LeBron Raymone James (/lbrn/; born December 30, 1984), nicknamed"King James", is an American professional basketball player for

the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing at 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) and weighing 250 lb (113 kg), he has played the small forward and power forwardpositions. James has won two NBA championships, four NBA Most Valuable Player Awards, two NBA Finals MVP Awards, two Olympic gold medals, an NBA scoring title, and the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He has also been selected to ten NBA All-Star teams, nine All-NBA teams, and five AllDefensive teams, and is the Cleveland Cavaliers' all-time leading scorer. James played high school basketball at St. VincentSt. 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 pickin the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cavaliers. James led Cleveland to the franchise's firstFinals appearance in 2007, losing to the San Antonio Spurs in a sweep. In 2010, he left the Cavaliers for the Heat in a highly publicized free agency period. In his first season in Miami, the Heat reached the Finals but lost to the Dallas Mavericks. James won his first championship in 2012 when Miami defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, being named the Finals MVP Award for his play. In 2013, he led the Heat on a 27-game winning streak, the second longest in league history. Miami also won their second consecutive title and he repeated as Finals MVP. His career achievements and leadership role during Miami's 2012 and 2013 championship runs have led many basketball analysts to consider him the best player in the NBA today. Off the court, James has accumulated considerable wealth and fame as a result of numerous endorsement deals. His public life has been the subject of much scrutiny, and he has been ranked as one of America's most popular, disliked, and influential athletes. He has also been featured in books, documentaries, and television commercials, and has hosted the ESPY Awards and Saturday Night

Early life
Childhood and youth
James was born on December 30, 1984 in Akron, Ohio to a 16-year-old single mother, Gloria Marie [1][2]:22 James, who raised LeBron on her own. Growing up, life was often a struggle for LeBron and Gloria, who moved from apartment to apartment in the seedier neighborhoods of Akron while Gloria struggled to [3] find steady work. Realizing he would be better off with a more stable family environment, Gloria allowed LeBron to move in with the family of Frank Walker, a local youth football coach, who introduced LeBron to [2]:23 basketball when LeBron was nine years old. As a youth, James played Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball for the Northeast Ohio Shooting [3] Stars. The team enjoyed success on a local and national level, led by James and his friends Sian [2]:24 Cotton, Dru Joyce III, and Willie McGee. Inseparable, they dubbed themselves the "Fab Four" and [2]:27 promised each other they would attend high school together. In a move that stirred local controversy, they chose to attend St. VincentSt. Mary High School, a largely white private school, instead of their [4][5] local public school.

High school career

Basketball
In his freshman year, James averaged 21 points and 6 rebounds per game for St. Vincent-St. [6] [6] Mary's varsity team. The Fighting Irish finished the year 270, winning the Division III state title. In his

