Lebron james biography espn nfl

After leading the Miami Heat to titles in andJames returned to the Cavaliers and helped the franchise claim its first championship in Since joining Los Angeles inhe has won an additional NBA championship and became the all-time leading scorer in league history. At an early age, he showed a natural talent for basketball. James was recruited by St.

Mary High School to join their basketball team in As a freshman, James averaged 18 points per game. He helped the team to a Division III state title by scoring 25 points in the championship game. Word of his advanced basketball skills spread, and James received several honors for his performance. He was the first sophomore ever selected for this award.

His team also won the Division III state title for the second year in a row. Following the end of his junior year, James was such a strong player that he contemplated going pro. Deciding to finish his education, James had a tremendous senior year on the court. He averaged The St. Mary High School team also earned the top national ranking that year.

Throughout his high school playing career, James totaled 2, points, rebounds, and assists. With his impressive record, it was no surprise that James was the first player picked in the NBA Draft straight out of high school. The Cleveland Cavaliers signed the powerful young forward, and he proved to be a valuable addition to the then-struggling franchise.

The team had ended the previous season in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. At only 20 years old, he also became the youngest player to receive this honor. Additionally, James averaged 20 points per game at this time and became one of only three rookies to accomplish this feat, putting him in the same company as Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson.

James continued to excel professionally in the NBA the following season, upping his average points per game to He made NBA history again in when he became the youngest player to score more than 50 points in one game. InJames helped the Cleveland Cavaliers defeat the Washington Wizards in the first round of playoff action. From there, his team took on the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

James scored an average of Also that year, James reached a new contract agreement with the Cavaliers. The team proved to be stronger competitors the following season, defeating Detroit to win the Eastern Conference. During the season, James continued to help the Cavaliers improve their standing in the Eastern Conference. The team made it to the semifinals, where they were defeated by the Boston Celtics in seven games.

In terms of individual performance, James had a stellar year, outperforming such rival players as Kobe Bryant and Allen Iversonby scoring an average of 30 points per game, the highest average in the NBA regular season. He had the option to become a free agent inand there was much discussion as to lebron james biography espn nfl James would end up.

Some journalists identified the New York Knicks as a potential suitor for the rising player. James made several references to his impending free-agent status, but he was sure to downplay the matter. Shortly after becoming a free agent, James announced that he would be joining the Miami Heat for the season. His fans in Cleveland were less than pleased, and many considered his departure a betrayal to his hometown.

The season saw major success for James and the Miami Heat. In the clinching Game 5, James scored 26 points and had 11 rebounds and 13 assists. During the season, James made NBA history yet again: On January 16,at age 28, he became the youngest player to score 20, points, succeeding Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers—who accomplished this feat when he was 29—and becoming only the 38 th player in NBA history to achieve this distinction.

James made a jump shot the final seconds of the game, bringing his scoring total 20, and leading the Heat to a victory over the Golden State Warriors. Success followed the Heat to the end of the season: Following a hard-fought, six-game series against the Indiana Pacers to win the Eastern Conference, Miami outlasted the San Antonio Spurs in seven games to win its second consecutive NBA championship.

At the culmination of the season, Miami returned to the NBA Finals to face off against the Spurs again, this time losing to San Antonio after five games. In Julyafter opting out of his lebron james biography espn nfl with the Heat and considering other teams, James announced that he was returning to the Cavaliers. Hampered by back and knee problems, James missed 13 of 82 regular-season games in However, he was as dominant as ever when healthy, averaging James led the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals, becoming the first player in nearly 50 years to reach the championship round in five consecutive seasons.

However, injuries to star teammates Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving damaged his hopes of claiming a third title, and the Cavaliers lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games. I knew what I was capable of doing. The following year, James again paced himself and took charge when necessary, driving the Cavs through the Eastern Conference to make an incredible seventh consecutive appearance in the NBA Finals.

This time, with former MVP Kevin Durant added to the mix, the Warriors proved too formidable for James and his teammates, who lost the championship in five games. For all his accomplishments, James achieved another first early in the NBA season: After yelling at a referee during a late November win over the Heat, he was ejected for the first time in 1, career games.

The superstar likely felt like yelling often during the course of a frustrating campaign, as an offseason trade that sent Irving to Boston for Isaiah Thomas failed to bear fruit and forced the Cavs to make another major deal before the All-Star break. After averaging a career-best 9. The Cavs were again pushed to the limit two rounds later by the scrappy Boston Celtics, but James scored 81 points over the last two games to pull out the series win and make his eighth straight NBA Finals appearance.

Smith inexplicably dribbled out the clock with the game tied in regulation before the Warriors pulled away for the win in overtime. Afterward, with questions swirling about his future with the team, James revealed that he had played out the series with a broken right hand after punching a whiteboard in the aftermath of the Game 1 loss. The good vibes had worn off by midseason, as the Lakers sputtered through a game stretch without their injured star.

