11.2 USA Basketball
• 11.3 High school
• 11.5 NAACP Image Awards
• 11.6 Sports Emmy Awards
• 11.7 State/Local
• 12 Filmography
• 13 Television
• 14 References

James was born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio , to Gloria Marie James , who was 16 at the time of his birth. His father, Anthony McClelland, has an extensive criminal record and was not involved in his life. 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. 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.

James began playing organized basketball in the fifth grade. He later played Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball for the Northeast Ohio Shooting Stars. The team enjoyed success on a local and national level, led by James and his friends Sian Cotton, Dru Joyce III , and Willie McGee. The group dubbed themselves the "Fab Four" and promised each other that they would attend high school together. 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.

High school

Freshman year.

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. [1] . 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. Keith Dambrot, now head coach at the University of Akron , was the head coach at St. Vincent - St. Mary. Coach Dambrot started working with James doing $1 clinics at a local recreation center. [2]

Sophomore year

In his sophomore year, James averaged 25.2 points , 7.2 rebounds , 5.8 assists , and 3.8 steals . [2] 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. The Fighting Irish finished the season 26–1 and repeated as state champions. [3] He was the first sophomore to be named Ohio Mr. Basketball and also became the first sophomore player ever selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team for his outstanding play. [3]

Junior year

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". [3] During the season, James also appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated , becoming the first high school basketball underclassman 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 Mr. Basketball and selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team, and became the first junior to be named male basketball Gatorade National Player of the Year . 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 unsuccessfully petitioned for a change to the NBA's Draft eligibility rules in an attempt to enter the 2002 NBA Draft . During this time, he used marijuana , which he said was to help cope with the stress that resulted from the constant media attention that he was receiving. His popularity 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. Although his 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.

Senior year

Throughout his senior year, James and the Fighting Irish traveled around 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 . Time Warner Cable , looking to capitalize on James's 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 Mr. Basketball and selected to the 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 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 .

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 superstar. 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. [4]

Later in the season, James 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. [5] 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. [6] That forfeit loss was the team's only official loss that season. Despite the distractions, James scored a career-high 52 points in his first game back after the suspension. St. Vincent–St. Mary went on to win the Division II championship, marking their third division title in four years, with James averaging 31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.4 steals on the season. [3] James was named to the All-USA First Team for an unprecedented third time, and was selected as Mr. Basketball of Ohio. [3]

James finished his high school career with 2,657 points, 892 rebounds, and 523 assists. [3]

As LeBron was an avid football player, James was also named First-Team All-State as a wide receiver . [7] He was recruited by some Division I programs , including Notre Dame . 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. He did not play during his senior year because of a wrist injury that he sustained in an AAU basketball game. Some sports analysts, football critics, high school coaches, former and current players have speculated that James could have played in the National Football League . [8]

Professional career

Cleveland cavaliers (2003–2010), 2003–2004: rookie of the year.

James was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft . In his first professional game, he recorded 25 points against the Sacramento Kings , setting an NBA record for most points scored by a prep-to-pro player in his debut outing. [34 ] In a late season match-up with the New Jersey Nets , he scored a season-high 41 points, becoming the youngest player in league history to score at least 40 points in a game at 19 years of age. [35 ] He was eventually named the Rookie of the Year , finishing with averages of 20.9 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game. [36 ] He became the first Cavalier to receive the honor and joined Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game in their rookie year ( Tyreke Evans has since joined this group). [37 ] The Cavaliers finished the season 35–47, failing to make the playoffs despite an 18-game improvement over the previous year. [38 ]

2004–2008: Rise to superstardom

James sizes up his defender in March 2005 as a member of the Cavaliers.

James recorded his first career triple-double on January 19 of the 2004–05 NBA season , becoming the youngest player in league history to record a triple-double at 20 years. [36 ] [39 ] His play earned him his first All-Star Game selection, where he added 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in a winning effort for the Eastern Conference . [40 ] 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. " On March 20, he scored a career-high 56 points against the Toronto Raptors , setting Cleveland's new single game points record. [41 ] With averages of 27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 2.2 steals per game to finish the season, he became the youngest player in NBA history to be named to an All-NBA Team, being selected to the All-NBA Second Team. [10 ] Despite a 30–20 record to start the year, [41 ] Cleveland again failed to make the playoffs , finishing the season at 42-40. [42 ]

At the 2006 All-Star Game , James led the East to victory with a 29 point and 6 rebound performance, becoming the youngest ever winner of the All-Star Game MVP Award at 21 years, 51 days. [43 ] For the season , he averaged 31.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game, becoming the youngest player in league history to average at least 30 points per game. [36 ] [44 ] He was considered a strong candidate for the Most Valuable Player Award , but eventually finished second in the voting to Steve Nash ; however, he was awarded co-MVP honors with Nash by The Sporting News , [45 ] and was named to the All-NBA First Team for the first time in his career. [46 ] Under James' leadership, the Cavaliers qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1998 , [47 ] improving their record by 33 wins from the year before he was drafted. [48 ] In his playoff debut, he recorded a triple-double in a winning effort versus the Washington Wizards . [49 ] In Game 3 of the series, he made the first game-winning shot of his career, making another in Game 5. [50 ] Cleveland would go on to defeat the Wizards in six games before being ousted by the defending Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons in the second round in seven games. [51 ] [52 ]

James picks up his dribble against Caron Butler of the Washington Wizards in November 2006.

After the 2006 Playoffs, James and the Cavaliers negotiated a three-year, $60 million contract extension with a player option for a fourth year. [53 ] Although it was for fewer years and less money than the maximum he could sign, it allotted him the option of seeking a new contract worth more money as an unrestricted free agent following the 2009–10 season . [53 ] He discussed this decision with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh , fellow members of his 2003 Draft class, who also re-signed with their respective teams while allowing them to be unrestricted agents in 2010. [54 ]

James at the free throw line in April 2007.

For the 2006–07 season , James' averages declined to 27.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. [10 ] Some analysts attributed the fall to a regression in his passing skills and shot selection, which stemmed from a lack of effort and focus. The Cavaliers finished the year with 50 wins for the second consecutive year and entered the playoffs as the East's second seed. [55 ] [56 ] In the first round, Cleveland swept the Wizards, and in the second round, they defeated the New Jersey Nets en route to a rematch with the Pistons from the year before. [57 ] In Game 5 of the Conference Finals, James notched a playoff franchise record 48 points with 9 rebounds and 7 assists, and scored 29 of the Cavaliers' last 30 points including the game-winning lay-up with two seconds left in double-overtime. [58 ] After the game, play-by-play announcer Marv Albert called the performance " one of the greatest moments in postseason history " and color commentator Steve Kerr called it "Jordan-esque." [59 ] In 2012, ESPN ranked the performance the fourth greatest in modern NBA playoff history. [60 ] Cleveland won the series to advance to the Finals for the first time in history versus the San Antonio Spurs , losing in four games. [57 ] For the postseason, James averaged 25.1 points, 8.0 assists, and 8.1 rebounds per game, although his Finals averages dropped to 22.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game on just 35.6 percent shooting mostly due to the fact that he had very little talent supporting him and was facing a more deeper and experienced team. [10 ] [36 ]

James engages in his pre-game ritual of tossing crushed chalk into the air in March 2008; the routine was mostly ended after 2011.

James and DeShawn Stevenson in April 2008. The two had a short feud after Stevenson called James "overrated".

During the 2007–08 season , James was named the All-Star Game MVP for the second time behind a 27 point, 8 rebound, 9 assist, 2 steal, and 2 block performance. [61 ] [62 ] On March 21, he moved past Brad Daugherty as the Cavaliers' all-time leading scorer in a game against the Raptors , doing so in over 100 less games than Daugherty. [63 ] With seven triple-doubles to finish the year, James set a new personal and team record for triple-doubles in a season. [64 ] His 30 points per game were also the highest in the league, representing his first and thus far only scoring title . [65 ] Despite his individual accomplishments, Cleveland's record fell from the year before to 45–37. [66 ] Seeded fourth in the East entering the playoffs , the Cavaliers were matched up with the Wizards in the first round for the third consecutive season. [67 ] In a pre-series interview, Washington Guard DeShawn Stevenson stirred up controversy when he called James "overrated". [68 ] James answered by saying that responding to Stevenson would be like rap icon Jay Z feuding with one-hit wonder Soulja Boy . [68 ] In the series, Cleveland defeated the Wizards in six games (like in 2006) before being eliminated in seven games by the newly-formed and eventual champion Boston Celtics in the next round. [69 ] During the decisive seventh game in Boston, James scored 45 points and Paul Pierce scored 41 in a game the Associated Press described as a "shootout". [70 ]

2008–2010: MVP seasons

James in April 2009.

In the 2008–09 season , James finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting and made his first NBA All-Defensive Team Selection behind 23 chase-down blocks and a career-high 93 total blocks. [71 ] [72 ] He also became only the fourth post-merger player to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks in a single season. Behind his play and the acquisition of All-Star Mo Williams , the Cavaliers went a franchise record 66–16 and fell one game short of matching the best home record in league history. [73 ] With final averages of 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.7 steals, and a career-high 1.2 blocks per game, James became the first Cavalier to win the NBA MVP Award . [74 ] Reflecting on James's performance for ESPN, John Hollinger later wrote: " He's having what is arguably the greatest individual season in history, and it's time we gave him his due for it. " In the playoffs , Cleveland swept the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks to earn a match-up with the Orlando Magic in the Conference Finals. [75 ] In Game 1 of the series, James scored 49 points, 3 rebounds, and 8 assists with a 66 percent shooting rate in a losing effort for the Cavaliers. [60 ] In Game 2, Magic's Hedo Türkoğlu shot a 12-foot jumper to give the Magic a 2-point lead with 1 second left. Following a Cleveland timeout, Mo Williams inbounded the ball to James, but heavy defense by Türkoğlu denied James a chance at a tying layup. James then attempted and successfully made a three-point shot over Türkoğlu, Dwight Howard , and Rashard Lewis (the first buzzer-beater of his career), giving the Cavs a 96–95 victory to tie the series at 1–1. [76 ] Following losses in both Games 3 and 4, James and the rest of the Cavs scored a victory in Game 5, making it 3–2, to send the series back to Orlando. In Game 6, he scored a playoff low 25 points and the Cavaliers lost the series to Orlando, and following the loss, James immediately left the floor without shaking hands with his opponents, an act that many media members viewed as unsportsmanlike. [77 ] Jalen Rose , a former NBA player and current ESPN commentator, said that James' actions were "immature and ingracious". James later told reporters: " It's hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them, I'm a winner. It's not being a poor sport or anything like that. If somebody beats you up, you're not going to congratulate them. ... I'm a competitor. That's what I do. It doesn't make sense for me to go over and shake somebody's hand. " [78 ] For the series, he averaged 38.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 8 assists per game, [79 ] finishing the postseason with a career playoff-high 35.3 points per game. [46 ]

James running the offense in November 2009. He finished his first stint with the Cavaliers averaging 27.8 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.

To address their lack of an inside presence against the Magic, the Cavaliers traded for four-time champion and Center Shaquille O'Neal before the 2009–10 season ; however, Shaq at this point was out of his prime and a shell of his former self. [80 ] To give James more scoring help, Cleveland also added All-Star Antawn Jamison to their roster at the trading deadline. [81 ] In February of the season, James was forced into a temporary Point Guard role following a series of injuries to players in the Cavaliers' backcourt. Behind his leadership and with the additions of O'Neal and Jamison, Cleveland lost no momentum, finishing the year with the best record in the league for the second consecutive season. Due in part to his increased minutes as the Cavaliers' primary ball handler, James increased his statistical production, averaging 29.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, career-high 8.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1 block per game on 50 percent shooting en route to another MVP Award. [82 ] In the playoffs , Cleveland beat the Chicago Bulls in five games in the first round, but fell to the eventual Conference champion Boston Celtics in the second round in six games. [84 ] James was heavily criticized for not playing well in the series, particularly in Game 5 when he shot only 20 percent on 14 shots, scoring 15 points. This lackadaisical performance caused team owner Dan Gilbert and many fans to accuse LeBron of quitting during this game. [85 ] At the conclusion of the game, he walked off the court to a smattering of boos from the Cavaliers' home crowd, the team having just suffered their worst home playoff loss ever as well as worst loss in franchise history. [86 ] Cleveland was officially eliminated from the postseason in Game 6, with James recording 27 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists, but on just 38 percent shooting with 9 turnovers. [84 ]

Miami Heat (2010–2014)

The decision.

James at his announcement in Miami with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

James became an unrestricted free agent at 12:01 am EDT on July 1, 2010. [87 ] During his free agency, he was courted by several teams including the Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers , Miami Heat , New York Knicks , New Jersey Nets , and Cavaliers. [88 ] On July 8, he announced on a live ESPN special titled The Decision that he would sign with the Heat. [89 ] The telecast, broadcast from the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich, Connecticut , have raised $2.5 million for the charity. An additional $3.5 million from advertisement revenue that was donated to other charities. [90 ] [91 ] The day before the special, fellow free agents Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh had also announced that they would sign with Miami; reports later arose that back in 2006 the trio had discussed among themselves their upcoming 2010 free agencies. [92 ] [93 ] James decided to join with Bosh and Wade in part so that he could shoulder less load offensively, thinking that his improved teammates would give him a better chance of winning a championship than had he stayed in Cleveland. [94 ] [95 ] Heat president Pat Riley played a major role in selling James on the idea of playing with Wade and Bosh. [96 ] Relieved of the burden of scoring, James thought that he could be the first player to average a triple-double in a season since Oscar Robertson . [94 ]

Upon leaving the Cavaliers, James drew immense criticism from sports analysts, executives, fans, and current and former players for leaving the Cavaliers. The Decision itself was also scrutinized and viewed as unnecessary. Many thought that the prolonged wait for James' choice was unprofessional as not even the teams courting him were aware of his decision until moments before the show. [97 ] Upon learning that James would not be returning to Cleveland, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert published an open letter to fans in which he aggressively denounced James' actions. [98 ] Some angry fans of the team recorded videos of themselves burning his jersey. [99 ] Former NBA players including Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson were also critical of James, condemning him for joining with Wade and Bosh in Miami and not trying to win a championship as "the guy". [100 ] [101 ] [102 ] James drew further criticism in a September interview with CNN when he claimed that race might have been a factor in the fallout from The Decision . [103 ] [104 ] As a result of his actions during the 2010 free agency period, James quickly gained a reputation as one of America's most disliked athletes, which was a radical change from years prior. [105 ] [106 ] The phrase " taking my talents to South Beach " became a punch line for critics. [107 ] [108 ]

Immediately following The Decision , James claimed that there was nothing he would change about the handling of his free agency despite all the criticism. [109 ] Since then, he has expressed remorse over his actions. During the 2010–11 season , he said he " probably would do it a little bit different ... But I'm happy with my decision. " [110 ] James relented about the special before the 2011–12 season : " ... if the shoe was on the other foot and I was a fan, and I was very passionate about one player, and he decided to leave, I would be upset too about the way he handled it. " [106 ]

2010–2011: Debut season, year of media, and fan of scrutiny

James in March 2011.

