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LeBron Raymone James Sr. (/ləˈbrɒn/;[1] lə-BRON; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely recognized as one of the greatest players in the sport's history and is often compared with Michael Jordan in debates on the greatest basketball player of all time.[a] James has won four NBA championships from 10 NBA Finals appearances, having made eight consecutive appearances between 2011 and 2018.[2] He also won the inaugural NBA Cup in 2023 with the Lakers and three Olympic gold medals as a member of the U.S. national team.
In addition to being the NBA's all-time leading scorer and ranking fourth in career assists, James holds several individual honors: four Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards, four Finals MVP Awards, three All-Star Game MVP Awards, and the inaugural NBA Cup MVP award. He has been named an All-Star a record 20 times, selected to the All-NBA Team 20 times (including 13 First Team selections)[3][4] and the All-Defensive Team six times, and was a runner-up for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award twice in his career.[5][6] The oldest active player in the NBA, he is tied with Vince Carter for the record for the most seasons played in league history, with 22.
James grew up playing basketball for St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. He was heavily touted by the national media as a future NBA superstar for his all-around scoring, passing, athleticism and playmaking abilities.[7] A prep-to-pro, James was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft. Named the 2004 NBA Rookie of the Year,[8] he soon established himself as one of the league's premier players, leading the Cavaliers to their first NBA Finals appearance in 2007 and winning the NBA MVP award in 2009 and 2010.[5] James left in 2010 as a free agent to join the Miami Heat;[9] this was announced in a nationally televised special titled The Decision and is among the most controversial free agency moves in sports history, despite the show raising millions for national charities.[10]
James won his first two NBA championships while playing for the Heat in 2012 and 2013; in both of these years, he also earned the league's MVP and Finals MVP awards. After his fourth season with the Heat in 2014, James opted out of his contract and returned to the Cavaliers. In 2016, he led the Cavaliers to victory over the Golden State Warriors in the Finals by coming back from a 3–1 deficit, delivering the team's first championship and ending the Cleveland sports curse.[11] In 2018, James exercised his contract option to leave the Cavaliers and signed with the Lakers, where he won the 2020 NBA championship and his fourth Finals MVP.[12] On February 7, 2023, James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the leading scorer in league history, and the following year, he became part of the first father-son teammates in NBA history, playing alongside his son Bronny with the Lakers.
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.[13] James has been featured in books, documentaries (including winning three Sports Emmy Awards as an executive producer), and television commercials. He was among Time's 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 (2021). 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, housing complex, retail plaza, and medical center in Akron, Ohio.[14][15]
- ^ "LeBron James #ScoringKing Ceremony In LA 👑 | February 9, 2023". YouTube. National Basketball Association. February 10, 2023. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ "LeBron James Bio". NBA.com. January 1, 2021. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Quinn 2021was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Singh, Sanjesh (June 15, 2021). "LeBron James selected to 2020–21 All-NBA Second Team". USA Today. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Referencewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Daubs, Kyle (August 17, 2021). "LeBron James' Almost Perfect Season In 2013 Was Ruined By Marc Gasol". Fadeaway World. Archived from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
- ^ "Ohio High School Junior LeBron James Is So Good That He's Already Being Mentioned as the Heir to Air Jordan". Sports Illustrated Vault | Si.com. February 18, 2002. Archived from the original on July 2, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Gordon 2021was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Withers, Tom (April 6, 2022). "AP Was There: LeBron James dumps Cleveland for Miami". AP News. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
- ^ Van Natta, Don Jr. (June 28, 2020). "ESPN show confirms The Decision was fan's idea, not LeBron James'". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Bontemps 2016was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Quinn 2020was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Wimbish, Jasmyn (July 22, 2021). "LeBron James becomes first player in NBA history to make $1 billion in earnings while still playing". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on July 25, 2021. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
- ^ Gregory, Sean (December 15, 2020). "Exclusive: LeBron James to Open New Community Hub in Akron". Time. Archived from the original on October 15, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
- ^ "LeBron James foundation to open new medical center". Fox 8.com (WJW-TV). June 7, 2022. Archived from the original on June 7, 2022. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
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