Capping a difficult first season in Los Angeles, the Lakers announced that their star would miss the final six games because of his lingering groin injury. In the second round of the playoffsMiami temporarily lost Bosh to an abdominal injury and found themselves trailing the Indiana Pacers 2—1. In February of the —13 seasonJames averaged On March 3 of the —14 seasonJames scored a career-high and franchise-record 61 points in a game against the Charlotte Bobcats.

James also set the record for most points in a single game while wearing a mask. Throughout the year, he was one of the few staples for a Heat roster that used 20 different starting lineups due to injuries, [ ] finishing with averages of On June 25,James opted out of his contract with the Heat, and on July 1, he officially became an unrestricted free agent.

In January of the — seasonJames missed two weeks due to left knee and lower back strains, which at the time represented the longest stretch of missed games in his career. During the —16 seasonJames was criticized for his role in several off-court controversies, including the midseason firing of Cavaliers' coach David Blatt. To begin the series, Cleveland fell behind 3—1, including two blowout losses.

The —17 season was marred by injuries and unexpected losses for the Cavaliers; [ ] James later described it as one of the "strangest" years of his career.

Lebron james biography espn nfl

Prior to the start of the —18 seasonthe Cavaliers overhauled their roster by trading Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celticswho requested a trade in part because he no longer wanted to play with James. On June 29,James opted out of his contract with the Cavaliers and became an unrestricted free agent. Inwhen he went back to Cleveland, it was about delivering on a promise.

Init was just about doing what he wants to do. The Lakers expected James to immediately transform them into a championship contender after having missed the playoffs since and not appearing in the Finals since To begin the —19 lebron james biography espn nflthe Lakers struggled to find effective lebron jameses biography espn nfl and recorded only two wins through their first seven games.

On November 14, he registered 44 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists in a victory against the Portland Trail Blazers. From the time I was in high school watching him from afar, to getting in this league at 18 and watching him up close, all the battles that we had throughout my career, the one thing that we always shared was that determination to just want to win, to just want to be great.

The fact that I'm here now means so much to me. I want to continue, along with my teammates, his legacy. Not only for this year, but for as long as we can play this game of basketball that we love, because that's what Kobe Bryant would want. So in the words of Kobe Bryant, 'Mamba out'. But in the words of us, 'not forgotten' Live on, brother.

During the offseason, the Lakers hired Frank Vogel as their new head coach, and traded the majority of their young core to the Pelicans for superstar big man Anthony Davis. The Lakers entered the playoffs as the top seed in the West and advanced to the NBA Finals convincingly, with only three total losses along the way. The — seasonreduced to 72 games for each team and starting on December 22,due to the COVID pandemic, began after the shortest offseason in NBA history with a — loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

In May, James was sidelined again after leaving a game against the Toronto Raptors[ ] but he returned for the final two games, [ ] [ ] and finished the season with averages of In the first round of the playoffsthe Lakers faced the No. This marked the first time in James' career that he did not have home court advantage in the opening series.

This was the second time in his career that he was ejected from a game, [ ] and James was suspended for one game due to his actions. In March, James recorded two point games, which were also his Lakers' career-high, [ ] [ ] becoming the oldest player to have multiple point games in a season, as well as the first Lakers player since Bryant in to have back-to-back point home games; it was James' 15th point game in his year career, including the postseason.

He recorded his 1,th career point game, passing Karl Malone for the most such games in NBA history. He recorded his 10,nd assist, surpassing Magic Johnson for sixth place on the NBA all-time career assists list. James recorded point games in 1, career appearances. On January 9,James received his 66th player-of-the-week award, doubling the career total of runner-up Bryant.

It was his th career game with 40 or more points — including the postseason. It was also James's 19th consecutive All-Star appearance, surpassing Bryant's previous mark. During the ceremony, he received the game ball from Abdul-Jabbar. On February 26, James sustained a right foot injury during a game against the Dallas Mavericks.

Despite the injury, he was able to finish the game and helped the Lakers pull off the biggest comeback victory of the season at the time after trailing by 27 points late in the first half. He scored 26 points on for shooting, eight rebounds, and three assists in 37 minutes. He came off the bench for just the second time in his career; the other being in He also tied Jason Kidd for fourth place on the all-time career triple-doubles list.

He also won his 41st playoff series, surpassing Derek Fisher for the most all-time playoff series wins in NBA history. Entering the —24 seasonJames was the oldest player in the league, following the retirements of Udonis Haslem and Andre Iguodala. His 35 points were his 81st point game since turning 35, surpassing Karl Malone for the most point games by any player since turning 35 in NBA history.

He also moved up to the fifth and eighth places passing Jason Kidd and Jason Terryrespectively in the all-time triple-doubles and three-pointers lists, respectively. He also tied Vince Carter for seventh on the all-time three-pointers made list with 2, and moved past Clyde Drexler for eighth on the all-time steals list at 2, On November 21, in a —99 blowout victory over the Utah Jazzhe became the first player in league history to reach 39, career points.

He also surpassed Michael Jordan for the most point games across the regular season and playoffs in NBA history with James finished his 21st season in the NBA averaging On July 6,James re-signed with the Lakers. This marked the first father-son duo in NBA history. At age 39 years and days, he broke his own record previously set in November for the oldest player to record a triple-double in three consecutive games.