James officially became a member of the Heat on July 10, completing a sign-and-trade six-year contract with the team. [111 ] which sent two second- and two first-round draft picks to the Cavaliers and gave the team the option to swap first round picks with the Heat in 2012. As part of the first modern player-created NBA superteam , he became only the third reigning MVP to change teams and the first since Moses Malone in 1982 . [112 ] Although his contract would have allowed him to earn the maximum salary under the collective bargaining agreement , he took less money in order for Miami to be able to afford Bosh and Wade as well as further roster support. [113 ] That evening, the Heat threw a welcome party for their new " Big Three " at the American Airlines Arena , an event that took on a rock concert atmosphere. [114 ] During the gathering, James predicted a dynasty for the Heat and alluded to multiple championships. [115 ] [116 ] Outside of Miami, the spectacle was not well-received, furthering the negative public perception of James. [117 ] [118 ]

James goes in for a slam dunk as a member of the Heat, as John Wall of the Wizards looks on in March 2011.

Throughout the 2010–11 season, James embraced the villain role bestowed upon him by the media. He later said that the negativity surrounding him as a result of his actions during the 2010 free agency " basically turned me into somebody I wasn't ... You start to hear 'the villain,' now you have to be the villain, you know, and I started to buy into it. I started to play the game of basketball at a level, or at a mind state that I've never played at before ... meaning, angry. And that's mentally. That's not the way I play the game. " [119 ] He often played the Point Guard role that Pat Riley sold to him during free agency, [120 ] and in an early season victory versus the Minnesota Timberwolves , he was Miami's primary ball handler and registered a game-high 12 assists, the most ever by a Heat Forward. [121 ] To begin the year, they struggled to adjust to these new circumstances, going only 9–8 after 17 games. James later admitted that the constant negativity surrounding the team made him play with an angrier demeanor than in years past. On December 2, he returned to Cleveland for the first time since departing as a free agent, scoring 38 points and leading Miami to a 118-90 win while being booed every time he touched the ball. [122 ] [123 ] The Heat eventually turned their season around, with James averaging 26.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1.6 steals per game on 51 percent shooting. [46 ] Entering the playoffs as the East's second seed, Miami defeated the 76ers, the Celtics, and the first-seeded Bulls each in five games. In the Conference Semifinals, James and his teammates found themselves matched up with the Celtics for the second consecutive year. In Game 5, he scored Miami's last ten points to help seal a series-clinching win, including two clutch threes over Paul Pierce . After the final buzzer, he famously knelt on the court in an emotional moment, later telling reporters that it was an extremely personal victory for him and the team. The Heat eventually advanced to the Finals , where they were defeated by the Dallas Mavericks in six games. [124 ] James received the brunt of the criticism for the loss, averaging only three points in fourth quarters in the series and scored just eight points in the deciding Game 6, a game that Miami lost by just three. [125 ] His scoring average of 17.8 points per game signified an 8.9-point drop from the regular season, the lowest such drop-off in league history. [126 ]

He also averaged less points than both Bosh and Wade despite being regarded as the best player on the team, and shot very inefficiently from the field during the series.

2011–2013: Back–to–back championships and second MVP reign

James with the Heat.

The 2011–2012 season was delayed by a lockout , and during that extended summer, [127 ] James worked with Hakeem Olajuwon on his post game . [128 ] Humbled by the Heat's loss to the Mavericks, James spent the offseason attempting to improve himself as a basketball player and a person. The experience inspired James to leave behind the villain role that he had been embracing, which helped him regain a sense of joy on the court. His work with Olajuwon paid off, fueling what writer Kirk Goldsberry called " one of the greatest and most important transformations in recent sports history ". [129 ] Behind James' more post-oriented play and expanded skillset, [129 ] Miami matched their best start to a season in franchise history at 18-6, [130 ] and at the conclusion of the lockout-shortened 2011–12 campaign, James was named the MVP for the third time, finishing with averages of 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.9 steals per game on 53 percent shooting. [131 ]

The Heat entered the 2012 Playoffs with the second seed in the East. [132 ] They defeated the Knicks in five games in the first round. In the second round, Miami temporarily lost Bosh to an abdominal injury and found themselves trailing the Indiana Pacers 2–1. [132 ] In Game 4, James turned in one of the best all-around performances of his career, registering 40 points, 18 rebounds, and 9 assists in a winning effort on the road to help even the series. [133 ] Miami eventually won the series in six games. [132 ] In the Conference Finals, the Heat again faced the Celtics, winning the first two games before dropping the next three. [132 ] To compensate for Bosh's absence, the Heat embraced a small-ball lineup with James at Power Forward , which they retained even after Bosh's return in the Conference Finals. Facing elimination, James led Miami to 98-79 victory by scoring 45 points and 15 rebounds in Game 6, making 19 of 26 shot attempts for a 73 percent shooting rate in what The New York Times called a "career-defining performance". [134 ] [135 ] The Heat won Game 7 101-88 to advance to the Finals , earning them a matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder and James's budding rival Kevin Durant . [132 ] Despite holding a 13-point first half lead in Game 1, Miami lost the first game of the series, but rebounded to win the next two games and go up 2–1. [136 ] [137 ] [138 ] Game 4 proved to be a memorable one for James. With five minutes left in the game, he started experiencing leg cramps and was carried off the floor. He returned soon after and hit a three-pointer with 2:51 left to give the Heat a three point lead they did not relinquish. [139 ] In Game 5, James registered his only triple-double of the season as Miami defeated Oklahoma City for their second ever championship and James' first championship. [140 ] James was unanimously voted the Finals MVP with averages of 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game. [141 ] His final playoff averages were 30.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game which was later ranked the second best in modern NBA history by ESPN. [142 ]

James looks for the ball in December 2012.

In February of the 2012–13 season , James had a "month for the ages", [143 ] averaging 29.7 points and 7.8 assists per game while setting multiple shooting efficiency records and becoming the first player since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in March 1983 to take more than 200 shots in a calendar month and make at least 64 percent of them. [144 ] [145 ] During this period, the Heat began a 27–game winning streak, the third longest in NBA history . [146 ] Based on these accomplishments, James's performance was described as a "month for the ages" by Sports Illustrated. Behind his play, Miami finished the year with a franchise and league best 66–16 record (similar to Cleveland's best record in the 2008–09 season), [147 ] and James was named MVP for the fourth time, falling just one vote shy of becoming the first player in NBA history to win the award unanimously. [148 ] His final season averages were 26.8 points, 8 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 1.7 steals per game on 56.5 percent shooting. [46 ]

James in a game against the Warriors standing at midcourt during a dead ball on January 16, 2013. On that night, he became the youngest player in NBA history to score 20,000 career points.

To start the 2013 Playoffs , the Heat swept the Milwaukee Bucks and defeated the Bulls in five games en route to a Conference Finals match-up versus the Pacers. [149 ] In Game 1 against Indiana, James scored a buzzer-beating layup in overtime to give Miami a one point victory. [150 ] Throughout the series, James' supporting cast struggled significantly, and his added scoring load prompted him to compare his responsibilities to those of his "Cleveland days". [151 ] Despite these struggles, the Heat won the series in seven games, advancing to the Finals for a meeting with the San Antonio Spurs , [149 ] signifying a rematch for James from his first Finals six years earlier . [152 ] At the beginning of the series, James was criticized for his lack of aggressiveness and poor shot selection as Miami fell behind 2-3. [79 ] [149 ] [153 ] In Game 6, James recorded his second triple-double of the series, including 16 fourth quarter points to lead the Heat to a comeback victory. [154 ] In Game 7, Miami defeated San Antonio for their second consecutive championship. [149 ] James notched 37 points in the deciding game, including five three-pointers (along with a 17-foot clutch dagger over Kawhi Leonard ), tying Celtics legend Tom Heinsohn in the 1957 Finals against the St. Louis Hawks for the record of most points scored in an NBA Finals Game 7 victory. [155 ] He was named Finals MVP for the second straight season, averaging 25.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2.3 steals per game for the series and 25.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game for the playoffs. [46 ] [156 ]

2013–2014: Final season in Miami and three–peat chase

On March 3 of the 2013–14 season , James scored a career-high and franchise-record 61 points in a game against the Charlotte Bobcats . James converted on his first eight three-point field goal attempts through three quarters, setting a new record for the most three-point field goals made in a 60-point game. James also set the record for most points in a single game while wearing a mask. Throughout the year, he was one of the few staples for a Heat roster that used 20 different starting lineups due to injuries, finishing with averages of 27.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game on 56.7 percent shooting. In the second round of the playoffs , he tied a career postseason-high by scoring 49 points in Game 4 against the Brooklyn Nets . [147] In the next round, Miami defeated the Pacers for the third straight year to earn their fourth consecutive Finals berth, becoming the first Eastern Conference team and one of the only four teams in NBA history to do so. They once again faced the Spurs in a rematch from 2013. In Game 1 of the Finals , James missed most of the fourth quarter because of leg cramps, helping the Spurs take an early series lead. In Game 2, he led the Heat to a series-tying victory with 35 points on a 64 percent shooting rate. San Antonio eventually eliminated the Heat in five games, ending Miami's quest for a three-peat. For the Finals, James has averaged 28.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game on 57% shooting.

Return to the Cavaliers (2014–2018)

James going for a free throw in 2014.

On June 25, 2014, James opted out of his contract with the Heat, and on July 1, he officially became an unrestricted free agent. On July 11, he revealed via a first-person essay in Sports Illustrated that he intended to return to the Cavaliers to bring his hometown a championship. In contrast to The Decision , his announcement to return to Cleveland was well-received. On July 12, he officially signed with the team, who had compiled a league-worst 97–215 record in the four seasons following his departure. A month after James's signing, the Cavaliers had acquired Kevin Love from the Minnesota Timberwolves , forming a new star trio along with Kyrie Irving .

2014–2016: Third championship and breaking the Cleveland sports curse

James throws a pass as Gorgui Dieng of the Timberwolves defends in December 2014. Later that season, James reached several passing milestones, including becoming the Cavaliers' all-time assists leader.

In January of the 2014–15 season , James missed two weeks due to left knee and lower back strains, which at the time represented the longest stretch of missed games in his career. In total, he played a career-low 69 games and his final 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 over Jimmy Butler at the buzzer to give Cleveland a 2–2 series tie with the Bulls, eventually winning the series in six. In the Conference Finals, the Cavaliers defeated the top-seeded Hawks four games to zero to advance to the Finals , making James the first player since the 1960s to play in five consecutive Finals. [165] For most of the Finals against the Golden State Warriors , Irving and Love were sidelined due to injury, giving James more offensive responsibilities. Behind his leadership, the Cavaliers opened the series with a 2–1 lead before being eliminated in six games. Despite the loss, he received serious consideration for the Finals MVP Award, averaging 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game for the championship round and surpassed Rick Barry 's 122 in 1967 for the most points scored through the the first three Finals games at 123. However, he shot less than 40% from the field during the whole series, which was quite bad for his standards.

James going shooting during Game 6 of the 2016 Finals.

During the 2015–16 season , James was criticized for his role in several off-court controversies, including the midseason firing of Cavaliers' coach David Blatt . Despite these distractions, Cleveland finished the year with 57 wins, the best record in the East, and third-best overall. James's final averages were 25.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game on 52 percent shooting. In the playoffs , the Cavaliers advanced comfortably to the Finals , sweeping Detroit and Atlanta losing only two games against Toronto en route to a rematch with the Warriors, who were coming off a record-setting 73-win season. To begin the series, Cleveland fell behind 3–1, including two blowout losses. James responded by registering back-to-back 41 point games in Games 5 and 6 (becoming the first player since Shaquille O'Neal in 2000 to score more than 40 points in back-to-back Finals games), leading the Cavaliers to two consecutive wins to stave off elimination. In Game 7, he posted a triple-double and made a number of key plays, including " The Block " on Andre Iguodala , as Cleveland emerged victorious, winning the city's first professional sports title in 52 years and becoming the first team in NBA history to come back from a 3–1 series deficit in the Finals. James became just the third player to record a triple-double in an NBA Finals Game 7, and behind series averages of 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 2.3 blocks, and 2.6 steals per game, he also became the first player in league history to lead both teams in all five statistical categories for a playoff round, culminating in a unanimous Finals MVP selection.

2016–2018: End of second stint in Cleveland

James and Deron Williams talking to a referee.

The 2016–17 season was marred by injuries and unexpected losses for the Cavaliers; James later described it as one of the "strangest" years of his career. Following a January defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans , he publicly criticized Cleveland's front office for constructing a team that he felt was too "top heavy", for which he received countercriticism. The Cavaliers finished the season as the East's second seed, with James averaging 26.4 points and career highs in rebounds (8.6), assists (8.7), and turnovers (4.1) per game. In Game 3 of the first round of the postseason , he registered 41 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists against the Indiana Pacers , leading Cleveland to a comeback victory after trailing by 25 points at halftime, representing the largest halftime deficit overcome in NBA Playoff history. In Game 5 of the Conference Finals against the Celtics, James scored 35 points and surpassed Michael Jordan as the league's all-time postseason scoring leader. The Cavaliers won the game and the series, advancing to their third consecutive Finals against the Warriors, who had signed James' rival Kevin Durant during the offseason. Behind averages of 33.6 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists per game, James became the first player to average a triple-double in the Finals, but Cleveland was defeated in five games by the superteam Warriors.

James going for a slam dunk against the Celtics on October 17, 2017.

