Position: Small Forward Birthdate: December 30, 1984 Height: 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) Wt: 250 lb (113 kg) Hometown: Akron, Ohio High School: St. Vincent - St. Mary H.S.
LeBron Raymone James (born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Commonly nicknamed "King James" and "The Chosen One", the Akron, Ohio-born James was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA star while still in high school, and was named Ohio's "Mr. Basketball" three times. At the age of 18, he was selected with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cavaliers and signed an unprecedented US$90 million shoe contract with Nike before his NBA debut. He has since set numerous youngest player records. In his first season, he received the NBA Rookie of the Year Award and in the following three seasons received All-NBA and All-Star honors. He led the Cavaliers to back-to-back playoff appearances in 2006 and 2007; the latter year the team advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time since 1992 and the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.
James is listed as a small forward, but can also play point guard and shooting guard. This versatility has led to his unofficial classification as a "point forward". James was a member of the United States men's national basketball team that won the bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, and he finished second in the league Most Valuable Player balloting in 2006.
Player profile
James has established himself as a legitimate triple-double threat and has averaged 26.7 points, 6.4 assists and 6.7 rebounds per game for his career. As of the 2007–08 season, he has recorded 16 triple-doubles in his career, with 14 in the regular season and 2 in the postseason. On offense, James utilizes his quickness, size, and strength to get past defenders. When penetrating to the basket James exhibits exceptional body control, adjusting his shot in mid-air according to the defense, allowing him to absorb contact and finish at the basket. In the 2005–06 season, he led the league in completed traditional three point plays. He is a solid rebounder who regularly ranks among the league leaders in rebounds for the small forward position. His overall skill sets and on-court play has led to many comparisons to NBA legends Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan.
Although James exhibits exceptional offensive ability, he has yet to be featured on the NBA All-Defensive Team and has struggled with his free throw shooting — he averaged a subpar .698 free throw accuracy in the 2006-07 season.
High School
Despite the distractions, the Irish won a third state title, with James averaging 31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.4 steals on the season. James was named to the All-USA First Team and, for an unprecedented third time, was selected as Mr. Basketball of Ohio.[5] 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.
James finished his high school career with 2,657 points, 892 rebounds and 523 assists
Lebron James the High School Years See Lebron James Play Live
2005/2006 Season
In the 2005–06 season, James was elected to his second straight All-Star Game appearance and led the Eastern All-Stars to a 122–120 victory, with 29 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists. He became the youngest All-Star MVP at 21 years, 51 days. He was named NBA Player of the Week for an unprecedented three consecutive weeks and concluded the season with five honors.[17] He scored 35 or more points in nine consecutive games and joined Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant as the only players since 1970 to accomplish the feat. For the season, James averaged 31.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game,[12] and became the youngest player in NBA history to average at least 30 points. He also became the fourth player in NBA history to average more than 30 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in a single season.[18] The Cavaliers made the playoffs for the first time since 1998,[19] and improved from a record of 17–65 in 2002–03 to 50–32 in 2005–06.[20]
Following the regular season, James was named as one of the top candidates for the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. Although he finished second to Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns in MVP voting, he was awarded co-MVP honors with Nash by The Sporting News; an award given by the publication that is based on the voting of thirty NBA general managers.[21]
James made his playoff debut against the Washington Wizards. He recorded a triple-double with 32 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds, as the Cavaliers defeated the Wizards 97–86.[22] He joined Johnny McCarthy and Magic Johnson as the only players in NBA history to register a triple-double in their playoff debut.[22] For the series, James averaged 35.7 points, as the Cavaliers defeated the Wizards in six games.[23] In the process, however, LeBron set a new record for turnovers in a 6-game series, with 34. In the second round of the playoffs, James and the Cavaliers lost in seven games to the defending Eastern Conference champion and divisional rival Detroit Pistons. James averaged 30.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in the playoffs.
At the end of the season, James negotiated a three year contract extension, with a player option for a fourth year. The contract is worth US$60 million and begins at the start of the 2007–08 season.[24] Although it is for fewer years and less money than the maximum he could sign, it allows him the option of seeking a new contract worth more money as an unrestricted free agent following the 2010 season
2006/2007 Season
James on a billboard in Nike's "Witness" promotion across from the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.James was elected to his third consecutive All-Star game appearance during the 2006–07 season. He played a game high 32 minutes and finished with 28 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. In the regular season, the Cavaliers tied the previous season's record with 50 wins and clinched the second seed of the Eastern Conference on the last day of the season. For the season, James averaged 27.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. He joined Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to average 27 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists for three consecutive years.
