LeBron James

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LeBron James
Position Small Forward
Nickname King James, The Chosen One, The Air Apparent
Height 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Weight 240 lb (109 kg)
Team Cleveland Cavaliers
Nationality Flag of United States United States
Born December 30, 1984
Akron, Ohio
High school St. Vincent-St. Marys
Akron, Ohio
Draft 1st overall, 2003
Cleveland Cavaliers
Pro career 2003 – present
Awards 2003 Naismith Prep Player of the Year
2004 Rookie of the Year
2006 NBA All-Star Game MVP
Two-time NBA All-Star
Two-time All-NBA selection
2005-06 The Sporting News NBA co-MVP

LeBron Raymone James (IPA: [ləbrɑn dʒeɪmz], born December 30, 1984 in Akron, Ohio), commonly nicknamed King James, is an American All-Star small forward in the National Basketball Association who plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Beginning in his junior year of high school, James was highly promoted by the national media in the United States as a future NBA star. He was selected with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers at the age of 18, becoming only the second high school player taken at the number one draft position.

Contents

[edit] Early life

LeBron James was born an only child in a low-income area of Akron, Ohio to the unwed Gloria James on December 30, 1984. His mother was only 16 at the time and six months shy of graduating from high school. Moving frequently from one home to another,[1] things began to look up for him when his mother began seeing a man by the name of Eddie Jackson. James was young enough at the time to have him serve as a father figure; he did not have any contact with his biological father.[2] Jackson would often be seen supporting James later on at his high school basketball games. Starting as early as his junior year in high school, James had made it clear he was planning to pursue an NBA career following his graduation.

[edit] High school

[edit] Freshman year

James attended St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio. He was the starting point guard on a team led by James' future best friend and manager Maverick Carter. Although Carter is commonly referred to as James' cousin, they are not actually related. With James at the point and the primacy of Carter, the team cruised to a perfect 27-0 record and won the Division III state championship.

[edit] Sophomore year

James took over the helm of the team after Carter's graduation and averaged 27.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and four steals for SVSM en route to another state title. He was subsequently named Ohio's "Mr. Basketball"and selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team — the first sophomore to be so honored.

An avid football player in addition to basketball, James was also able to add to his resume the distinction of being First-Team All-State as a wide receiver for his high school team. However, injury concerns influenced James to concentrate solely on basketball.

[edit] Junior year

In James' third year of high school his stats improved even further. He averaged 29.7 points and 8.4 rebounds, and was once again named Mr. Basketball Ohio. In addition, he again found a spot on the All-USA First Team, and was named the 2001-02 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year. It was then that his nickname "King" James would become a household staple in Ohio.

In his junior year, he appeared in SLAM Magazine which was the beginning of his nationwide exposure.

Dubbed "The Chosen One" by Sports Illustrated, James was the first high school basketball player on the cover since Kevin Garnett.
Enlarge
Dubbed "The Chosen One" by Sports Illustrated, James was the first high school basketball player on the cover since Kevin Garnett.

However, the St. Vincent-St. Mary basketball team failed to defend its state title when it moved up to the more challenging Division II and lost to Cincinnati's Roger Bacon High School. James attempted to declare for the NBA Draft, petitioning for an adjustment to the NBA's rules of draft eligibility, which then required the completion of high school by a prospective player. The petition was unsuccessful, but it led to an unprecedented level of attention on him as he entered his senior year. By then, "King" James had already appeared on the covers of Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine. His popularity soared to new heights, forcing his team to move from their playing at the school gym to the nearby James A. Rhodes Arena at the University of Akron. Celebrities such as Shaquille O'Neal attended some of the games, hoping to get a glimpse of the prodigious young basketball player. A few of James's high school games were even televised nationally on ESPN2 and regionally on pay-per-view.

[edit] Senior year

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 her son's 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 throwback basketball jerseys 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. 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.

Despite the distractions, the Irish won a third state title, and James, for an unprecedented third time, was named Mr. Basketball Ohio and to the All-USA First Team. He earned MVP honors at the McDonald's All-American Game, the EA Sports Roundball Classic, and the Jordan Capital Classic. Although it was a foregone conclusion, by participating in more than two high school all-star events, James officially lost his NCAA eligibility.

[edit] NBA career

[edit] Rookie season

James was the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Because of immense public interest in James, he became an instant celebrity. Even before he played a single NBA game, he was awarded an unprecedented $95 million shoe contract by Nike.

Facing the Sacramento Kings in his first NBA game, he scored 25 points in addition to nine assists, six rebounds, and four steals on 12-of-20 shooting . He earned Rookie of the Year honors, finishing his rookie season with 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. He joined Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan as the only three players in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game in a rookie season. The Cavaliers improved by 18 wins in his first season, but failed to make the playoffs.