Prior to the start of the 2017–18 season , the Cavaliers overhauled their roster by trading Kyrie Irving to the Celtics, who requested a trade in part because he no longer wanted to play with James and wanted more responsibility on the offensive side of the ball. After a slow start to the year, Cleveland rebounded by winning 18 of 19 games in December. Their turnaround began with a victory over the Wizards where James scored 57 points, which represented the second-highest point total of his career and tied a franchise record. On November 28, James was ejected for the first time in his career in a game against the Heat when he rushed over to argue with referee Kane Fitzgerald about a no-call on his drive to the basket. Fitzgerald gave James an immediate technical foul before ejecting him with 1:56 remaining in the quarter and the Cavs leading by 23. When asked about the situation, James stated, " I got fouled and showed my frustration to the ref, and he sent me to the locker room. That particular play, I got fouled all the way up the court. That's what it was about. I said what I had to say and I moved on, but he decided I should get (ejected). We got the win, that's what's most important. " In January, the Cavaliers had a losing record, and James was criticized for his lackluster effort. The next month, James won his third All-Star Game MVP Award , after posting 29 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, and several key plays to help Team LeBron win over Team Curry. Following another round of trades in February, Cleveland returned to form and James reached a number of historical milestones; for example, on March 30, he set an NBA record with 867 straight games scoring in double digits. James eventually finished the season with averages of 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, a career-high 9.2 assists, and 4.2 turnovers per game.

James dribbling during Game 2 of the 2018 Finals.

In the playoffs , he guided the Cavaliers to another Finals rematch with the Warriors. Along the way, he had some of the most memorable moments of his career, including a game-winning shot against the Pacers and another against the Raptors. In the first game of the Finals , James scored a playoff career-high 51 points, but Cleveland was defeated in overtime. Following the defeat, James injured his hand after punching a wall in frustration in the locker room, which hindered his effectiveness for the remainder of the series. The Cavaliers lost the series in four games, with James averaging 34 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 10 assists per game for the Finals, being swept for the second time in his career, making him the fifth player to get swept in the Finals twice, joining Magic Johnson , Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , Wes Unseld , and Michael Cooper as well as the first player to be swept in the Finals in two different decades.

Los Angeles Lakers (2018–present)

2018–2019: injury and playoff miss.

James during a Lakers/Suns game in October 2018.

On June 29, 2018, James opted out of his contract with the Cavaliers and became an unrestricted free agent. On July 1, his management company, Klutch Sports, announced that he would sign with the Los Angeles Lakers ; the deal was officially completed on July 9. In an interview with Sports Illustrated , James's agent, Rich Paul, explained, " In 2010, when he went to Miami, it was about championships. In 2014, when he went back to Cleveland, it was about delivering on a promise. In 2018, it was just about doing what he wants to do. " Reaction to the move was more positive than his original departure from the Cavaliers due to him leading the team to four straight Finals and winning in 2016, ending the city's drought , albeit still mixed, as some onlookers felt that Los Angeles was not his optimal destination.

James during a Lakers/Wizards game in December 2018.

The Lakers expected James to immediately transform them into a championship contender and create a new dynasty after having missed the playoffs since 2014 and not appearing in the Finals since 2010 . Following his signing, the Lakers rounded out their roster with a controversial collection of playmakers and veterans. As a result, to begin the 2018–19 season , the team struggled to find effective lineups and recorded only two wins through their first seven games. In November, they began a turnaround, which included two of James's strongest performances of the season. On November 14, he registered 44 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists in a 126–117 victory against the Portland Trail Blazers , passing Wilt Chamberlain , and four days later he scored a season-high 51 points in a 113–97 win over the Miami Heat . After blowing out the two-time defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors 127–101 on Christmas Day, Los Angeles improved their record to 20–14, but James suffered a groin injury in the process, the first major injury of his career. He ultimately missed a then career-high 17 consecutive games, and the Lakers fell out of playoff contention without him. The team was unable to recover and failed to qualify for the postseason, marking the first time since 2005 that James missed the playoffs as well as the first time since 2010 that he had failed to reach the Finals and the sixth straight year that Lakers have missed the playoffs, overall. On March 7, the Lakers announced that James would begin a minutes restriction, and on March 30, he was officially ruled out for the remainder of the season. James's final averages were 27.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game. Despite his inconsistent campaign, he was ultimately named to the All-NBA Third Team, marking the first time in twelve years that he did not make the All-NBA First Team.

2019–2020: Fourth NBA championship

James during a Lakers game in August 2020.

During the offseason, the Lakers had hired Frank Vogel as their new head coach, and traded the majority of their young core to the New Orleans Pelicans for All-Star big man Anthony Davis . James immediately embraced Los Angeles's much-improved roster by transforming his playing style, moving to full-time point guard and competing with a more consistent defensive effort. Behind James's leadership, the Lakers opened the 2019–20 season with a 17–2 record, matching the best start in franchise history. On January 25 in a 91–108 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers , James passed team legend Kobe Bryant for third on the all-time regular-season scoring list, the day before Bryant's death in a helicopter crash .

In early March, James led Los Angeles to a victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in a matchup of conference leaders, followed by a streak-breaking win against the Los Angeles Clippers , before the season was suspended due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic . With play set to resume in the confined NBA Bubble , he referred to the situation as a prison sentence. Regular season play resumed in July and concluded in August within the confined NBA Bubble, where James ended the season as the league leader in assists for the first time in his career after averaging 10.2 assists per game. James earned a record 16th All-NBA Team selection as part of the First Team, extending his record First Team selections to 13.

The Lakers entered the playoffs as the number one seed in the West and advanced to the Finals convincingly, with only three total losses along the way. In Game 5 of the Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets , James helped clinch the conference championship by scoring a game-high 38 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter. In the Finals, James and his teammates found themselves matched up with his former team, the Miami Heat , and quickly took control of the series with a 2–0 lead. In Game 5, James had his best statistical performance of the Finals with 40 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 assists in a memorable duel with Miami's Jimmy Butler , but Los Angeles was ultimately defeated in a three-point game. The Lakers finally eliminated the Heat in Game 6, which earned James, who averaged 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game during the series, his fourth NBA championship and fourth Finals MVP Award. At 35 years and 287 days old, James became the second-oldest player in NBA history to win the award behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , who was 38 years and 54 days old when he won his last Finals MVP Award back in 1985 . He also became the first player in NBA history to win the award on three different teams. James and teammate Danny Green also became the third and fourth players in NBA history to win at least one championship with three different teams each.

2020–21 NBA season: Back–to–back title chase, injury woes, play–in appearance, and early playoff exit

The 2020–21 season , reduced to 72 games for each team and starting on December 22, 2020, due to the COVID–19 pandemic, began after the shortest offseason in NBA history with a 109–116 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. On December 31, 2020, James became the first player in NBA history to score 10 points or more in 1,000 consecutive games in a 121–107 win against the San Antonio Spurs . On February 13, 2021, James recorded 28 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists in a 115–105 win, the Lakers' seventh consecutive victory, over the Grizzlies. In a 109–98 loss to the Nets on February 18, James became the third player in NBA history with 35,000 career points, joining Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone ; at 36 years and 50 days, he was the youngest player to reach the milestone. On March 20, 2021, James sprained his ankle against the Hawks in a 94–99 loss, but was able to hit a three-point shot afterwards to keep his 10-points streak alive before exiting the game. By March, the Lakers were No. 2, two games behind the top-seeded Utah Jazz, but then went 14–16 without Davis and 6–10 without James, falling to No. 5. James returned on April 30, 2021 in a 110-106 loss to the Sacramento Kings , after missing 20 games, the longest absence of his career.

In May, James was sidelined again after leaving a game against the Raptors, but returned for the final two games to finish with averages of 25.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.8 assists on 51.3% shooting in 45 out of 72 games; this was his 17th consecutive season averaging at least 25 points per game, the most in NBA history. In an injury-laden season, the Lakers ended with a 42–30 record, finishing No. 7 due to tiebreakers and facing the No. 8-seed Warriors in the Play–In Tournament. The Lakers won 103–100 after James scored the go-ahead, three-point shot over Stephen Curry in the final minute, posting a triple-double with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, along with 2 steals and 1 block. His 34–foot (10 m) shot before the shot clock buzzer was his longest basket of the season as well as his longest go-ahead shot in the closing three minutes of a game in his career.

In the first round of the playoffs , the Lakers faced the No. 2 Phoenix Suns , the first time in James's career that he did not have home court advantage in the opening series. The Lakers were up 2–1 in the series before Davis suffered a strained groin in Game 4, in which James finished with a game-high 25 points on 10–for–21 shooting, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists. The Lakers would then drop the next three games (all double digit losses), ultimately losing to the Suns in six games, marking the end of their title defense and season. It also marked it the first time that James lost in the first round playoffs in his career. James finished the series averaging 23.3 points, his fourth-lowest scoring output for a series over his career and his lowest mark since averaging 22.8 in the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers . He made his 17th consecutive All-NBA Team selection, extending the record for most selections in NBA history, being named for the third time to the All-NBA Second Team.

2021–2022: First in the 10K–10K–10K club, 37,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, and 10,000 assists, more injury woes, and play–in/playoff miss

James at the 2022 All-Star Game.

For the 2021–22 season , James was joined by 2003 fellow draftee Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook . In a game against the Detroit Pistons on November 21, 2021, James was ejected for the second time in his career in the third quarter after getting into a scuffle with Isaiah Stewart during the 121-116 win. The next day, it was announced that James would be suspended one game for his actions during the 100-106 loss against the New York Knicks . On November 26, 2021, James was fined $15,000 for an obscene gesture that he made on November 24 after making a shot late in the Lakers' overtime victory against the Pacers at their homecourt in which the Lakers won 124-116. He was also warned by the NBA for using profane language during an interview with ESPN after the victory against the Pacers when discussing his previous suspension. In his next 16 games, James averaged 30.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.4 blocks on 54 percent shooting, also achieving his 100th triple-double, while becoming the third player in NBA history to surpass 36,000 career points; during this period, he played 35 percent of his minutes at Center . From December 19 to February 26, 2022, playing 23 out of 27 games, he had a streak of 23 consecutive 25-point games.

James during a game against the Cavaliers in March 2022.

In December, James became the second player in NBA history (after Michael Jordan ) to post 40 points and zero turnovers at age 35 or older. In January, James met the minimum criteria for points per game by playing at least 70 percent of his team's games, averaging 28.6 points, and became the oldest player to average 25+ points per game, having already been the youngest to do so, as he averaged 27.6 points per game in his sophomore season at 20 years old. He also became the oldest player in NBA history to record at least 25 points in ten straight games, doing so at 37 years old. By January 20, James became the fifth player in NBA history to record at least 30,000 career points and 10,000 career rebounds; he is the first player to record at least 30,000 career points, 10,000 career rebounds, and 9,000 career assists. In the same period, he surpassed Oscar Robertson for 4th all-time free throws made, and Alvin Robertson for 10th all-time in career steals. On February 12, in a 115–117 loss to the Golden State Warriors , James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most points scored in both the regular season and playoffs combined. He received praise from Lakers head coach Frank Vogel as well as opponents Stephen Curry , Klay Thompson , and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr . On March 19 in a 119–127 loss to the Washington Wizards , he passed Karl Malone for second in the all-time minutes and regular season scoring lists. At the 2022 NBA All-Star Game held in Cleveland, James was celebrated among the other 75 players for the NBA 75th Anniversary Team . James led all players in fan votes with his 18th All-Star selection, tying Kobe Bryant and just one behind Abdul-Jabbar; his team achieved its fifth consecutive All-Star win, defeating Team Durant 163–161, with James hitting the game-winning dagger shot over Zach LaVine and Joel Embiid in front of his hometown crowd.

In March, James recorded two 50-point games, which were also his Lakers' career-high, becoming the oldest player to have multiple 50-point games in a season, as well as the first Lakers player since Bryant in 2008 to have back-to-back 50-point home games; it was James's 15th 50-point game in his 19-year career, including the postseason. He also recorded his 10,000th career assist, becoming the only player in NBA history to record at least 10,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, and 10,000 assists. On March 27, in a 108–116 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans , LeBron became just the second player in NBA history to score 37,000 points. Due to an ankle injury in that game, James missed out on a close three-players run for the NBA scoring title, having only played 56 games, two less than the necessary to qualify; aged 37, he would have broken Jordan's record of oldest scoring leader at 35. For The Athletic , Bill Oram wrote that James's ankle injury felt like "the moment that might signal the end of the Lakers season". On April 5, the Lakers were eliminated from both playoff and play-in contention for the first time since 2019 (James's first season with the Lakers) after a 121–110 loss to the Phoenix Suns . It marked the fourth time in James's career and second time in four seasons as a Laker that he missed the playoffs . James was ruled out the rest of the season due to soreness in his left ankle. He finished the season with a 7.6 box plus–minus (first among players in his age group) and averages of 30.3 points (first by 6.9 points among players in his age range), 8.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 2.9 threes, 1.3 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game on 52–35–75 shooting ranges. On May 24, he was named to the All-NBA Third Team for the second time; it was his 18th consecutive All-NBA Team selection, extending the record for most selections in NBA history.

2022–2023: Continued injury woes, climb to the all-time scoring record, second play–in appearance, and return to Conference Finals

On August 18, 2022, James re-signed with the Los Angeles Lakers on a two-year, $97.1M deal. The contract extension made James the highest-paid athlete in NBA history at $528.9M, surpassing Kevin Durant in all-time earnings. On October 20, James made his 2,144th three-pointer in a game against the Los Angeles Clippers in a 97–103 loss, surpassing Paul Pierce for tenth in total NBA career three-pointers made. On October 28, James posted 28 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals in an 111–102 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves . He recorded his 1,135th career 20-point game, passing Karl Malone for the most such games in NBA history. On December 2, in a 133–129 win against the Milwaukee Bucks , James recorded 28 points and 11 assists. He recorded his 10,142nd assist, surpassing Magic Johnson for sixth place on the NBA all-time career assists list. On December 13, James scored 33 points in a 122–118 overtime loss to the Celtics, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain for the second-most 30-point games in NBA history. He recorded 516 30-point games in 1,386 career appearances. On December 28, James played in his 1,393rd game, breaking a tie with Tim Duncan for 10th-most in NBA history. The next game, on his 38th birthday, James had a then season-high 47 points on 18-for-27 shooting from the field, along with 10 rebounds and 9 assists in a 130–121 come-from-behind victory over the Atlanta Hawks . On January 2, 2023, James recorded 43 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists in a 121–115 win over the Charlotte Hornets . He joined Michael Jordan as the only two players with back-to-back 40-point games at 38 years of age or older. On January 9, James received his 66th Player of the Week Award, doubling the career total of runner-up Kobe Bryant . On January 13, in a 113–112 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers , he scored his 38,000th career point, becoming the second player in NBA history to do so. On January 16, James had a season–high 48 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists in a 140–132 win over the Houston Rockets. It was his 100th career game with 40 or more points – including the postseason. On January 23, he scored 46 points, including a career-high nine 3-pointers, in a 133–115 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, becoming the first player in NBA history to score at least 40 points in a game against all NBA franchises. Two days later, James made his 2,222nd three-pointer in a 113–104 win over the San Antonio Spurs , surpassing Jamal Crawford for ninth in total NBA career three-pointers made. On January 19, James was named as a starter at the 2023 NBA All-Star Game , tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 's record for the most All-Star selections (19). It was also James's 19th consecutive All-Star appearance, surpassing Bryant's previous mark. On January 31, James put up a triple-double with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 129–123 overtime win over the New York Knicks , becoming the first player in NBA history to put up a triple-double in his 20th season. He also surpassed Mark Jackson and Steve Nash for fourth on the NBA all-time career assists list.