sophomore year, James averaged 25.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, while also contributing [7] 5.8 assists and 3.8 steals per game. For some home games during the season, St. Vincent-St. Mary played at the University of Akron's 5,492-seat capacity Rhodes Arena to satisfy ticket demand from [2]:51[8] alumni, local fans, and college and NBA scouts who wanted to see James play. The Fighting Irish [6] finished the season 261 and repeated as state champions. For his outstanding play, James was named Ohio's Mr. Basketball and was selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team, becoming the first [9] ever sophomore to do either. Prior to the start of James' junior year, he appeared in SLAM Magazine and was lauded as possibly "the [10] best high school basketball player in America right now" by writer Ryan Jones. During the season, he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, becoming the first ever underclass high school basketball [2]:104 [6] player to do so. With averages of 29 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 3.3 steals per game, he [6] was again named Ohio's Mr. Basketball and selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team, and became the first ever junior to win the boys' basketball Gatorade National Player of the Year [2]:117 Award. St. Vincent-St. Mary finished the year with a 234 record, ending their season with a loss in [2]:114 the Division II championship game. Following the loss, James seriously considered declaring for the 2002 NBA Draft, unsuccessfully petitioning for an adjustment to the NBA's draft eligibility rules which [11] required prospective players to have at least graduated from high school. During this time, James used marijuana to help cope with stress resulting from the constant media attention he was [12][13][14] receiving. In his senior year, James and the Fighting Irish traveled around the country to play a number of nationally ranked teams, including a game against Oak Hill Academy that was nationally televised [2]:142 on ESPN2. Time Warner Cable, looking to capitalize on James' popularity, offered St. Vincent-St. [2]:143 Mary's games to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis throughout the season. For the year, James [9] averaged 31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 3.4 steals per game, was named Ohio's Mr. [2]:178[6] Basketball and USA TodayAll-USA First Team for an unprecedented third consecutive year, and [6] Gatorade National Player of the Year for the second consecutive year. He participated in three year-end high school basketball all-star gamesthe EA Sports Roundball Classic, the Jordan Capital Classic, and the 2003 McDonald's All-American Game, losing his NCAA eligibility and making it official he would [15] enter the 2003 NBA Draft. According to Ryan Jones, James left high school as "the most hyped [2]:142 basketball player ever". During his senior year, James was the centerpiece of several controversies. For his 18th birthday, he accepted a Hummer H2 from his mother, who secured a loan for the vehicle utilizing LeBron's future [16] earning power as a professional athlete. This prompted an investigation by the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) as their guidelines state that no amateur may accept any gift valued over [17] $100 as a reward for athletic performance. Later in the season, James accepted two throwback jerseys worth $845 from an urban clothing store in exchange for his posing for pictures, officially violating OHSAA [17] rules and resulting in him being stripped of his high school sports eligibility. James appealed the ruling and his penalty was eventually dropped to a two game suspension, allowing him to play the remainder of [18] the year. The Irish were also forced to forfeit one of their wins, their only official loss that season. In his [19] first game back after the suspension, James scored a career-high 52 points.

Football
James played wide receiver for St. Vincent-St. Mary's football team in high school. As a sophomore, [7] he was named first team all-state, and as a junior, he led the Fighting Irish to the state semifinals. His
[2]:51

football career came to an end before his senior year when he broke his wrist during an AAU basketball [20] game. Many sports analysts, football critics, high school coaches, and former and current players have [21][2]:91[22][23][24] speculated on whether he could have played in the National Football League.

Professional career
Cleveland Cavaliers (200310)
Rookie season (200304)
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 [26] most points scored by a prep-to-pro player in his debut outing. 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 [27] at least 40 points in a game at 19 years. He was eventually named the Rookie of the Year, finishing [28] with averages of 20.9 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game. 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 [29] since joined this group). The Cavaliers finished the season 3547, failing to make the playoffsdespite an 18-game improvement over the previous year.
[25]

Rise to superstardom (200408)

James recorded his first career triple-double on January 19 of the 200405 season, becoming the [28][31] youngest player in league history to record a triple-double at 20 years. 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 [32] the Eastern Conference. On March 20, he scored 56 points against the Toronto Raptors, setting [33] Cleveland's new single game points record. 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 [7] to an All-NBA Team, being selected to the All-NBA Second Team. Despite a 3020 record to start the [33] [34] year, Cleveland again failed to make the playoffs, finishing the season at 42 40. At the 2006 All-Star Game, James led the East to victory with a 29 point and 6 rebound performance, [35] becoming the youngest ever winner of the All-Star Game MVP Award at 21 years, 51 days. For the season, he averaged 31.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game, becoming the youngest player [28][36] in league history to average at least 30 points per game. He was considered a strong candidate for the Most Valuable Player Awardbut eventually finished second in the voting to Steve Nash; however, he was awarded co-MVP honors with Nash by The Sporting Newsand was named to the All-NBA First Team [37][38] for the first time in his career. Under James' leadership, the Cavaliers qualified for the playoffs for the [39] first time since 1998. In his playoff debut, he recorded a triple-double in a winning effort versus [40] the Washington Wizards. In Game 3 of the series, he made the first game-winning shot of his career, [41] making another in Game 5. Cleveland would go on to defeat the Wizards before being ousted by the defending Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons in the second round.