LeBron James
LeBron Raymone James is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association. Nicknamed "King James", he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and has won four NBA championships from 10 NBA Finals appearances, having made eight consecutive appearances between 2011 and 2018. He also won the inaugural NBA Cup in 2023 with the Lakers and has won three Olympic gold medals as a member of the U.S. national team. James is widely considered to be one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
In addition to ranking fourth in NBA career assists and sixth in NBA career steals, James holds several individual honors, including four NBA MVP awards, four Finals MVP awards, the Rookie of the Year award, three All-Star Game MVP awards, the inaugural NBA Cup MVP, and the Olympics MVP in the 2024 Summer Olympics. A record 21-time All-Star and 21-time All-NBA selection, he has also made six All-Defensive Teams. The oldest active player in the NBA, he holds the record for the most NBA seasons played with 23 as well as playing the most minutes in league history.
Born and raised in Akron, Ohio, James gained national attention at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School and was heavily touted as a future NBA superstar for his all-around scoring, passing, athleticism and playmaking abilities. A prep-to-pro, the Cleveland Cavaliers selected James with the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft. He won Rookie of the Year and quickly established himself as one of the league's premier players, leading Cleveland to its first NBA Finals appearance in 2007 and winning the scoring title in 2008. After winning back-to-back MVPs in 2009 and 2010, he joined the Miami Heat as a free agent in 2010, a controversial move announced in the television special The Decision.
With the Heat, James won his first two NBA championships in 2012 and 2013, earning MVP and Finals MVP honors both years. After four seasons in Miami, he returned to Cleveland in 2014, leading the Cavaliers to their first-ever championship in 2016, ending the Cleveland sports curse. He signed with the Lakers in 2018, winning another title in 2020 and becoming the first player to win Finals MVP with three different teams. In 2023, he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer, and in 2024, he and his son Bronny became the first father-son teammates in league history. In 2025, James was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team. He and Chris Paul became the first NBA players inducted into the Hall of Fame while still active.
Off the court, James has earned further wealth and fame from numerous endorsement contracts. He is the first player in NBA history to accumulate $1 billion in earnings as an active player. James has been featured in books, documentaries, and television commercials. He was among Times 100 most influential people in the world in 2005, 2013, 2017, and 2019 — the most selections for a professional athlete. James has won 20 ESPY Awards, hosted Saturday Night Live, and starred in the sports film Space Jam: A New Legacy. He has been a part-owner of Liverpool F.C. since 2011 and leads the LeBron James Family Foundation, which has opened an elementary school, a housing complex, a retail plaza, and a medical center in Akron.
Early life
LeBron Raymone James was born on December 30, 1984, at Cleveland Clinic Akron General in Akron, Ohio, to 16-year-old Gloria Marie James. His father, Anthony McClelland, has an extensive criminal record that includes arson and theft, and was not involved in James' life. When James was growing up, life was often a struggle for the family, as they moved from apartment to apartment in the more run-down 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 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
Basketball
As a tall freshman, James averaged 18 points and 6 rebounds per game for the St. Vincent–St. Mary varsity basketball team. The team, known as 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. As a sophomore, James averaged 25.2 points and 7.2 rebounds, along with 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 Rhodes Arena to satisfy ticket demand from alumni and 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. For his outstanding play, James was named Ohio Mr. Basketball and selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team, becoming the first sophomore to achieve either.In 2001, during the summer before his junior year, James was the subject of a feature article in Slam magazine. Writer Ryan Jones lauded the 16-year-old James, who had grown to, as " the best high school basketball player in America right now". 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 he was receiving.
During his senior year, James and the Fighting Irish played against several nationally ranked teams, including Oak Hill Academy on December 12, 2002. The game was nationally televised on ESPN2. Time Warner Cable, looking to capitalize on James' popularity, offered St. Vincent–St. Mary's games to Ohio-based subscribers for $7.95 per game on a pay-per-view basis throughout the season, but this ended up not being profitable. 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 Brand Capital Classic, and the McDonald's All-American Game—losing his National Collegiate Athletic Association eligibility and making it official that he would enter the 2003 NBA draft.
James was at the center of several controversies during his senior year. For his 18th birthday, James 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' future earning power as an NBA player. This prompted an investigation by the Ohio High School Athletic Association because its guidelines stated that no amateur may accept any gift valued over $100 as a reward for athletic performance. James was cleared of any wrongdoing because he had accepted the vehicle from a family member and not from an agent or any outside source. Later in the season, James accepted two throwback jerseys worth $845 from an urban clothing store in exchange for posing for pictures, violating OHSAA rules and resulting in his 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 the year. The Irish were also forced to forfeit one of their wins, their only official loss that season. In his first game back after the suspension, James scored a career-high 52 points. St. Vincent–St. Mary won the Division II championship, marking their third division title in four years.