On February 7, James scored his 38,388th career point in a 133–130 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder , surpassing Abdul-Jabbar, the record-holder for almost 39 years, to become the all-time leading scorer in NBA history. Abdul-Jabbar had previously set the record on April 5, 1984, eight months before James was born. After James broke the record, the NBA stopped the game for an on-court ceremony, where he gave a speech and then embraced Abdul-Jabbar, as well as his family. James missed the following three games due to left ankle soreness.

On February 19, when Team LeBron lost the 2023 NBA All-Star Game 184–175 to Team Giannis, captained by Giannis Antetokounmpo , marking the first time that LeBron lost an All-Star Game as a captain. Prior to the game, he had been undefeated (5–0) as a captain, and since the format was changed in 2018. During the game, he suffered a right hand contusion and was ruled out for the entire second half. He ended the game with 13 points, 4 assists, and one rebound.

On February 26, James sustained a right foot injury during a game against the Dallas Mavericks after bumping into Dwight Powell . Despite the injury, James was able to finish the game and helped the Lakers pull off the then-biggest comeback victory of the season winning 111-108 after trailing by 27 points late in the first half. He scored 26 points on 10–for–23 shooting, eight rebounds, and three assists in 37 minutes. However, following an examination by team medical staff on March 2, James was diagnosed with a tendon injury in his right foot and would be reevaluated in three weeks. After missing the previous 13 games, James made his return on March 26 in a 118-108 loss against the Chicago Bulls . He came off the bench for just the second time in his career; the other being on December 11, 2007 with the Cavaliers in a 118-105 win over the Indiana Pacers . On April 2, James put up a triple-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 134–109 win over the Houston Rockets . He also tied Jason Kidd for fourth place on the all-time career triple-doubles list. On April 4, James put up 37 points, five rebounds, six assists, one steal, one block, and a game–winning layup in a 135–133 overtime win over the Utah Jazz . On April 9, in the final game of the 2022–23 season , James posted 36 points, six rebounds, and six assists to lead the Lakers to a 128–117 win over the Jazz, earning the seventh seed in the Western Conference play–in tournament with a 43–39 record. James finished the regular season with averages of 28.9 points per game, 8.3 rebounds per game, 6.8 assists per game, becoming the oldest player in NBA history to average at least 25 points, five rebounds, and five assists in a season. In Game 4 of the Lakers' first–round series against the Memphis Grizzlies , James had 22 points, a playoff career–high 20 rebounds, and seven assists, including a game–winning layup over Dillon Brooks in a 117–111 overtime win, marking his first 20–20 game of his career. He became the first Laker player with a 20-20 game in the postseason since Shaquille O'Neal in Game 4 of the 2004 NBA Finals and also the oldest player in league history with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in a playoff game. In Game 6 of the Semifinals, James put up 30 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, two steals, and one block in a 122–101 win over the defending champion Golden State Warriors to lead the Lakers to the Conference Finals, their second Conference Finals appearance in four seasons and James' 12th. He also won his 41st playoff series, surpassing Derek Fisher for the most all-time playoff series wins in NBA history. In the Conference Finals, the Lakers eventually lost the series to the top-seeded Denver Nuggets in a four-game sweep, despite James' 40-point, 9-rebound, and 10-assist outing in the 113–111 close-out loss in Game 4. He also set his personal playoff record with 31 points in the first half.

International career

James attempting a shot over Yao Ming in the Group B men's Olympic basketball game between the U.S. and China on August 10, 2008, at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

James made his debut for the United States national team at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. [157 ] U.S. Olympic coach Larry Brown said that James, accustomed to being a star, was not 100% receptive to a reduced role. [158 ] James spent the Olympics mostly on the bench without quality playing time, [159 ] [160 ] averaging 14.6 minutes per game with 5.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game in eight games. [157 ] Team USA finished the competition with a bronze medal, becoming the first U.S. basketball team to return home without a gold medal since adding professionals to their line-up. [157 ] [161 ] James felt his limited playing time was a "lowlight" and believed he was not given "a fair opportunity to play". [162 ] His attitude during the Olympics was described as "disrespectful" and "distasteful" by columnists Adrian Wojnarowski and Peter Vecsey , respectively. [163 ] [164 ] At the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan, James took on a greater role for Team USA, averaging 13.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game as co-captain. [165 ] [166 ] The team finished the tournament with an 8–1 record, winning another bronze medal. [165 ] James' behavior was again questioned, this time by teammate Bruce Bowen , who confronted James during tryouts regarding his treatment of staff members. [163 ] [167 ] Before naming James to the 2008 Olympic team, Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo and coach Mike Krzyzewski gave James an ultimatum to improve his attitude, and he heeded their advice. [163 ] [168 ] At the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship , he averaged 18.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game, including a 31-point performance against Argentina in the championship game, the most ever by an American in an Olympic qualifier. [169 ] [170 ] Team USA went 10–0, winning the gold medal and qualifying for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. [157 ] James credited the team's attitude and experience for their improvement, saying: " I don't think we understood what it meant to put on a USA uniform and all the people that we were representing in 2004. We definitely know that now. " [160 ] At the Olympics, Team USA went unbeaten, winning their first gold medal since 2000 . [171 ] In the final game, James turned in 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists against Spain. [171 ]

James dunking in a 2012 Team USA exhibition game .

James did not play at the 2010 FIBA World Championship , but rejoined Team USA for the 2012 Olympics in London. [172 ] [173 ] He became the leader of the team with Kobe Bryant , who would soon be 34, stepping back. [174 ] [175 ] [176 ] James facilitated the offense from the post and perimeter, called the defensive sets, and provided scoring when needed. [103 ] [177 ] [178 ] [179 ] During a game against Australia , he recorded the first triple-double in U.S. Olympic basketball history with 11 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assist. [a ] Team USA went on to win their second straight gold medal, again defeating Spain in the final game. [181 ] James contributed 19 points in the win, becoming the all-time leading scorer in U.S. men's basketball history. [157 ] [181 ] He also joined Michael Jordan as the only players to win an NBA MVP award, NBA championship, and Olympic gold medal in the same year. [182 ] Afterwards, Krzyzewski said James " is the best player, he is the best leader and he is as smart as anybody playing the game right now. " [183 ]

Player profile

James driving to the basket in March 2008. A deft finisher, he led the NBA in scoring and shooting percentage at the rim in 2013.

Standing at six feet, nine inches tall and weighing in at 250 pounds, James has been called the best physical specimen in sports by some sports analysts. [184 ] [185 ] He has started at Small Forward and Power Forward , but can also play the other three positions. [142 ] With career averages of 27.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 1.7 steals per game, [46 ] he is considered one of the most versatile players in the NBA, [129 ] and has been compared to Hall of Famers like Michael Jordan , Magic Johnson , and Oscar Robertson . [36 ] [186 ] Through the 2021–22 season , James's career averages are 27.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game. Throughout the 2010s, he was usually ranked as the best player in the NBA each season by ESPN and Sports Illustrated .

As an 18-year-old rookie, James led the Cavaliers in scoring. He holds numerous "youngest to" distinctions, including being the youngest player to score 30,000 career points. During his first stint in Cleveland, James was used as an on-ball Point Forward. [129 ] Although his shooting tendencies were perimeter-oriented, [129 ] he established himself as one of the best slashers and finishers in basketball, leading the NBA in three point plays in 2006. [193 ] His combination of speed, quickness, and size often created matchup problems for opposing teams because he was capable of blowing by larger defenders and overpowering smaller ones. These qualities became more apparent in transition, where he developed a reputation for grabbing defensive rebounds and then beating the defense downcourt for highlight reel baskets. Around this time, he was frequently criticized for not having developed a reliable jump shot or post game. [194 ] Teams would try to exploit these weaknesses by giving him space in the half court and forcing him to settle for three-pointers and long two-pointers, a strategy famously used by Spurs coach Gregg Popovich in the 2007 Finals , where James converted on only 36 percent of his field goals in four games.

In Miami, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra changed James' role to a more unconventional one. [129 ] James began spending more time in the post and shooting fewer three pointers, attempting a career-low 149 in 2012. [46 ] [129 ] He improved his shot selection and accuracy on jump shots, finishing second in the league in catch-and-shoot field goal percentage in 2013. [195 ] He also learned how to work as an off-ball cutter in the Heat's "pass-happy" offense. [196 ] Behind these improvements, James's overall scoring efficiency rose to historically great levels. During this time, ESPN's Tom Haberstroh called James's free-throw shooting his biggest weakness, describing it as "average". Upon returning to the Cavaliers, James began to experience subtle age-related declines in productivity, posting his lowest scoring averages since his rookie season in the 2014–15 and 2015–16 seasons (as well as in the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons with the Lakers). His shooting also temporarily regressed, and he briefly ranked as the NBA's worst high-volume shooter from outside the paint. Despite these changes, he remained an elite offensive player who beat defenses with body control, strength, and varying attacking speeds.

Throughout his career, James has controlled the offense as the primary ball handler on his team. His playmaking ability has been praised; in one article, writer Rob Mahoney described him as a "fantastic passer". [197 ] His playmaking ability is generally considered one of his premier skills, and some analysts rank him among the greatest passers in NBA history. By using his size, vision, and the attention that he garners from opposing defenses to his advantage, [198 ] James is able to create easy points for his teammates with accurate assists, manufacturing a league leading 2.6 three pointers per game by way of his passing alone in 2013. [197 ]

He executes unconventional passes, including after leaving his feet and through defensive traffic. His uncanny tendency to find the open man has helped force NBA teams to incorporate some elements of zone into their schemes to better cover the weak side of the court and prevent James from passing to open shooters. James's clutch play has been the subject of much scrutiny throughout his career (especially early). He has been repeatedly criticized by the media for his play in pressure situations; specifically, for overpassing instead of shooting in the waning seconds of close games. [203 ] [204 ] However, as his career progressed, James's clutch performance was viewed more favorably. In a 2011 interview, teammate Chris Bosh stated that he would rather have Dwyane Wade take a last-second shot than James. [205 ] On the other hand, a 2011 article by Henry Abbott revealed that James had a better shooting percentage with the game on the line than such notables as Ray Allen and Kobe Bryant . [206 ] Additionally, a 2012 feature by ESPN ranked three of James' playoff performances as some of the greatest in NBA history. [60 ]

James defending against former Cavs teammate and Nets' Joe Harris in February 2018.

At the beginning of James' NBA career, he was considered a poor defensive player, [199 ] but he improved steadily through the years. Near the end of his first tenure in Cleveland in 2009, he became proficient at the chase-down block; coming in from behind the opposition in transition to block their shot and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting. [71 ] In Miami, he developed into a more versatile defender, and the Heat relied on him to guard all five positions. [200 ] This allowed him to make several All-Defensive Selections and come second in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2013. Paired with teammates Dwyane Wade and Shane Battier , Miami used James in an ultra-aggressive defensive scheme, [201 ] with James cheating off the ball to help out inside or get into rebounding position. [202 ]

Beginning in 2014, some analysts have noted a regression in James' defensive impact, stemming from a lack of effort and expected age-related declines. During his second stint in Cleveland, his defense progressively declined. After missed drives on offense, he often dawdled back on defense while complaining to the referees; he provided less help off the ball, and was less aggressive in switching . James himself admitted to taking plays off at times, referring to this approach as "chill mode". He eventually developed a reputation for raising his defensive level in the playoffs, which some analysts referred to as "Playoff LeBron".

James with the Cavs against the Wizards on February 6, 2017. NBA analyst Brian Windhorst , who spent his career covering James, recounted: " No one has ever had as much hype as James has had to live up to, and James has delivered on every last drop. "

James left high school as one of the most hyped prospects in NBA history. Upon entering the NBA, he made an immediate impact and was voted Rookie of the Year in his debut season . As of May 2023, he has been named to 19 All-NBA Team s , including 13 times to the First Team, which are both NBA records. [46 ] With four MVP Awards , he is part of a select group of players who have won the award four times, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , Michael Jordan , Wilt Chamberlain , and Bill Russell ; James and Russell are the only players to win four MVP awards in a five-year span. [187 ] James is one of the only three players to have won a championship, Finals MVP Award , and MVP Award in the same season multiple times. James has also won four Finals MVP Awards, which is the second-most all-time, and earned All-Defensive honors every season from 2009 to 2014. [188 ] While he has never won the Defensive Player of the Year Award, he has finished second in the voting twice and lists it as one of his main goals. [72 ] [189 ] His teams have appeared in the Finals ten times and won four championships; his ten Finals appearances are tied for third all-time. Some analysts have criticized him for not having a better Finals record, while others have defended him, arguing that James usually performed well, but his teams were mostly defeated by better competition. From 2010 to 2020, he has been ranked the best player in the NBA by ESPN's #NBArank project. [190 ] [191 ] [192 ]

On the basis of his career longevity and on-court performances, sports publications have consistently included James in rankings of the best basketball players in history, and he was named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Decade for the 2010s. In addition to praising James's on-court accomplishments, analysts have also noted James's influence on player empowerment throughout the NBA, which stemmed from his willingness to change teams during free agency. Ben Golliver of The Washington Post opined that James's move to the Heat in 2010 "defined a decade of player movement", and that he "fundamentally flipped the power balance between stars and their organizations." James's fellow players have also remarked on his influence, such as Warriors Forward Draymond Green , who reflected: " We've taken control of our destiny. And I think a lot of people hate that ... . I think the doors that he's opened for athletes and especially basketball players is his biggest accomplishment. "

James is widely considered to be one of the greatest basketball players of all-time. In February 2016, he was ranked fifth by Sports Illustrated ; in March 2016, he was ranked third by ESPN ; in February 2017, he was ranked second by CBS Sports ; in December 2017, he was ranked second by Fox Sports ; and in February 2018, he was ranked second by Slam Magazine . He is sometimes mentioned as the greatest player ever, which has resulted in frequent comparisons to Michael Jordan. In a 2016 interview with Sports Illustrated , James acknowledged that his motivation was surpassing Jordan as the greatest. In February 2018, Bill Simmons ' website, The Ringer , spent an entire week devoted to both players, with Simmons ultimately concluding that Jordan was still ahead. Coaches and players have also debated James's status, such as Steve Kerr , who posited that James and Jordan are the two best players in history. In polls, James has ranked second behind Jordan. The results strongly correlate with age, with older voters more commonly choosing Jordan. Davis et al. of Business Insider stated: " The data would suggest that younger, more-engaged NBA fans lean toward James, as he's still playing. Older generations who watched Jordan play and tune in less today lean toward Jordan. " Referring to James as the best challenger to Jordan's status as the greatest basketball player of all time, Sam Quinn of CBS Sports stated that "the margin for error where Jordan is involved is overwhelmingly slim" and that "in the rings-obsessed basketball discourse", Jordan having more titles and an "unblemished Finals record holds significant weight". In 2022, to commemorate the NBA's 75th Anniversary , The Athletic ranked their top 75 players of all time, and named James as the second greatest player in NBA history, behind only Jordan, but stated that " Jordan can feel James' breath on the back of his neck. "

James is considered one of United States men's national basketball teams best players winning two Gold medals .

