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Lebron James
LeBron James (born
December 30,
1984 in
Akron, Ohio) is an
NBA
basketball player for the
Cleveland Cavaliers.
Born to a single mother,
James was raised by her and a succession of her boyfriends, many of whom
had criminal records. The identity of James's father has always been a
mystery; the Akron Beacon Journal has reported that he is dead. A
neighborhood couple befriended the boy and taught him basketball, for
which he almost immediately showed a gift. Today James, who stands 6
feet 8½ inches (2.05 m) and weighs 240 pounds (108.9 kg), is one of the
most versatile players in the NBA. Although he primarily plays the
small forward position, he is capable of playing
point guard and
shooting guard as well.
High School
James first captured
attention following a solid freshman year for the Division III St.
Vincent-St. Mary High School 2000 State Championship team. He averaged
25 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals as a sophomore as St.
Vincent-St. Mary won another state title. He was named Ohio's "Mr.
Basketball" and
USA
Today selected him for the All-USA First Team, making him the
first sophomore to be honored with such a nomination. He added to his
resume by being first-team all-state in high school football. In James's
junior year, he averaged 29 points and 8 rebounds and was once again
named Mr. Basketball and a spot on the All-USA First Team. He also began
using the nickname "King" James.
St. Vincent-St. Mary failed
to defend their title as it moved up to the more-challenging Division
II. LeBron then attempted to declare for the NBA draft, petitioning for
an adjustment to the rule stating that a player must finish high school
in order to be eligible. The petition was unsuccessful, but it led to an
unprecedented level of attention on him as he entered his senior year.
"King" James was already on the covers of
Sports Illustrated and
ESPN The
Magazine. Celebrities such as
Shaquille O'Neal were attending his games, a few of which were being
televised nationally on
ESPN2 and
on
pay-per-view.
Gloria James touched off a
firestorm of controversy when she was allowed to use her son's future
earning power as collateral to secure a bank loan 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 him to play the remainder
of the season. James's team was forced to forfeit one of their wins as a
result. Despite the distractions, St. Vincent-St. Mary won a third state
title, and James, for an unprecedented third time, was named Mr.
Basketball and to the All-USA First Team. He also earned MVP honors at
the
McDonald's All-American Game, the
EA
Sports Roundball Classic, and the Jordan Capital Classic.
NBA career
To the surprise of no one,
LeBron officially declared for the draft on
April
25, 2003.
He then signed a contract with
Nike for $90 million over 7 years. Because James was seen as a
consensus first pick, the
2003 NBA Draft Lottery was described by many as the "LeBron
Lottery." James's hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, successfully
drew the first pick. Cleveland confirmed his selection as the #1 pick
over a month before the draft, and contract negotiations were concluded
some time in advance.
During his rookie season,
James largely met the extremely high expectations placed on him. He was
named
Rookie of the Year and nearly led his team, previously the worst in
the NBA, to the
playoffs.
James is often associated with fellow rookie sensation
Carmelo Anthony, though has begun to separate himself as he
continues to improve while Carmelo's image has taken multiple hits. On
November 27,
2004, he
scored his 2,000th point, becoming the youngest player ever to attain
that mark.
Kobe Bryant had previously held the record, having reached his
2,000th point at 20 years, 183 days. At 19 years, 272 days old, James
was a full 277 days younger than Bryant had been when he reached the
mark.
On
January 20,
2005, James achieved yet another milestone as he became the youngest
player in league history to record a
Triple-double with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists as the
Cavaliers rolled to a 107-101 victory over the
Portland Trail Blazers. The second-year star reached the mark at 20
years, 20 days, breaking the record held by
Lamar Odom, who was 20 years, 54 days when he posted a triple-double
for the
Los Angeles Clippers on
December 30,
1999 --
James' 15th birthday.
On
March
20, 2005,
James scored 56 points in a loss to the
Toronto Raptors. At 20 years, 80 days old, James eclipsed
Rick Barry as the youngest player to score 50 or more points in a
game. Barry was 21 years, 261 days old when he scored 57 for the
San Francisco Warriors against the
New York Knicks, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
On
April
19, 2005,
after recording 32 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists against the
Boston Celtics, James became the youngest player to reach 3,500
points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists. At 20 years and 110 days of
age, he is more than two years younger than the previous record holder
Kobe Bryant (22 years 161 days) and
Magic Johnson (22 years 231 days).
Much like one of his
predecessors,
Michael Jordan, James has been signed by many companies to sell
their products via advertisements, including
Coca
Cola, which contracted him to sponsor their
Sprite product. On
March 2005,
bubble gum brand
Bubblilicious launched the "Lebron James Lemon Lime" flavor. The
Coca Cola brand
Powerade sports drink included James in a series in which an off
duty sports reporter and crew accidently catch James during his teams
practice making 5 shots in a row from full court which was made possible
by computer effects.
[1] (http://www.snopes.com/photos/commercials/lebron.asp)
A similiar commercial involves
Mike
Vick of the
NFL throwing a pass into the upper deck of a stadium during
practice.
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