[edit] 2004-05 season

Following his rookie campaign, James played for Team USA in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece where he and his teammates won the bronze medal in men's basketball, the first time an American Olympic team using NBA players (called the Dream Teams) failed to win the gold medal. Due to coach Larry Brown's preference for experienced players, James didn't see much playing time.

In the 2004-2005 season, James became the youngest player to register a triple-double and the youngest player to score 50 points in one game. In the process he was selected to his first All-Star team. James's season averages also improved drastically (27.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg, and 7.2 apg). Again, the Cavaliers failed to reach the playoffs, finishing two games over .500.

[edit] 2005-06 season

The Cavaliers made several off-season moves in the summer of 2005, adding Larry Hughes , Damon Jones, and Donyell Marshall. The Cavs' front office underwent substantial management changes at this time as well. Long-time owner Gordon Gund sold the franchise to Dan Gilbert, who subsequently replaced General Manager Jim Paxson with former Cavs player Danny Ferry, and brought in Mike Brown as the new head coach.

At the 2006 NBA All-Star Game, James led the Eastern Conference team to victory with a 29-point, six-rebound performance. He was awarded the game's MVP, becoming the youngest player to do so.

James finished the season with 31.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game, joining Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to average at least 30 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in a single season. James also became the youngest player in NBA history to average at least 30 points per game in a season. During one stretch James scored 35 or more points in nine consecutive games. The only other players since 1970 to accomplish that feat were Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

[edit] MVP candidacy

Following the 2005-2006 regular season, James was one of the top candidates for the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. He was third in the league in scoring, and a close second in the league in PER behind Dirk Nowitzki. He also finished first among forwards with 6.6 apg and 31.4 ppg [3]. James finished second to Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns in MVP voting.

James was awarded co-MVP honors with Nash by The Sporting News, an award given by that publication based on voting of the thirty General Managers in the league.

[edit] Playoffs

On March 29, 2006, the Cavaliers clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 1998. In just three years, James had transformed the Cavaliers from a lottery team (17-65 the season before he arrived) into a playoff contender, ending the 2005-2006 season with a 50-32 record, 4th in the Eastern Conference.

On April 22 James made his playoff debut against the Washington Wizards and recorded a triple-double, with 32 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds in the Game 1 victory. He became the third player in NBA history to register a triple-double in his playoff debut, joining Johnny McCarthy (1960) and Magic Johnson (1980). Subsequently, in Game 2, James fell one rebound shy of a second consecutive triple-double in as many games, with 32 points, 10 assists, and 9 rebounds. On April 28 in Game 3, he became the first player to score over 40 points in his first playoff road game, with 41 in a win over the Wizards. The series sparked controversy on whether or not the referees favor NBA stars like Lebron due to plays where he appeared to commit travelling but were not called. The Cavaliers won the series 4 games to 2, and James tallied 35.7 points per game while shooting 51% from the field. His scoring average is third all-time behind Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for a player's first playoff series.

James led the Cavaliers to a 3-2 series lead over the defending Eastern Conference champion and divisional rival Detroit Pistons, a feat thought to be near impossible, considered the Pistons' strong reputation as a feared defensive as well as offensive team. The Pistons, however, eliminated the Cavs by winning the final two games.

James averaged 30.8 ppg, 8.1 rpg, and 5.8 apg in his first ever playoff appearance in the NBA.

[edit] Contract extension

James has negotiated a contract extension for three years (with a player option for a fourth year) worth $60 million that will begin in the 2007-08 NBA season. The deal is for fewer years (and less money) than the maximum contract he could sign, but would lead to free agency faster. Also in the NBA, a player with fewer than 7 years experience can only be paid a maximum of 25% of a team's salary cap. A player beyond 7 years experience can receive 30% of a team's salary cap under the NBA's collective bargaining agreement that took effect in the 2005-2006 NBA season. This has augmented concerns that he may leave for a bigger market, once the three-year contract expires.

[edit] 2006-07 season

James goal for the 2006-07 season is to make the Cavaliers a NBA title contender. They indeed got off a stellar season start, but somewhat declined after teammate Larry Hughes was injured to his ankle. James still remains the centre of the team, scoring 27+ points per game and dishing out 6+ assists.

[edit] United States National Team

LeBron James on the shootout practice with U.S. National Team before the game vs. Serbia and Montenegro in Belgrade, August 6, 2004.
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LeBron James on the shootout practice with U.S. National Team before the game vs. Serbia and Montenegro in Belgrade, August 6, 2004.