James has voiced his desire to play basketball into his forties, potentially alongside or against his sons Bronny and Bryce .

Off the court

Personal life.

James has three children with his high school sweetheart, Savannah Brinson on September 14, 2013, in San Diego , California . [60 ] The first, LeBron James, Jr. , was born on October 6, 2004, the second, Bryce Maximus James , born on June 14, 2007, and the third, Zhuri Nova James, born on October 22, 2014. [207 ] Bronny was named a McDonald's All-American in 2023, 20 years after James's selection. During his stint with the Heat, James resided in Coconut Grove , where he bought a $9 million three-story mansion overlooking Biscayne Bay . In November 2015, James bought a 9,350 square-foot (870 m2) East Coast-style mansion in Brentwood, Los Angeles for about $21 million. James owns another home in Brentwood, which he purchased for $23 million in December 2017. [208 ] James became engaged to Brinson on December 31, 2011, proposing to her at a party to celebrate New Year's Eve and his 27th birthday. [209 ]

James invests heavily in his health, reportedly having spent $1.5 million a year to pay for personal chef s and athletic trainer s , as well as physical therapies of recovery. He has a heavy exercise regimen and dietary habits that some consider atypical for a top athlete. Tristan Thompson has stated that James eats dessert s with every meal, and Kyle Korver says James's fitness routine is unrivaled. James drinks wine every night, believing that it is good for his heart . In January 2009, doctors at the Cleveland Clinic discovered a growth in the right side of James's jaw. Biopsy results showed that James developed a benign jaw tumor , specifically in his parotid gland , which required a five-hour surgery to remove on June 2 after the end of the Cavaliers' run in the 2009 Playoffs . During the COVID-19 pandemic , James received a COVID-19 vaccine .

James's best friends in the NBA are former Lakers teammate Carmelo Anthony , Chris Paul , and former Heat teammate Dwyane Wade . The four have been referred to as the " Banana Boat Crew ". During an excursion to the Bahamas , James rescued Anthony from the water when Anthony was carried away from the boat by the current. During an Instagram Live session, Anthony later recounted: " He saved my life ". When asked about how much danger Anthony was in prior to the rescue, James responded: " I don't really know what to say, to be honest. I'm just happy he's still here, obviously. "

Public image

By 2015, James was considered by many people, including his fellow NBA players, to be the "face of the NBA". His opinions have yielded significant influence on people who make important league decisions; in 2014, he asked commissioner Adam Silver to increase the duration of the All-Star break, and the request was granted the following season. On February 13, 2015, James was elected the first vice president of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA).

Throughout his career, James has been ranked by Forbes as one of the world's most influential athletes. In 2010, James was ranked as the second most influential athlete behind Lance Armstrong , [228 ] and in 2017, he was listed by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world . During his first stint with the Cavaliers, he was adored by local fans, with Sherwin-Williams displaying a giant Nike-produced banner of James on their world headquarters throughout his tenure with the team. [229 ] Despite their affection for James, Cleveland fans and critics were frequently annoyed when he attended Cleveland Indians baseball games against the New York Yankees dressed in a Yankees hat. [230 ] Following his actions during the 2010 free agency period and, more specifically, The Decision , he has been listed as one of the most disliked athletes in the United States. [231 ] [232 ] By 2013, his image had mostly recovered and he was reported by ESPN as the most popular player in the NBA for the second time in his career. In 2014, he was named the most popular male athlete in America by the Harris Poll. He has led the league in jersey sales six times.

Memorabilia associated with James is highly sought after; two of James's rookie card s are among the most expensive basketball cards ever sold at auction, and one of those cards also briefly held the record for the most expensive modern-day sports card when it sold for $1.8 million at auction in July 2020. A Mike Trout rookie card broke the record for a modern-day card the following month. All jerseys worn in the 2020 NBA All-Star Game were auctioned by the NBA and NBPA to raise funds for charity; James's jersey sold for $630,000, setting a record for a modern-day sports jersey.

In March 2008, James became the first black man—and third man overall after Richard Gere and George Clooney —to appear on the cover of Vogue , posing with Gisele Bündchen . [238 ] Some sports bloggers and columnists considered the cover offensive and "memorable for the wrong reasons", describing the demeanor of James and his holding Bündchen as a reference to classic imagery of the movie monster King Kong , a dark savage capturing his light-skinned love interest. [236 ] [237 ]

James, First Lady Michelle Obama , and Dwyane Wade tape a public service announcement in January 2014.

A philanthropist, James is an active supporter of non-profit organizations , including After-School All-Stars , Boys & Girls Clubs of America , Children's Defense Fund , and ONEXONE. [233 ] He has also established his own charity foundation called the LeBron James Family Foundation, based out of Akron. [234 ] Since 2005, the foundation has held an annual bike-a-thon in Akron to raise money for various causes.

While James has largely avoided political issues, he drew criticism in 2007 when he declined to sign a petition started by his Cavaliers teammate Ira Newble regarding the Chinese government's alleged involvement in the ongoing conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan , stating that he did not know enough about the issue. [239 ] [240 ] A year later, James did talk publicly about the issue, saying, " At the end of the day we're talking about human rights. And people should understand that human rights and people's lives are in jeopardy. We're not talking about contracts here. We're not talking about money. We're talking about people's lives being lost and that means a lot more to me than some money or a contract. " [241 ] [242 ] In 2015, James announced a partnership with the University of Akron to provide scholarships for as many as 2,300 children beginning in 2021. In 2016, he donated $2.5 million to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture to support an exhibit on Muhammad Ali . In 2017, he received the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award from the NBA for his "outstanding service and dedication to the community." In November of that same year, the Akron School Board approved the I Promise School , a public elementary school created in a partnership with the LeBron James Family Foundation to help struggling elementary school students stay in school. James later reflected that it was his most important professional accomplishment of his life. The school officially opened on July 30, 2018.

James shaking hand with George W. Bush at the 2008 Summer Olympics .

Throughout his career, James has taken stances on controversial issues. On several occasions, he mentioned a feeling of obligation to effect change using his status. Those include the War in Darfur , the killing of Trayvon Martin , the now-former NBA owner Donald Sterling 's racist comments in 2014, the Michael Brown verdict, and the death of Eric Garner . Following a racist incident at his Los Angeles home in 2017, James expressed that " being black in America is tough. We got a long way to go for us as a society and for us as African Americans until we feel equal in America. " Later on that year, in the aftermath of the Unite the Right rally , James questioned the " Make America Great Again " slogan and said: " It's sad what's going on in Charlottesville. Is this the direction our country is heading? Make America Great Again huh? Our youth deserve better!! " James also called Trump a "bum" after the president rescinded a White House invitation to Stephen Curry . During a 2018 interview with CNN journalist Don Lemon , James accused Trump of attempting to divide the country with sports, suggesting that "sports has never been something that divides people it's always been something that brings someone together." He declared that he would "never sit across from him. I'd sit across from Barack [Obama] though." In response, Trump tweeted: " LeBron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon. He made LeBron look smart, which isn't easy to do. " James has supported Colin Kaepernick in the aftermath of his participation in the U.S. national anthem kneeling protests , saying that he was being blackballed from a new contract in the National Football League and he would hire him if he owned a football team. He has worn his clothing in a show of support several times.

James shaking hands with Obama in the 2012 Summer Olympics .

In June 2008, James donated $20,000 to a committee to elect Barack Obama for the 2008 U.S. presidential election . [243 ] 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. [244 ] It was shown on a large screen above the stage, where Jay-Z later held a free concert. [244 ]

In November 2016, James endorsed and campaigned for Hillary Clinton for the 2016 U.S. presidential election .

During the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests , a statement James made about a since-deleted tweet by Daryl Morey , in which Morey expressed support for the anti-China movement in Hong Kong, became the subject of controversy. James said Morey was "misinformed". His statement racist backlash from protesters in the movement (some of whom called him slurs like "Orangutan" on internet forums) and in February 2022, right wing political commentator Bill Maher called James "hypocritical" for not taking a critical stance towards the Chinese government's human rights abuses. James has taken various other stands on issues regarding sports, such as the Kaepernick controversy and the Houston Astros sign stealing scandal .

James with California governor Gavin Newsom on The Shop when Newsom signed the Fair Pay to Play Act in 2019.

In August 2020, James wore a modified MAGA hat that called for the arrest of the police officers involved in the shooting of Breonna Taylor . On August 19, 2020, he announced his intentions to support the Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign and that of his running-mate Kamala Harris in advance of the 2020 U.S. presidential election . James spoke in support of the More Than a Vote movement and encouraged members of the African-American community to vote. He said: " People in our community have been just lied to for so many years. We have people that have had convictions in the past, that've been told they cannot vote because they got a conviction. That is voter suppression. "

On August 27, James and his Lakers teammates, as well as the Milwaukee Bucks , began boycotting the 2020 NBA Playoffs to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake . In response, senior White House advisor Jared Kushner stated that he was planning to reach out to James regarding the boycott. Following a players' committee to discuss the boycott, James and others reached out to Barack Obama, who reportedly advised them to continue playing and finish that year's NBA season.

On April 21, 2021, in response to the death of Ma'Khia Bryant , James took to Twitter and posted a picture of the police officer who is believed to have fatally shot Bryant, saying: " YOU'RE NEXT #ACCOUNTABILITY. " He later deleted the post, explaining: " I'm so damn tired of seeing Black people killed by police. I took the tweet down because its being used to create more hate -This isn't about one officer. it's about the entire system and they always use our words to create more racism. I am so desperate for more ACCOUNTABILITY. "

On November 10, 2021, in response to Kyle Rittenhouse having an emotional break down in court, James tweeted " What tears????? I didn't see one. Man knock it off! That boy ate some lemon heads before walking into court. " On December 6, 2021, Rittenhouse said in response that " I was a Lakers fan too before he said that. I was really pissed off when he said that, because I liked LeBron and then I'm like, you know what f*ck you LeBron. "

In June 2022, James condemned the ruling of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization that overturned Roe v. Wade , saying that the decision is about "power and control".

Akron endeavors

• I Promise School
• I Promise Institute at the University of Akron
• I Promise Village (housing complex)
• House Three-Thirty (community center/retail plaza)
• I Promise Health Quarters (medical center)

Media figure and business interests

According to Forbes , in May of 2023, James became the first active NBA player to become a billionaire.

Endorsements

James has signed numerous endorsement contracts; some of the companies that he has does business with are Audemars Piguet , [212 ] Beats by Dre , Coca-Cola , [213 ] Dunkin' Brands , [214 ] McDonald's , [215 ] Nike , [213 ] State Farm , [216 ] and Samsung . [213 ] Coming out of high school, he was the target of a three-way bidding war between Nike, Reebok , and Adidas , [217 ] eventually signing with Nike for approximately $90 million. [218 ] His signature shoes have performed well for Nike, and in 2013, he led all NBA players in shoe sales. [219 ] In 2011, Fenway Sports Group became the sole global marketer of his rights, and as part of the deal, he and his manager Maverick Carter were granted minority stakes in the English Premier League football club Liverpool , who he has claimed his support for. [220 ] As a result of James' endorsement money and NBA salary, he has been listed as one of the world's highest-paid athletes. [221 ] [222 ] In 2013, he surpassed Kobe Bryant as the highest-paid basketball player in the world with earnings of $56.5 million. [223 ]

In 2014, James realized a profit of more than $30 million as part of Apple's acquisition of Beats Electronics ; he had originally struck a deal to get a small stake in the company at its inception in exchange for promoting its headphones. In 2015, he was ranked the sixth-highest earning sportsperson, and third highest in 2016 (after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi ). James has stated that he would like to own an NBA team in the future, albeit in a hands-off capacity. In 2011, James co-founded the designer retail store UNKNWN in Miami, Florida.

Entertainment

James, with comedian Jimmy Kimmel , co-hosted the 2007 ESPY Awards. [224 ] In other comedic pursuits, he hosted the 33rd season premiere of Saturday Night Live . [225 ] He has also tried his hand at acting, appearing in a cameo role on the HBO series Entourage . [227 ]

In 2015, he played himself in the Judd Apatow film Trainwreck , receiving positive reviews for his performance. That same year, James's digital video company Uninterrupted raised $15.8 million from Warner Bros. Entertainment and Turner Sports to help expand the company's efforts to bring athlete-created content to fans. It is hosted on Bleacher Report and is used by several other athletes including Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski and cornerback Richard Sherman .

James and his business partner Maverick Carter own production company SpringHill Entertainment , whose first work was the Lions Gate documentary More Than a Game , which was released in 2009 and chronicled James's high school years. Series produced by SpringHill include the NBC game show The Wall , the Disney XD sports documentary show Becoming , the Starz sitcom Survivor's Remorse , and the animated web series The LeBrons . In 2016, CNBC aired an unscripted series hosted by James called Cleveland Hustles , where four up-and-coming Northern Ohio entrepreneurs will be financed on the condition of revitalizing a neighborhood in Cleveland. In the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival , a 60-minute Vince Carter documentary entitled The Carter Effect was executive produced by James and Maverick Carter along with rapper Drake and Future the Prince. In February 2018, it was announced that James's production company will produce a new film in the House Party series with James expected to make a cameo. Later that month, Fox News host Laura Ingraham told James to "shut up and dribble" as a response to his political agendas. This largely contributed to James creating a documentary film series looking at the changing role of athletes in the current political and cultural climate, aptly named, Shut Up and Dribble on Showtime . James partnered with Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2018 to found Ladder, a company that developed nutritional supplements to help athletes with severe cramps after dealing with that issue during the 2010 preseason as well as the 2012 and 2014 Finals all with the Miami Heat .