He also tied the Lakers franchise record for the most consecutive triple-doubles made, joining Magic Johnsonand Russell Westbrook On January 3,James put up 30 points and eight assists in a — win over the Atlanta Hawks. James also passed Dirk Nowitzki 1, for the fourth-most games played in the regular season in NBA history. He became the second NBA player to post a triple-double at age 40 or older.

Karl Malone is the only other NBA player to record a triple-double in his 40s. James also passed Scottie Pippen for 7th place on the all-time steals list. As a year-old rookie, James made his debut for the United States national team at the Olympics in Athens, Greece. We definitely know that now. Olympic basketball history with 11 points, 14 rebounds, and 12 assists.

After a year gap, James rejoined the national team on the Olympic squad in Paris as Team Captain at 39 years old. He recorded his second Olympic triple double in a comeback win in the semi-final against Serbia with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. At the conclusion of the tournament with averages of Standing 6 feet 9 inches 2.

As an year-old rookie, James led the Cavaliers in scoring. For most of his career, James has controlled the offense as the primary ball handler on his team. At the beginning of his NBA career, James was considered a poor defensive player, [ ] but he improved steadily through the years. InJames became proficient at the chase-down block, which involves coming in from behind the opposition in transition to block the shot.

After missed drives on offense, he often dawdled back on defense while complaining to the referees; he provided less help off the ball, and was less aggressive in switching. James left high school as one of the most hyped prospects in NBA history. On the basis of his career longevity and on-court performances, sports publications have consistently included James in rankings of the best basketball players in history, [ g ] and he was named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Decade for the s.

Older generations who watched Jordan play and tune in less today lean toward Jordan. In addition to praising James' on-court accomplishments, analysts have also noted his influence on player empowerment throughout the NBA, which stemmed from his willingness to change teams during free agency. Ben Golliver of The Washington Post opined that James' move to the Heat in "defined a decade of player movement", and that he "fundamentally flipped the power balance between stars and their organizations.

And I think a lot of people hate that I think the doors that he's opened for athletes and especially basketball players is his biggest accomplishment. InJames voiced his desire to play into his forties potentially alongside or against his sons Bronny and Bryce. The four have been referred to as the "banana boat crew". During an excursion to the BahamasJames rescued Anthony from the water when Anthony was carried away from the boat by the current.

During an Instagram Live session, Anthony later recounted: "He saved my life". When asked about how much danger Anthony was in prior to the rescue, James responded: "I don't really know what to say, to be honest. I'm just happy he's still here, obviously. In SeptemberESPN reported that a new set of client names from the Biogenesis scandal had been released; included was Ernest "Randy" Mims, a longtime friend and business manager of James, as well as David Alexander, a well-known trainer of prominent athletes who co-owned a cold-pressed juice and smoothie business with Savannah and also served as her personal trainer.

Kyle Korver has described James's fitness as being on "another level". However, James' routine is not perfectly clean; he drinks wine every night, falsely believing it to be good for his heart[ ] while Tristan Thompson has stated that James eats desserts with every meal. In Januarydoctors at the Cleveland Clinic discovered a growth in the right side of James's jaw.

Biopsy results showed that James developed a benign jaw tumorspecifically in his parotid gland[ ] which required a five-hour surgery to remove on June 2 after the end of the Cavaliers' run in the playoffs. Throughout his career, James has been ranked by Forbes as one of the world's most influential athletes, [ h ] and has been listed by Time as one of the most influential people in the world.

Throughout his career, James has taken public stances on controversial issues, and has mentioned a feeling of obligation to effect change using his status. Jackson Women's Health Organization that overturned Roe v. Wade in Following a players' committee to discuss the boycott, James and others reached out to former president Barack Obamawho reportedly advised them to continue playing and finish that year's NBA season.

During the — Hong Kong protestsa statement James made about a since-deleted tweet by Daryl Morey[ ] in which Morey expressed support for the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, became the subject of controversy. James said Morey was "misinformed". Following a racist incident at his Los Angeles home inJames expressed that "being black in America is tough.

We got a long way to go for us as a society and for us as African Americans until we feel equal in America. Is this the direction our country is heading? Make America Great Again huh? Our youth deserve better!! I'd sit across from Obama though. He made LeBron look smart, which isn't easy to do. On August 19,James announced his intentions to support the Joe Biden presidential campaign and that of his running-mate Kamala Harris in advance of the U.

We have people that have had convictions in the past, that've been told they cannot vote because they got a conviction. That is voter suppression. On October 31,James announced his support for the Kamala Harris presidential campaign in the U. According to Forbesin MayJames became the first active NBA player to become a billionaire[ ] making him one of the richest celebrities.

The biography is based on three years of research and more than interviews. The commercial, produced by James' SpringHill Company and directed by Calmaticdid not directly promote the service, sparked social media buzz, and inspired a series of memes centered on the advice he could have offered. Subsequently, Crypto.