James played in the U.S. National Team at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, and on the 2006 World Championships in Japan. Despite the high expectations, the team has finished with bronze medals both times.

James has been named as one of three captains for the USA Men's Basketball National Team from 2006-2008, alongside Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade. After failing to win the 2006 World Championships, the team will have to compete at the Tournament of Americas Olympic Qualifiers in 2007 in order to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

[edit] Player profile

The two-time All-Star and 2006 All-Star MVP LeBron James mostly plays the guard / forward position. He has established himself as a legitimate triple-double threat, averaging 26.5 points, 6.6 assists and 6.6 rebounds per game. In the 2005-06 season, James ranked among the league leaders in triple-doubles, and has 11 in his career (9 - Regular Season, 2 - Postseason). James is considered one of the few players in the league who can at times play three or more positions, combining the length and quickness of a small forward, the size of a power forward, court vision and ball-handling of a two guard or point guard. During the All-star game, James started as the shooting guard for the East.

James' overall skill sets and on-court play have led to comparisons to NBA greats such as Magic Johnson and his childhood idol Michael Jordan (both considered guards)[4]. Due to James' versatile gameplay, others consider him more in the vein of the legendary Oscar Robertson, who was known for his great all-around play. James relies on his quickness, size and strength to get to the basket, and is skilled at drawing contact and the resulting foul. In the 2006 season he led the league in completed traditional three point plays. However, James' is not known for his defense. In fact, many people have noted his poor man to man and team defense. Because of these features, he is yet to be featured on any of the NBA all-defensive teams [5]. He is also criticized for his mediocre outside shooting. In his early years as a pro, James was not known to be a good clutch performer. However, in recent years, notably a series with the Washington Wizards, he has gained a creditable reputation as a clutch performer

[edit] Statistics

SEASON TEAM GP MPG SPG BPG RPG APG PPG Hi 40+ 50+ TD PER MVP
'03-04 Cleveland 79 39.5 1.65 0.73 5.5 5.9 20.9 41 1 0 0 18.3 9th
'04-05 Cleveland 80 42.4 2.21 0.65 7.4 7.2 27.2 56 5 1 4 25.7 6th
'05-06 Cleveland 79 42.5 1.56 0.84 7.0 6.6 31.4 52 10 2 5 28.1 2nd

TD = Triple-doubles

MVP = MVP voting

[edit] Awards and honors

Olympic medal record
Men's Basketball
Bronze 2004 Athens United States

[edit] NBA highlights

  • TSN NBA Co-MVP: 2006
  • NBA All-Star Game MVP: 2006
  • 2-time NBA All-Star: 2005, 2006
  • 2-time All-NBA:
    • First Team: 2006
    • Second Team: 2005
  • NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2004
  • NBA Rookie of the Year: 2004
  • TSN NBA Rookie of the Year: 2004
  • NBA regular-season leader, field goals made: 2005 (795)
  • NBA regular-season leader, minutes played: 2005 (3,388)
  • Career 40+ Point Games (Regular Season): 16 (as of the end of 05-06 season)
  • Career 50+ Point Games (Regular Season): 3 (as of the end of 05-06 season)
  • Career 40+ Point Games (Postseason): 2 (as of the end of 05-06 season)
  • Career triple-doubles (Regular Season): 9 (as of the end of 05-06 season)
  • Career triple-doubles (Postseason): 2 (as of the end of 05-06 season)
  • Led the league in traditional three-point plays with (79) in the 2005-06 NBA season[6]

[edit] NBA milestones

James owns numerous NBA "youngest player" records:

  • Youngest player in NBA history and the first Cavalier to be named NBA Rookie of the Year, at 19 years of age.
  • Youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double in his career (20 years, 20 days), with 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists on January 19, 2005 vs. the Portland Trail Blazers.
  • Youngest player in NBA history to score 50 points in one game (20 years, 80 days), with 56 points vs. the Toronto Raptors on March 20, 2005.
  • Youngest player in NBA history to score 2000 points in a season and average 30 points per game in a season (2005-2006 season).
  • Youngest player in NBA history to reach:
  • 1,000 points*
  • 2,000 points*
  • 3,000 points*
  • 4,000 points*
  • 5,000 points*
  • 6,000 points in his career (21 years, 89 days) set on March 29, 2006 vs. the Dallas Mavericks.
  • Youngest player in NBA history to win an All-Star Game MVP (21 years, 55 days)
  • Youngest player in NBA history to be named to the All-NBA first team (21 years, 138 days)

[edit] Personal records

  • One of only three players in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in his rookie season (joining Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan).
  • One of only five players in NBA history to average over 25 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists in a season (joining Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson and John Havlicek)
  • One of only four players in NBA history to average at least 30 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in a single season
  • One of only three players since 1970 to record nine straight games of scoring 35 or more points.
  • One of only three players in NBA history to record a triple-double in his playoff debut (joining Magic Johnson and Johnny McCarthy).
  • The first player to score more than 40 points in his first playoff road game, with 41 points in Game 3 of the 2006 NBA Playoffs.