In February 2019, it was revealed that James would executive produce rapper 2 Chainz 's new album Rap or Go to the League . A Def Jam press release said the intent of the album is "celebrating black excellence and focusing on the power of education and entrepreneurship." The press release also says the title "challenges the notion that the only way out of the inner city is either to become a rapper or a ball player." As of September 2019, James is the most followed basketball player on Instagram .

In June 2022, it was announced James is launching a media company in partnership with professional tennis player Naomi Osaka and Maverick Carter's SpringHill Company . The production and content creation company will be named Hana Kuma, which means "flower" and "bear" in Japanese.

Investments

In 2012, James, Carter, and Paul Wachter made an investment of less than $1 million in the Pasadena -based fast casual chain Blaze Pizza ; their investment had grown to $25 million by 2017. James later became a spokesman for the company and began appearing in advertisements after ending his contract with McDonald's .

During the 2019 off-season, James filed for a trademark through a shell company on the term " Taco Tuesday " for use in downloadable audio/visual works, podcasts, social media, online marketing, and entertainment services. This was related to James's use of the term on Instagram for his family's taco dinners. The request was denied by the United States Patent and Trademark Office , stating that Taco Tuesday was "a commonplace term, message or expression widely used by a variety of sources that merely conveys an ordinary, familiar, well-recognized concept or sentiment."

In November 2020, James became an angel investor of the tequila and mezcal company Lobos 1707 . After personal frustration with comments on the Black Lives Matter movement made by Republican U.S. senator Kelly Loeffler , who at the time was the owner of the WNBA's Atlanta Dream , James assisted Dream player Renee Montgomery in her ultimately successful bid to buy the team in March 2021. Also in 2021, James joined Fenway Sports Group as a partner, making him a part-owner of the Boston Red Sox , New England Sports Network , RFK Racing , and Liverpool F.C., the latter of which he already owned a two-percent share in individually. The investment made James and Carter the company's first black partners.

James has expressed his interest in owning an NBA team once he finishes playing basketball, specifically a team located in Las Vegas , Nevada , either through expansion or relocation.

In August 2022, James and Drake became part owners of the Italian football club A.C. Milan .

James is also a part owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Professional contracts

James is represented by agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports. [211 ] His first agent was Aaron Goodwin, whom he left in 2005 for Leon Rose . Rose joined Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in 2007, and he worked with fellow CAA agent Henry Thomas, who represented Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh , to bring James to Miami in 2010. James left CAA for Paul in 2012. James, Paul, Maverick Carter , and Randy Mims—all childhood friends—formed agent and sports-marketing company LRMR after James left Goodwin. LRMR handles James's marketing, including the marketing of The Decision , for which it was criticized.

Throughout his career, James has taken a unique approach to his NBA contracts, usually opting to sign shorter-term deals in order to maximize his earnings potential and flexibility; in 2006, he and the Cavaliers negotiated a three-year, $60 million contract extension instead of the four-year maximum as it allotted him the option of seeking a new contract worth more money as an unrestricted free agent following the 2010 season. This move ultimately allowed James, Wade, and Bosh to sign together with the Heat. During the 2011 NBA lockout , James received contract offers to play professional football from the Dallas Cowboys and the Seattle Seahawks , which he gave serious consideration to and even began training with it in mind. During his second stint in Cleveland, based on a negotiation strategy devised by NBA agent Mark Termini, who worked with Paul and specialized in contract negotiation and construction, he began opting out, or re-signing, on new contracts after each season in order to take advantage of higher salaries resulting from the NBA's rising salary cap. In 2016, he signed with the Cavaliers on a three-year deal, becoming the highest-paid player in the league for the first time in his career.

NBA career statistics

Regular season, play–in tournament, awards and honors.

James (center) celebrates during the Heat's 2012 championship parade.

James has won numerous awards and set many records during his career. The following are some of his achievements:

• 4× NBA champion : 2012 , 2013 , 2016 , 2020
• 4× NBA Finals MVP : 2012 , 2013 , 2016 , 2020
• 4× NBA Most Valuable Player : 2009 , 2010 , 2012 , 2013
• 19× NBA All-Star : 2005 , 2006 , 2007 , 2008 , 2009 , 2010 , 2011 , 2012 , 2013 , 2014 , 2015 , 2016 , 2017 , 2018 , 2019 , 2020 , 2021 , 2022 , 2023
• 3× NBA All-Star Game MVP : 2006, 2008, 2018
• 13x All-First Team : 2006 , 2008 , 2009, 2010, 2011 , 2012, 2013, 2014 , 2015 , 2016 , 2017 , 2018 , 2020
• 3x All-Second Team : 2005 , 2007 , 2021
• 3x All-Third Team : 2019 , 2022 , 2023
• 5x All-Defensive First Team : 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
• All-Defensive Second Team : 2014
• NBA Rookie of the Year : 2004
• All-Rookie First Team : 2004
• NBA scoring champion : 2008
• NBA assists leader : 2020
• 3× NBA minutes leader : 2005, 2017, 2018
• J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award : 2017
• NBA 75th Anniversary Team : 2021

USA Basketball

• 2x gold medal winner : 2008 , 2012
• Bronze medal winner : 2004
• Bronze medal winner : 2006
• Gold medal winner : 2007
• USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year : 2012 [248 ]
• Commemorative banner in Miami's American Airlines Arena (for his 2012 gold medal won as a member of the Miami Heat)
• National champion : 2003
• 3× OHSAA champion : 2000, 2001, 2003
• 2× Gatorade National Player of the Year : 2002, 2003
• 2× USA Today High School Player of the Year : 2002, 2003
• 3× Ohio Mr. Basketball : 2001, 2002, 2003
• 3× USA Today All-USA First Team : 2001, 2002, 2003
• 2× PARADE High School Player of the Year : 2002, 2003
• 2x Gatorade Male Athlete of the Year : 2002, 2003
• Naismith Prep Player of the Year : 2003 [249 ]
• 2× Mr. Basketball USA : 2002, 2003
• McDonald's National Player of the Year : 2003 [250 ]
• McDonald's High School All-American : 2003 [251 ]
• McDonald's Slam Dunk Contest (Powerade Jam Fest) : 2003
• McDonald's All-American Game MVP : 2003
• EA Sports Roundball Classic MVP : 2003 [252 ]
• Jordan Capital Classic MVP : 2003 [252 ]
• Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year : 2003
• No. 23 retired by St. Vincent–St. Mary
• St. Vincent–St. Mary Hall of Fame (class of 2011)
• St. Vincent–St. Mary home basketball court named The LeBron James Arena
• AP Athlete of the Decade : 2010s
• 4× AP Athlete of the Year : 2013, 2016, 2018, 2020
• 3x Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year : 2012, 2016, 2020
• Sporting News Athlete of the Year : 2012
• 3x Sporting News NBA MVP : 2006, 2009, 2010 [245 ]
• Sporting News Rookie of the Year : 2004 [246 ]
• Sports Illustrated NBA All-Decade First Team : 2000–2009 decade
• 2× Hickok Belt winner : 2012, 2013
• 19× ESPY Award winner in various categories (15 individually, four as part of a team)
• 9× BET Sportsman of the Year Award winner
• Time Athlete of the Year : 2020

NAACP Image Awards

• Jackie Robinson Award : 2017
• President's Award : 2021

Sports Emmy Awards

• 2020 Outstanding Long Sports Documentary (as executive producer of What's My Name? – Muhammed Ali Part 1 )
• 2021 Outstanding Edited Sports Series (as executive producer of The Shop: Uninterrupted )
• 2023 Outstanding Long Documentary (as executive producer of The Redeem Team )

State/Local

• 6× Cleveland Sports Awards Professional Athlete of the Year: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2015, 2016
• South Main Street in downtown Akron renamed King James Way
• Six-story commemorative banner in downtown Akron
• Featured on Space Jam inspired mural in Akron near his alma mater (St. Vincent St. Mary) and his I Promise school
• Featured on "Cleveland is the Reason" mural in downtown Cleveland (with other notable Cleveland area figures)
• Honorary lockers at Ohio State's football and basketball facilities

Filmography

James at a press conference in New York City regarding the 2009 film about his life, More Than a Game .

• ↑ jockbio.com, JockBio: LeBron James , accessed September 7, 2007.
• ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named nbabio
• ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 nba.com, Prospect Profile: LeBron James , accessed May 26, 2007.
• ↑ ESPN.com, Prep star James can continue drive for state title , accessed June 1, 2007.
• ↑ ESPN.com, James ruled ineligible, plans to appeal decision , accessed June 1, 2007.
• ↑ ESPN.com, James must miss one more regular-season game , accessed June 1, 2007.
• ↑ usabasketball.com, LeBron James , February 20, 2007, accessed May 21, 2007.
• ↑ http://www.jockbio.com/Bios/James/James_bio.html
• 1 List of NBA champions
• 2 LeBron James
• 3 Michael Jordan

LeBron James Biography Facts, Childhood & Personal Life

LeBron James, popularly known by his nickname ‘King James’ is an American professional basketball player.

LeBron, who is often considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time, made his National Basketball Association (NBA) début in 2003 and became a star right after skipping college to join Cleveland Cavaliers.

He now plays in the NBA for Los Angeles Lakers.

LeBron is generally considered the “face of NBA” and the best basketball player globally.

This article on LeBron James’ biography facts, childhood, and personal life brings you a notable account from his early life to date.

Other highlights include his NBA/Basketball career, achievements and awards, famous quotes plus other on-screen and off-screen facts about his life.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by LeBron James (@kingjames)

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Table of Contents

LeBron James Biography Facts & Profile

Lebron james childhood & early life.

LeBron Raymond James was born on the 30th of December, 1984, in Akron, Ohio, the United States, to his mother, Gloria Marie James, and father, Anthony McClelland.

Gloria had him at the age of 16.

Anthony was an ex-convict with countless criminal records and, as such, was not interested and involved in their life.

Gloria was left with no other choice but struggled and raised James on her own.

When she realized that it would be better for her son to grow in a stable home, she let him live with Frank Walker and his family.

LeBron, who has always enjoyed the game of basketball since childhood, was, at the age of nine, introduced to an organized basketball game by Frank.

He played for Northeast Ohio Shooting Stars in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball.

LeBron and his friends who led the team to enjoy success at both local and national level stirred controversy when they chose to attend St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, mainly a white private school instead of their local public school.

LeBron James showcased a natural talent for the game of basketball and was then recruited in 1999 by St. Vincent-St. Mary High School to join their basketball team.

During his senior year, he was named Ohio Mr. Basketball and was selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team for two consecutive years.

He was also the first Junior to be named Gatorade National Player of the Year in boys’ basketball.

LeBron James Basketball Career

Cleveland cavaliers (2003–2010).

James was the player to make the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft due to his outstanding statistics.

He played for the Cavaliers from 2003–2010.

James proved himself to be a valuable addition to his hometown team, and at the end of his first regular season, he was named the ‘NBA Rookie of the Year’.

He was the first Cavalier to receive this award finishing with an average of 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game.

James was also the youngest player at the age of 20 to receive this award.

These accomplishments undoubtedly placed him in the same class as  Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson .

In 2005, James made history when he became the youngest player ever to score more than 50 points in a game.

James maintained an outstanding performance during the 2007–2008 season, scoring an average of 30 points per game.

This placed him ahead of rival star players such as  Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson.

On July 1, 2010, James became a free agent.

Miami Heat (2010–2014)

On July 8, 2010, James announced that he would sign with Miami Heat for the 2010–2011 season.

His announcement drew intense criticisms from fans and sports segments.

Many considered his decision a betrayal to his hometown and team.

Shortly after he departed from the Cavaliers, owner Dan Gilbert wrote an open letter aggressively denouncing James’ decision.

As a result of his actions, he gained a reputation as one of America’s most disliked athletes at the time.

Unperturbed with these happenings, James finished second during his first season in the league with the Heat, scoring an average of 26.7 points per game.

During the 2011–2012 season, James and his team had a major breakthrough.

The NBA star finally earned his first title when the Heat defeated Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals, scoring 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists.

At 28 years old, King James made NBA history when he became the youngest player to score 20,000 points, coming after Kobe Bryant of the Lakers, who achieved this at 29.

He became the 38th player in the history of the NBA to meet this feat.

The Heat saw yet another success during the 2012–2013 season, winning its second NBA championship consecutively.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2014–2018)

At the end of his contract with the Heat, James announced in July 2014 that he would be returning to his hometown team, Cleveland Cavaliers.

Precisely on July 12, 2014, he officially signed with the Cavaliers.

James, who was hampered by a left knee and lower back injuries, missed 13 out of 82 season games in the 2014–2015 season.

However, he dominated with an average of 25.3 points, 6 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game.

James and his team got to the NBA Finals, making him the first player in about 50 years to reach the championship in five seasons consecutively.

Due to his teammates Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, his hopes of claiming a third title were impaired due to injuries suffered by his teammates.

During the 2015–2016 season, James led his team to win the city’s first professional sports title in 52 years, breaking the Cleveland Sports Curse.

The Cavaliers made history when they became the first team to come back from a 3–1 series shortfall in the NBA Finals.

His outstanding performance led him to be voted the Finals MVP.

During the 2017–2018 NBA season, James was sent out for the first time in his 1,082 career appearances for yelling at a referee.

Los Angeles Lakers (2018–present)

On June 29, 2018, King James terminated his contract with the Cavaliers and became a free agent.

On July 1, he announced his decision to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers, a process which was completed on July 9.

Public reactions this time around to his announcement was more approving, considering the controversies that surrounded his first departure from the Cavaliers in 2010.

In the 2019–2020 NBA season, James won his fourth NBA championship and also the fourth NBA Finals MVP Award.

Lakers defeated Miami Heat in game six to clinch the championship.

James became the oldest player in the league to win the award the age of 35, and also, the only player in the NBA to win the award with three different teams.

Olympics (2004, 2008 & 20012)

LeBron James Olympic début was in the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, Greece, with the U.S. Olympic basketball team.

James and his team defeated Lithuania and won bronze medals.

During the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China, James and his U.S. team defeated Spain in the finals and won gold medals.

The team included star players like Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, and Jason Kidd.

James won his second consecutive Olympic gold medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

The team included star players like Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, and Carmelo Anthony.