In the first round of the 2007 NBA Playoffs, James led the Cavaliers to their first sweep in franchise history over the Washington Wizards in four games.[28] It was also the first time the franchise had won consecutive road playoff games. For the series, James averaged 27.8 points, 7.5 assists, and 8.5 rebounds. In the second round of the playoffs, James led the Cavaliers to a 4–2 series victory over the New Jersey Nets. He averaged 25.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 8.6 assists in the series, as the Cavaliers advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 15 years.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, James led the Cavaliers from an 0–2 deficit against the Detroit Pistons to win the series in six games. His performance in Game 5 was especially memorable. James recorded a franchise-record 48 points on 54.5% field goal shooting, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. In addition, James scored 29 of Cleveland's last 30 points, including the team's final 25 points in a double-overtime victory. NBA analyst Marv Albert, referred to James's performance as "one of the greatest moments in postseason history."
In the 2007 NBA Finals, James averaged 22.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.8 assists, as the Cavaliers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in four games.[4] For the postseason, James averaged 25.1 points, 8.0 assists and 8.1 rebounds per game. He set a franchise record for double-doubles in a playoff season with eight and became the first Cavalier and the first non-guard in NBA history to have at least seven assists in eight consecutive playoff games
Lebron James Top 10 Plays of 2006 See Lebron James Play Live
2007/2008 Season
In the 2007–08 season, James was elected to his fourth consecutive All-Star Game appearance. He won the 2008 All-Star Game MVP with 27 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals as the Eastern Conference All-Stars defeated their Western counterparts, 134-128.
On February 19, 2008, James recorded his fifth triple double of the 2007–08 season by putting up 26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists against the Houston Rockets. Five triple doubles in a season ties his personal and team records for triple doubles in a season. It was the 15th triple double of his career, another Cavaliers' record. He is the third youngest player to post 15 triple doubles, behind Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson.
He scored his 6th triple double of the season against the Indiana Pacers the very next game. Six triple doubles in a season breaks his personal and team records for triple doubles in a season. It was the 16th triple double of his career.It was the second time this season that he had triple double in back-to-back games. The last player to accomplish that feat was Magic Johnson in 1988.
James was named NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, February 18 through Sunday, February 24. It was the third time he has won the award this season and the 13th time he has won the award in his career.
Personal life
James has two children with his high school sweetheart, Savannah Brinson. The first, named LeBron James Jr., was born on October 6, 2004. The second, Bryce Maximus James, was born on Thursday, June 14, 2007. James and Brison are expecting children in the future again in July 2008 a set of twin girls. During his sophomore year, he was named First Team-All State as a wide receiver, and in his junior year he helped lead St. Vincent - St. Mary High School to the state semifinals in football. As a freshman playing basketball, James wore jersey number 32 before adopting his current number 23 as a tribute to his role model, Michael Jordan.
Despite being compared to players such as Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, and Magic Johnson, James compared himself to a young Penny Hardaway. He stated, "Penny sees the whole floor and can score," James said. "He's still one of my favorite players of all-time."
James has stated he wants to be the first billionaire athlete and a global icon. He has a number of endorsement contracts with Nike, Sprite, Powerade, Bubblicious, and Upper Deck. With Nike LeBron has released six signature shoe styles. He has acted in a series of commercials called "The LeBrons" also produced by Nike.
During the 2007 NBA Playoffs, James drew criticism when he declined to sign a petition started by his teammate, Ira Newble, regarding the Chinese government's involvement in the ongoing conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan.
On July 11, 2007, James along with comedian Jimmy Kimmel, hosted the 2007 ESPY Awards. The show aired on July 15, 2007. LeBron was nominated for three ESPYs. His nominations were for Best Male Athlete, Best NBA Player (winner), and for Best Record Breaking Performance. The Record Breaking performance was when he scored 48 points in Game 5 of the 2007 NBA Eastern Conference Finals. In addition, James performed a parody of the Bobby Brown song My Prerogative.
On October 4, 2007, James received criticism from Cleveland fans and critics alike for showing up to Game 1 of Major League Baseball's 2007 American League Division Series at the Cleveland Indians' Jacobs Field as a fan wearing a cap of the New York Yankees, the Indians' ALDS opponents. In an third inning interview with TBS reporter Craig Sager while seated in the bleachers, James said, "As individuals I want every Indian to succeed. I love all these fans for coming out and supporting us. But team-wise I want the Yankees to win." Despite residing in Ohio for all of his childhood, James explained that he grew up as a Yankees fan, a Dallas Cowboys fan for the NFL and a Chicago Bulls fan for the NBA. Later in the game, with the Yankees being blown out by the Indians, James reversed his cap, and he left the stadium after the 6th inning carrying the cap in his hands.
Position: Small Forward 