[edit] Cavaliers franchise records (10)

[edit] High school achievements

2001
USA Today All-USA First Team (first sophomore to receive this honor)
Ohio Mr. Basketball (first sophomore to receive this honor)
Adidas ABCD Camp Underclassmen MVP
2002
USA Today High School Player of the Year
Gatorade Circle of Champions National Player of the Year
USA Today All-USA First Team
Ohio Mr. Basketball
2003
USA Today High School Player of the Year
Gatorade Circle of Champions National Player of the Year
USA Today All-USA First Team
Ohio Mr. Basketball
Ohio Division II Player of the Year
Naismith High School Player of the Year
Morgan Wootten Award (McDonald's National Player of the Year)
McDonald's High School All-American
McDonald's High School All-American Game MVP
Jeremy Nathaniel Memorial Classic MVP
Jordan Capital Classic MVP
EA Sports Roundball Classic MVP

[edit] Advertising and Promotions

In 2003 Nike signed Lebron to a $100 million shoe contract. Lebron has also signed endorsement contracts with Bubblicious, Sprite, Powerade, and Upper Deck. In 2005, Nike released a series of advertisements called "Meet the LeBrons", featuring Lebron in four distinct personalities.

[edit] Trivia

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ http://cleveland.about.com/od/famousclevelanders/p/lebron.htm
  2. ^ http://espn.go.com/magazine/vol5no26next.html
  3. ^ 2006 NBA Season Summary. basketball-reference.com.
  4. ^ DuPree, David. "King James' next conquest", USA Today, April 21. Retrieved on August 21.
  5. ^ All-Defense Selections by Player. Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved on August 21, 2006.
  6. ^ Make LeBron shoot two: Haywood's hard foul alters Cavaliers-Wizards series. AP (April 26, 2006). Retrieved on August 21, 2006.
  7. ^ a b Arenas fuels Wiz with spectacular second half. Associated Press (April 30, 2006). Retrieved on August 21, 2006.
  8. ^ LeBron James Named NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Month. Retrieved on August 21, 2006.
  9. ^ James, Cavaliers End Nets’ Winning Streak. nba.com (April 8, 2006). Retrieved on August 21, 2006.
  10. ^ Windhorst, Brian. "Mystery man behind scenes", Akron Beacon Journal, June 5, 2005.

[edit] References

  • Jones, Ryan: King James: Believe the Hype, St. Martin's Griffin 2003. ISBN 0-312-32229-1
  • Morgan, David Lee: LeBron James: The Rise of a Star, Gray & Company Publishers 2003. ISBN 1-886228-74-4

[edit] External links

Preceded by:
Amare Stoudemire		 NBA
Rookie of the Year
2004		 Succeeded by:
Emeka Okafor
Preceded by:
Allen Iverson		 NBA All-Star Game
Most Valuable Player
2006		 Succeeded by:
TBD
2003 NBA Draft
First Round
LeBron James | Darko Miličić | Carmelo Anthony | Chris Bosh | Dwyane Wade | Chris Kaman | Kirk Hinrich | T. J. Ford | Michael Sweetney | Jarvis Hayes | Mickaël Piétrus | Nick Collison | Marcus Banks | Luke Ridnour | Reece Gaines | Troy Bell | Žarko Čabarkapa | David West | Aleksandar Pavlović | Dahntay Jones | Boris Diaw | Zoran Planinić | Travis Outlaw | Brian Cook | Carlos Delfino | Ndudi Ebi | Kendrick Perkins | Leandro Barbosa | Josh Howard
Second Round

Maciej Lampe | Jason Kapono | Luke Walton | Jerome Beasley | Sofoklis Schortsianitis | Szymon Szewczyk | Mario Austin | Travis Hansen | Steve Blake | Slavko Vraneš | Derrick Zimmerman | Willie Green | Zaza Pachulia | Keith Bogans | Malick Badiane | Matt Bonner | Sani Bečirović | Maurice Williams | James Lang | James Jones | Paccelis Morlende | Kyle Korver | Remon Van de Hare | Tommy Smith | Nedžad Sinanović | Rick Rickert | Brandon Hunter | Xue Yuyang | Andreas Glyniadakis
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