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LeBron James Personal Life

Wife & children.

James married his high school sweetheart, Savannah Brinson on September 14, 2013, in San Diego, California.

Together, they have three children:

• LeBron James Jr. (son, born on October 2004)
• Bryce Maximus James (son, born on June 14, 2007)
• Zhuri Nova James (daughter, born on October 22, 2014)

Other Facts & Trivia

In 2014, James was named the most powerful athlete in the world by Forbes.

Apple bought Beats Electronics for $3 billion in June 2014.

James, who owned a very small stake in the venture, reportedly netted around $30 million in stocks and cash.

On January 23, 2018, at the age of 33, LeBron James became the youngest player to score 30,000 points in NBA history.

He is the seventh player to meet this feat in NBA history.

The other six players who have achieved topped 30,000 points are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant , Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan , and Dirk Nowitzki.

James is a known activist.

He runs a non-profit organization known as The Lebron James Family Foundation.

The foundation, which is based in Akron, helps children in his hometown area.

In July 2018, his foundation teamed up with the Akron Public Schools to start an elementary school that supports children at-risk.

James has a half brother named Aaron McClelland Gamble.

They are both sons of Anthony McClelland.

Anthony also abandoned Aaron with his mother just from childhood, just like he did with LeBron’s mother.

LeBron James Highlights, Achievements & Awards

• 4-times NBA champion (2012, 2013, 2016, 2020)
• 4-times NBA Finals MVP (2012, 2013, 2016, 2020)
• 4-times NBA Most Valuable Player (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013)
• 16-times NBA All-Star (2005–2020)
• 3-times NBA All-Star Game MVP (2006, 2008, 2018)
• 13-times All-NBA First Team (2006, 2008–2018, 2020)
• 2-times All-NBA Second Team (2005, 2007)
• All-NBA Third Team (2019)
• 5-times NBA All-Defensive First Team (2009–2013)
• NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2014)
• NBA Rookie of the Year (2004)
• NBA All-Rookie First Team (2004)
• NBA scoring champion (2008)
• NBA assists leader (2020)
• J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award (2017)
• 3-times AP Athlete of the Year (2013, 2016, 2018)
• 3-times Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year (2012, 2016, 2020)
• Time  Athlete of the Year (2020)
• USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year (2012)
• 2-times Mr. Basketball USA (2002, 2003)
• Naismith Prep Player of the Year (2003)
• McDonald’s All-American Game MVP (2003)
• 2-times Gatorade Player of the Year (2002, 2003)
• 2-times First-team  Parade  All-American (2002, 2003)
• 3-times Ohio Mr. Basketball (2001–2003)

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LeBron James Famous Quotes

“Sports carried me away from being in a gang, or being associated with drugs. Sports was my way out.” — LeBron James

“I’m never in a defer mentality. I’m in attack mode. No matter how many weapons we have on the court, I’m still going to play my game.” — LeBron James

“You can’t be afraid to fail. It’s the only way you succeed – you’re not gonna succeed all the time, and I know that.” — LeBron James

“We all prepare differently, but there’s just one basketball on that court.” — LeBron James

“I don’t judge my career by saying I want to be better than this person or that person at the end of my career because it’s not possible. The only person on and off the court to satisfy is me.” — LeBron James

“Warren Buffet told me once and he said always follow your gut. When you have that gut feeling, you have to go with don’t go back on it.” — LeBron James

See More: Biography Facts, Childhood, Career & Personal Life of Famous Basketball Players

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LeBron James: The Inspiring Story of One of Basketball's Greatest Players (Basketball Biography Books) Paperback – February 28, 2015

Purchase options and add-ons.

Read on your PC, Mac, smartphone, tablet or Kindle device! One of many riveting reads in the Basketball Biography Books series by Clayton Geoffreys.

An Amazon Best Seller newly revised through the first half of the 2022-2023 NBA season, LeBron James: The Inspiring Story of One of Basketball’s Greatest Players explores the story of LeBron James through all his greatest wins and losses. After being drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA Draft, LeBron James quickly established himself as one of the NBA's top players. Throughout his career, LeBron has racked up numerous accolades and awards, including four NBA championships. He won two of his NBA championships while playing with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013, one with the Cleveland Cavaliers after rejoining the team in 2016, and his fourth NBA championship with his current team, the Los Angeles Lakers, in 2020. Additionally, he has won four NBA MVP Awards, four NBA Final MVP Awards, two Olympic gold medals, and he has been selected to 19 NBA All-Star teams, among other honors.

Around the world, fans idolize LeBron for his unbelievable athletic prowess and collaborative team-based nature on the court. It’s no surprise why day in and day out, regardless of who is the latest trendy player, LeBron James remains undoubtedly one of the best, if not the best.

Get this basketball book on LeBron James today if you're looking for an inspiring basketball biography book to read, or a gift for a basketball fan! It's perfect for reading at home or on the go.

Here is a preview of what is inside this LeBron James book:

• Chapter 1: Childhood and Early Life
• Chapter 2: High School Years
• Chapter 3: LeBron’s NBA Career - James’ Rise to All-Star, First Playoffs Appearance, First Trip to the Finals, and more
• Chapter 4: LeBron’s NBA Career – The Decision - Villain Debut, The First Championship, Repeat Title
• Chapter 5: LeBron’s NBA Career – The Decision 2.0 - Return to Cleveland, The Return of the King, A Ring for Cleveland, The Quest for a Repeat, and Kyrie Irving's Departure
• Chapter 6: Chasing History - LeBron in LA, Teaming Up With AD, the Pandemic Season, Winning Banner 17, Continued Dominance, Playoff Woes, The Westbrook Experiment, Climbing the GOAT Ladder, History Rewritten
• Chapter 7: Personal Life
• Chapter 8: LeBron James’ Legacy and Future

An excerpt from this biography book on LeBron James' story:

When one talks about the greatest basketball players to have ever played the game, LeBron James always comes into the discussion. You speak of the greats such as Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Kobe Bryant when ranking the best players in NBA history. There is no doubt that LeBron belongs in such a discussion and may have become greater than any player except perhaps Michael Jordan—and there is even speculation that he might have become better than Jordan himself.

In a career that started in 2003 when he was drafted as an 18-year-old high school phenom, LeBron James took the league by storm and has always been one of the best the NBA had to offer. Nobody in the world has ever seen a basketball player quite like him. His skills, talents, and physical gifts were unparalleled to the point that he was lauded as the next great thing in NBA basketball.

Physically, LeBron James was always regarded as the most gifted athlete in league history.

Did you enjoy this excerpt?

If so, be sure to pick up a copy of this basketball biography book on LeBron James today! This is just one of many basketball biographies by Clayton Geoffreys.

Also, be sure to check out Clayton's biography on Stephen Curry or Michael Jordan after you finish this one.

• Reading age 8 - 18 years
• Part of series Basketball Biography Books
• Print length 165 pages
• Language English
• Dimensions 6 x 0.25 x 9 inches
• Publication date February 28, 2015
• ISBN-10 1508682151
• ISBN-13 978-1508682158
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (February 28, 2015)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 165 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1508682151
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1508682158
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 - 18 years
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.25 x 9 inches
• #11 in Professional Basketball (Books)
• #15 in Teen & Young Adult Sports Biographies
• #75 in Basketball Biographies (Books)

About the author

Clayton geoffreys.

Clayton Geoffreys is a multi-time best-selling author on Amazon. He was born and raised in Norwalk, Connecticut. Growing up, Clayton could often be found spending afternoons reading in the local public library about management techniques and leadership styles, along with overall outlooks towards life. It was from spending those afternoons reading about how others have led productive lives that Clayton was inspired to write books. Usually Clayton write works around sports to learn more about influential athletes in the hopes that from his writing, you the reader can walk away inspired to put in an equal if not greater amount of hard work and perseverance to pursue your goals. If you are a sports junkie like Clayton, you can read his #1 Best Seller books on Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Russell Westbrook and Tom Brady.

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LeBron James and JJ Redick’s ‘Mind the Game’ podcast takes hoops discourse to new territory

Old-man LeBron James is precious. His earned curmudgeonliness has warmth, the way his savant side blends with his declining patience and weighty voice. The stop-looking-at-my-lemonade LeBron, having grown into an actual person 18 years later, is charming in the way OGs can be.

He chides players whose basketball IQs still run on iPhone 4-level operating systems. He mocks this generation of iso-reliant players so easily foiled by a double team. Two-for-ones at the end of quarters get under his skin.

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“I understand why the two-for-one is important,” says LeBron, on Episode 1 of the podcast “Mind the Game,” produced by James’ Uninterrupted, with his hands in the air as he opens his riff with a qualifier.

“… In theory, it’s a free shot. But what people sometimes don’t account for: the four or five possessions before that. Are we on a run? Are we on a heater? Have we gotten a good shot over the last two and a half minutes? What is the other team doing? Are they in a great rhythm? If we haven’t gotten a great shot in two-and-a-half, three minutes, and we’ve been turning the ball over, why am I just gonna dribble down and shoot a 40-footer with 33 (seconds) on the clock? Why not get a great look? Because that great look at the end of the third, even if we get one shot, may give us momentum going into the fourth quarter.”

Yes, LeBron. Talk that talk.

Not because the two-for-one philosophy — taking a shot with 30 or so seconds left, leaving time to get the ball back for the final shot of the quarter — is inherently flawed. Luka Dončić regularly makes it work. But because when LeBron rails against it, you’ve got to at least think about where you stand on the matter. Hear him out. I mean, he is one of the game’s foremost hardwood intellectuals.

That’s the treasure of his new podcast with co-host JJ Redick. “Mind the Game” — like ESPN’s “Details” with Kobe Bryant before it — is giving access to the algorithm of a luminary.

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Something’s inherently appealing about hearing the best talk about their craft. It’s true for a baker. A photographer. An acupuncturist. The manager at your local Dairy Queen can probably make concocting a Picnic Peach Cobbler Blizzard sound like artistry. And “Mind the Game” boasts one of the greatest players of all time discussing basketball craft intimately and expansively.

It drips with pretension at times. As the vintage burgundy Chambertin pours. As the jargon spews. As Redick sits back with his legs crossed as if he’s got letters behind his name. The show occasionally delves into condescending tones as their hoop haughtiness flares up. It can feel as if the show should be called “An Exegesis through the Strategic Brilliance and Geometrical Schema of Basketball Continuums in Modernity.” Brought to you by NASA.

But be patient. It’s worth it. They eventually descend to proletarian realms. Most of the episodes are actually spent right where you want them: talking ball, breaking down plays and players, rehashing memories. You don’t even notice the swirls and sips because it’s too captivating when LeBron slides into his zone of explanation.

Come as you are. For the advanced basketball fan, it’s a lot of review. But LeBron’s explanations and Redick’s storytelling keep your attention. For beginners, you’ll walk away feeling like you took an “Intro to Basketball” course.

Each of the four episodes so far — the fifth launches Wednesday — started with solo monologues from Redick that included explanations of terms in that episode’s discussion. Flex. Hedge. Ghost Screen. Two-Nine. Pick the picker. Corner splits. Short roll. Slot cuts. Court mapping. These and many more have been defined. The video version features on-screen definitions and Redick drawing up the actions for the visual learners. Just when you think this podcast is some high-falutin symposium, Redick pulls out sheets of loose printer paper and starts scribbling plays with a Sharpie and the excitement of a devoted community college professor.

“Mind the Game” might be onto something in treating basketball analysis as a sophisticated discussion. The sport’s discourse, fermented on social media, has been so infused with toxicity in the last several years, it could use a Socratic glow. Maybe LeBron and Redick set out to do this. Maybe it’s coincidental. It’s refreshing nonetheless, hearing them wax poetic, dive into the weeds and get lost in breakdowns. Absent, noticeably, is the requisite disparagement common in today’s analysis.

This show is just Redick, the retired 15-year vet turned anointed broadcaster, morphed for this show into an eager adjunct, teaching foundational concepts and prodding LeBron for gems of insight. So even when they do venture into nobody-else-knows-the-game territory, it’s still productive because it’s all about basketball. Any counterarguments must be counter-philosophy and only deepen the basketball discussion.

Even in the adamance of his these-players-today stances, LeBron’s breakdowns are laced with nuance that elevates the discussion.

“So, if I say we’re running thumb down angle,” LeBron says beginning a new riff about players who can’t flip plays, “we’re running it on the right side ’cause I have a left-hand point guard. He wants to come middle to a strong hand and he has the ability to hit the pocket pass with the left hand, has the ability to throw ahead with his lefty and also has the ability to throw it back on shake. But if I say, ‘Hey, we’re running thumb down angle on the left side’ because now the right-hand guard is coming right, I’ve had teammates like, ‘Oh, what do you mean? … In practice we only ran it from this side.’ I could flip a play when I was 8 years old.”

. @kingjames could flip a play at 8-years-old. Watch Episode 1 of Mind the Game with LeBron and @jj_redick : https://t.co/U6VEagopwW pic.twitter.com/cFpsZNKpTV — Mind the Game (@mindthegamepod) March 22, 2024

What’s clear just listening to LeBron and Redick talk is the fluidity and variety of basketball concepts. Even players, in their zeal to declare their superiority as the premier experts on the subject, can miss this special treat of basketball. They often purport to be the only bearers of basketball knowledge, immutable and above reproach. But even amongst the chosen in the fraternity, there is a variance in philosophies.

Redick, who is campaigning to get screen assists on the box score , is a worthy floor general for this show. He’s got such a grasp on the game as to translate it to layman’s terms. He’s not too deferential to get off his own takes, and he’ll lead LeBron where he wants.

Redick also sports enough cachet to challenge LeBron, who clearly respects Redick’s knowledge. He’ll throw up a video where LeBron is getting victimized — like the clip of the no-look alley-oop Nikola Jokić threw over LeBron to Aaron Gordon in a game in March — and have LeBron explain.

Nikola Jokić is elite at court mapping. Full episode with @KingJames and @jj_redick : https://t.co/nsUyclbUm2 pic.twitter.com/ypMX37nejc — Mind the Game (@mindthegamepod) April 10, 2024

Redick had LeBron talking about his poor play in the 2011 finals and detailing how Orlando ’s spread offense in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals befuddled LeBron’s Cavaliers . Redick even got LeBron to admit he looks up his own highlights.

Vulnerability, clearly, is to be coaxed out of LeBron. The show could certainly use more of it. But Redick squeezes out enough to avoid predictability.

It’s LeBron’s analysis of it all, the triumphs and the struggles, that offers the show’s greatest gems and makes it a compelling digestion.

