Lebron
James was born December 30, 1984 in
Akron , Ohio. His early childhood was
a struggle as he often moved from one
home to another with his teenage mother,
Gloria. He began playing basketball
at an early age and showed tremendous
talent early in his life. James quickly
made a name for himself as a freshman
at St. Vincent-St. Mary's High School.
As a freshman, he was named the team's
starting small forward an averaged
20 points per game in leading histeam
to a 27-0 record and the Division III
State championship.
After
this freshman year, Lebron took the
number "23"
in honor of his childhood idol, Michael
Jordan. In his sophomore year, he was
named "Mr. Basketball" in Ohio
and averaged 25.2 points per game and
led his team to its second consecutive
Division III state championship. At this
point, James began attracting national
attention for his basketball skills and
chose to stop playing football, a sport
in which he also garnered All-state honors
as a wide receiver. James just kept getting
better as he progressed through high-school.
He averaged 29 points per game as a junior
and earned a spot on the All-USA First
Team, and was named the 2001-02 Gatorade
National Boys Basketball Player of the
Year. At the age of 17, James was already
6'8"
and weighed 240 pounds. In addition,
he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated
and ESPN the Magazine and a couple of
his games were nationally televised on
ESPN2, making him arguably the most acclaimed
high-school athlete in the history of
American high school sports. Despite
all of the media attention, James averaged
31.6 points per game in his senior year
and was named Mr. Basketball in Ohio
for the third straight year. By the time
his senior year was over, James was one
of the most heralded prospects in basketball
history. It was a foregone conclusion
that he would skip college and be taken
as the number one overall pick in the
NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Lebron
James entered the NBA in 2003-2004
and had an immediate impact. During
his rookie season he became the youngest
person in NBA history to score 40 points
in a game and became the youngest person
to win the Rookie of the Year award.
He averaged 20.9 points per game, 5.9
assists, and 5.5 rebounds. He was universally
praised for his versatility, as he
was used as a point guard, shooting
guard, and small forward. His highlight-reel
dunks and no-look passes thrilled his
fans and earned him endorsement deals
worth millions of dollars. He was also
named to the U.S. Men?s Olympic Team,
which earned a Bronze Medal in the
2004 Summer Olympics. In his second
season, he averaged 7.2 points per
game, 7.2 assists, and 7.4 rebounds
per game. It wasn't until his third
season, however, that he led the Cavaliers
to the playoffs. In his fifth season,
he nearly single-handedly led the Cavaliers
to the NBA Finals, only to be swept
in four games by the San Antonio Spurs.
In the Eastern Conference Finals against
the Detroit Pistons, James had one
of the most spectacular games in recent
memory, scoring 48 points, including
29 of the Cavalier's last 30 points!
That year he averaged 27.3 points per
game.
In
the 2007-2008, James is the odds-on
favorite to win the NBA's most valuable
player. He is averaging over 30 points
a game, and recently scored 50 points
in a thrilling performance against
the New York Knicks in Madison Square
Garden and has become the youngest
person in NBA history to score 10,000
points total. He also earned his second
straight All-Star Game MVP award. James
currently has endorsement deals with
Nike, Gatorade, Sprite, Upper Deck
and others. He has hosted Saturday
Night Live and even co-hosted the 2007
ESPY Awards with Jimmy Kimmel. He is
one of the highest earning athletes
in the world and has stated a goal
of his is to become the first billionaire
athlete. He is reportedly building
a huge home in suburban Cleveland,
complete with its own barber shop and
sports bar. |