LeBron crediting Chris Bosh for the live adaptation of his game propelling the Heat. And blaming “that light-skinned f—er” in Golden State for no lead being safe. And elucidating the origins of slot cuts and detailing how he puts a defender in jail long enough for a (Marcin) Gortat screen to clear a path.

And him discussing “The Block” on Andre Iguodala in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals is the peak of LeBron breakdowns. Thorough and detailed thanks to his incredible recall of little specifics though years removed. Impassioned in his retelling, with profanity added for emphasis.

“All I’m telling myself, I’m like,” LeBron says in Episode 3, pointing to his temple as he remembers his telepathy to J.R. “Swish” Smith in that moment, “Swish, do not foul him. … Any time that you see me trailing the play, all I need is a little adjustment from the offensive player and I promise you I’ll track it down. Do not f—ing foul. Do not f—ing foul. I told the guys all year. If you see me hauling ass, make him instead of just going in for a layup, make him change it a little bit. Just a little bit. … (Swish) executed that s— to perfection. He made Iggy change his shot just a little bit.”

He even punctuated the recap with a little braggadocio, the kind you’d hear any hooper tack on. It was clearly an off-the-dome extra nugget, the result of him just talking to a peer. And it’s not a real basketball tale unless it includes some extra sauce about what the storyteller was about to do.

“I went up with both hands, too, by the way,” LeBron said, interrupting Redick’s next question. “I was ready for the reverse or the strong side. And I was like, ‘If these f—ing refs call goaltend, I might get kicked out of this most important game of my life.”

. @KingJames breaks down The Block and how JR Smith played an important role in that play. Full conversation with @jj_redick : https://t.co/BqnBtMlh6R pic.twitter.com/GmGCDeOBef — Mind the Game (@mindthegamepod) April 11, 2024

Get into the intricacies of on-ball defense, the growing complexities of zones and counters to spread offenses. Get into the art of dimes and the death of post-entry passes. Get into the fragility and gravity of camaraderie. And your thoughts about charges. And what actually, in the modern game, are good and bad shots. And the role of the midrange in the 3-point era.

We’ve had enough of the agendas and moving goalposts, the yelling and strawman arguments, the tearing down to build up, the trolling and social media pandering. If LeBron and Redick somehow get the nation of basketball fans following their queue, popping corks and discussing hoops like thespians and playwrights having dinner after rehearsals, we all win. Because basketball dialogue is much better bougie than bad.

(Photo of LeBron James: Adam Pantozzi / NBAE via Getty Images)

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Marcus Thompson II is a lead columnist at The Athletic. He is a prominent voice in the Bay Area sports scene after 18 years with Bay Area News Group, including 10 seasons covering the Warriors and four as a columnist. Marcus is also the author of the best-selling biography "GOLDEN: The Miraculous Rise of Steph Curry." Follow Marcus on Twitter @ thompsonscribe

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The data shows we are living in a golden era of older NBA talent. But LeBron James remains one of one

As a rising crop of young stars lead their teams into the NBA postseason, the league’s old guard are thriving past their sell-by dates – and none more than the Lakers’ ageless superstar

T he second-youngest team in the NBA, the Oklahoma City Thunder, just clinched the top seed in a feverishly competitive Western Conference. A Minnesota Timberwolves squad, led by 22-year-old phenom Anthony Edwards, are hot on their tails. But on the bottom end of the bracket, and the other end of the age spectrum, await surefire first-ballot Hall of Famers like Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry , Jimmy Butler and LeBron James.

Yes, their respective teams had up-and-down seasons that left them with unfavorable seedings entering the NBA postseason, which soft-launches on Tuesday night with the play-in tournament. And no one would argue that the future isn’t looking bright in the association with stars like Edwards and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in full bloom. But the youngsters in Oklahoma and Minnesota would be the first to tell you: the NBA’s old guard is still waiting in the wings, cleaver in hand.

Heading into the playoffs, and consistently throughout the regular season, there’s been much ado about which stars among a very impressive younger NBA class will be the next face, or faces, of the league. It’s partially bad-faith hand-wringing to boost television ratings, to be sure. But it’s also an understandable exercise, as supernovas like Curry and James, who have been buoying the league longer than some fans have been sentient, are on their second (or even third, in James’ case) decades of NBA stardom.

But the whole thought exercise might prove to be not just premature, but a robbery of the pure enjoyment of watching some truly special years of singular athletes’ careers by preemptively throwing proverbial dirt on them. These older players may not be reaching the heights of their absolute statistical peaks, but the data is clear: they’re still really, really good.

“Older” NBA players (which, for contextual purposes, we’ve categorized as players over 33, as humbling of a distinction as that is for the rest of us) are showing a flat out remarkable output this season. There are plenty of contributing factors therein, one of the chief among them being advances in training, nutrition and sports medicine toward extending a professional athlete’s career, should they choose. The Guardian spoke to several NBA players and coaches about what could be causing this surge in productivity by the elder statesmen of the league.

“I think what’s different is players have the means to take care of their bodies year round,” Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “Players have gotten smarter and they’re taking better care of their bodies, and we’re smarter about trying to help them lengthen their careers.” He notes that other sports, too, have benefitted. “In tennis, Björn Borg played until he was about [26 years old]. And now, Nadal, Djokovic, they’re all still going. We just know a lot more now, and players have the means, because of the economics, to keep their bodies in great shape for as long as possible.”

Chris Paul, who is often mentioned among the very best point guards to grace the hardwood and has famously credited a plant-based lifestyle with helping him extend his own career, echoed Kerr’s sentiments. “I mean, there’s so much that’s changed in recovery,” said Paul, who turns 39 next month. “Just in the people who went before us teaching us how to take care of your body, constantly training, [the focus on] food, nutrition.”

It’s interesting that, despite the measurable strides in the science of performance, the sustained greatness of this particular class of superstar seems to represent more of a spike than a steady trend. It indicates that rather than a natural progression of where the league is going, that, perhaps, we are living in something of a golden era of older NBA talent. This group in particular may be drafting the map for potential future copycats rather than existing as points on a pre-existing upward trajectory.

Warriors power forward Draymond Green, a 12-year NBA veteran who has played against and alongside all of these path-forgers, credits them for the potential sea change.

“You watch a guy like Bron, who has taken it to another level, and then you know it’s possible. Then there’s a blueprint. You watch a guy like Steph, who’s also now taken it to another level, and there’s a blueprint,” he told the Guardian. “You start to get to 33, 34, before and you’re like, ‘Alright, I got a year or two left.’ That’s not the thinking anymore. The thinking is, now, I can go much longer. And that’s due to guys like Steph and LeBron, who are playing at this crazy level.”

The thing about blueprints, though, is that those next in line to build something are under no direct obligation to follow them. It’s still yet to be determined what the next generation of superstars will look like as they age under the bright lights, or how long they’ll stay there. Having more tools at their disposal to enable longevity than some of the players of the past doesn’t in any way guarantee that they’ll elect to use them.

There were actually more players in their late 30s for certain stretches of the 1990s (when statistical outliers like Karl Malone and John Stockton were playing at a high level for longer than expected) than there are now, maybe due, in part, to the sheer fact that accumulating generational wealth took substantially longer then than it does today. And some of the league’s brightest young stars have showcased a strong desire for a life outside the spotlight, beyond basketball, in the not-too-distant future. The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić, a 29-year-old two-time NBA MVP almost certainly in line for a third next month, is famously happiest with his horses . And the Mavericks’ 25-year-old Luka Dončić, one of the brightest young stars in the league and likely to be a close second in that very same MVP race, recently seemed incredulous at JJ Redick’s suggestion that he could possibly attempt to break LeBron James’ seemingly insurmountable all-time scoring record in an appearance on Redick’s The Old Man and the Three podcast . “No, I’m not playing that long, no chance,” Dončić said with a grin. “I’m going to have my own farm in Slovenia.”

It’s been a recurring topic on countless episodes of roundtable sports debate shows for years running, and it’s come up in nearly every Lakers post-game presser this year: When will LeBron retire? It’s an understandable question, given that James turns 40 later this year. But while the oldest player in the NBA today is aware – as he said in his own words, that he doesn’t “ have much time left ” before an inevitable end to his storied career – he still averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists this year: remarkably, his 20th straight year averaging over 25 points . And his 2023-24 campaign also marked the best three-point shooting season of his career , two decades on from his NBA debut. The level at which he’s playing for his age is, quite literally, unprecedented, and it’s still well above average, even by his All-Star, All-NBA-caliber standards.

Los Angeles Clippers head coach Ty Lue, who coached James to a historic championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, told the Guardian that he attributes James’ remarkable longevity and unmatched ability to sustain his own excellence to his staggering commitment.

“Hard work, being dedicated to the game,” Lue said. “Seeing LeBron, when I was in Cleveland, we’d land at two o’clock in the morning and he’d come at 6.30am doing his corrective – activation, whatever you want to call it, every single day. And he always eats clean, eats good. When you take care of your body you can play for a long time, and I think he’s shown that.”

So if James and his peers are still playing at such an elite level, are the funerals that are already being thrown for them in the media premature? “One hundred percent, because that’s what they’re accustomed to,” Green said. “So you see a guy like LeBron at 39, even [Chris Paul] at 38, you see Steph [at 36], you see these guys, and you’re like, ‘Aw man, I see the clock ticking,’ because they’re getting up there in age. But you look at their game, and they’re playing better than some 23, 24, 25 year-olds. So I don’t think the basketball world has caught up in that aspect, to where they’re expecting guys to play that long. But not only play that long, but be as good as they are at that age, still playing at an insanely high level.”

In an effective must-win game for his Lakers last Friday in Memphis, their second-to-last game of the regular season and one that would determine the team’s chance at a much more promising eighth seed or send them plummeting to 10th, James sealed the win with a late-game steal, fast break and double-pump reverse dunk exclamation point. On the other end of the court, 19-year-old GG Jackson, a lifelong James fan and Grizzlies rookie forward, could only look on in awe.

ESPN’s Dave McMenamin asked James after the game what it felt like to take part in a play where an onlooker might not be able to guess which of the two was the teenager and which was nearing 40. “By the grays in my beard they’d probably know I’m a lot older than they think,” James said wryly. “But to be able to be on the floor, and be able to play at a high level, keep up with the young guys, keep up with the youngest guy, that’s something I take pride in. It’s an honor to be able to play this game that I love to play and play it at a high level. And be able to share the floor with my teammates, be able to share the court with rookies that’s probably watched me throughout my whole career, or they watched me in bits and pieces throughout my career, and I hope that I was able to inspire them along my journey.

“And if not, then hopefully that I can inspire them when we play against each other, or show them something, whatever. So it’s just pretty cool. It’s just an honor to be able to play this game. This game has given so much to me, obviously. I just try to give everything back to it and the people that come watch me play.”

Perhaps even more so than the meal planning, the early-morning workouts, the research and the highly skilled training staff, the true secret to player longevity is as straightforward as the will to step out on the hardwood and the true passion to play the game and play it well. As salaries rise, the necessity of a long career ebbs in the opposite direction. But for some, the motivation will always run much deeper.

For better or for worse, all things come to an end, and this era and its brightest stars won’t last forever. But the numbers don’t lie, and they tell a pretty succinct story: they’re not dead yet.

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Five takeaways from the roster for the U.S. men's basketball team: LeBron James and Kevin Durant lead the team

USA Basketball announced the roster for the men’s Paris 2024 team on Wednesday (17 April). The team is packed with NBA stars – literally. Every member of Team USA has been an NBA All-Star at least once. Between the 12 players on the roster, there are 589 USA Basketball wins, 14 NBA championships, and four NBA MVPs.

Here’s what else sticks out about the U.S. men’s national team roster:

LeBron James and Kevin Durant are on a mission

LeBron James and Kevin Durant each have trophy cases so full, they might need to build a new section for another Olympic medal. NBA championships, NBA MVPs, Olympic gold medals – what more do they need? What’s driving both men is what drives most Olympic athletes – a desire to show their country is the best in the world.

James is 39 years old, but he said in February that if he’s healthy, he wants to commit completely to Team USA.

“It’s more miles put on these tires,” said James. “But if I’m committed — which I am — to Team USA, then I’m going to commit my mind, body and soul to being out there for Team USA, representing our country with the utmost respect and go out there and play.”

Durant is on the USA Basketball Board of Directors and has spoken often about his commitment to the growth of the sport. He wants to not just win gold, but win games by a sizeable margin.

"I want to really make a statement on how dominant our players are Like 40, 50-point wins. I want to do that,” h e said on the Boardroom podcast in March .

"I'm trying to play real minutes. I'm trying to be responsible and have a real role, and I know that's going to come from the work I put in practice and all of that stuff, but I'm ready for that and I'm excited about being around that bond and USA brotherhood again. It's unmatched."

Steph Curry and Kawhi Leonard will make their Olympic debuts

Steph Curry and Kawhi Leonard have both won multiple NBA championships and have been named to several NBA All-Star teams, but neither have played for the U.S. men’s Olympic team. Curry played on FIBA World Cup teams in 2010 and 2014, winning gold both times. Leonard has never played on a U.S. national team.

Anthony Davis is a unicorn

The Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis has won every major title there is in basketball. He’s an NCAA champion, NBA champion, an Olympic champion, and a FIBA World Cup champion . According to USA Basketball, he’s the only man to accomplish these feats, and he will get a chance to add to his trophy haul with Team USA this summer.

Joel Embiid chose Team USA

2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid was born in Cameroon. In 2022, he was granted French and U.S. citizenship, giving him choices of where to play international basketball. But he said in October, after talking to family, that he knew he wanted to play for his adopted home, the U.S.

“I’m really proud and excited about this decision. It was not easy. I am blessed to call Cameroon, France, and the USA home. After talking to my family, I knew it had to be Team USA. I want to play with my brothers in the league. I want to play for my fans because they’ve been incredible since the day I came here. But most of all, I want to honor my son who was born in the US. I want my boy to know I played my first Olympics for him,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter .

While the U.S. and France aren’t in the same group, there is a good chance they will face off in the later rounds of the Olympic tournament. French fans who didn’t agree with Embiid’s decision might want to their opinions to him.

Jrue Holiday can try to reach his wife’s gold medal total

Jrue Holiday won his first Olympic gold medal at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 , and his inclusion on Team USA means he will get a chance to add to his medal tally this summer. His wife, retired football player Lauren Holiday, won two Olympic golds playing with the U.S. women’s national team in 2008 and 2012. If Holiday wins gold, he can match his wife’s total. Lauren also has a gold and silver from FIFA World Cups.

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