LeBron Raymone James is an American basketball player that competes in the National Basketball Association (NBA). LeBron, by some, is regarded as the greatest basketball player of all-time, but he is an amazing player and athlete nonetheless. He is currently playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, but he has also played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat. In addition, LeBron is in his sixteenth season and is still playing at a highly competitive level.
Early Life
LeBron James was born on December 30th, 1984, in Akron, Ohio. He is an only child and to this day has not met his biological father. He grew up considerably poor and decided to focus on sports and education at a young age. Obviously, his most notable sport is basketball, but he was also an All-State wide receiver for his high school football team. Because he was such a strong athlete, St. Vincent-St. Mary High School recruited James to play basketball in 1999. LeBron would end up averaging 18 points a game his freshman year and he won the Division III state championship that year[1]. In his sophomore season LeBron was named to the USA Today All-USA First Team[1]. He also won the state title for a second year in a row. In addition, he did not win the state championship his junior year, but he was named the PARADE magazine High School Boys Basketball Player of the Year and won the Gatorade Player of the Year in Ohio[1]. He was contemplating going professional after that year but he decided to finish high school. James ended up averaging 31.6 points a game and winning the State Championship for the third time[1]. He then would skip college altogether and enter the NBA draft. Consequently, LeBron James was selected with the first pick in the 2003 draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
NBA Career
LeBron’s NBA career started when he was just eighteen years old. He skipped college to enter the draft at that young age, which was rare back in those days. He was as previously mentioned, drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers. James would then spend seven years with the Cavaliers before going to the Miami Heat in free agency. LeBron was an All-Star in six out of the seven years that he was there. By the same token, the Cavaliers only ended up making it to the finals only once during the seven years that LeBron was there[2]. The Cavaliers lost that final that they made with LeBron. But, LeBron would go on to win two finals with the Miami Heat. He was only in Miami for four years, but he made the NBA Finals all four years there. He won two championships out of the four appearances, those years being 2012 and 2013[2].
Back to Cleveland
LeBron promised the city of Cleveland a championship, so in 2014, he went back to Cleveland to do so. From 2014-2018, LeBron and the Cavaliers made the finals every year[2]. The Cleveland Cavaliers won once during those years, which was in 2016. In 2016, the Cavaliers accomplished a feat that no other team has accomplished in the history of the NBA; which is winning an NBA finals when they were down three games to one. They were facing a team composed of three All-Stars: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. Unfortunately, he lost the other finals to the Golden State Warriors, who were a powerhouse team because they added superstar Kevin Durant in free agency. The last part of LeBron’s career for now is the Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron signed with the Lakers in free agency in 2018, and has since played over twenty games with them. LeBron hopes to win another championship and develop the young core of the Lakers for the future.
Stats and Achievements
LeBron James is one of the most statistically sound players to ever play the game. As of February 20th, 2019, LeBron has a career average of 27.1 points, 7.4 total rebounds, and 7.2 assists[3]. These numbers are legendary, as he almost averages a triple double. His achievements are just as impressive. LeBron is in his sixteenth season, which is a huge feat on its own. He has made the All-NBA team fourteen times, he was an All-Star fifteen times, and he has won the all-star game MVP three times[3]. LeBron won the scoring title one time, in which he averaged 30.0 points a game[3]. He won the 2003-2004 Rookie of the Year Award and made the First-Team All-Rookie team in that same year[3]. LeBron James won the NBA Championship three times, and was the Finals MVP all three times[3]. Also important, LeBron won the regular season MVP four times[3]. He won the award in the 2008-2009 season, and again in the 2009-2010 season[3]. He did not win the award in the 2010-2011 season, but he won the award again in the 2011-2012 season, and the 2012-2013 season[3]. Now for his defensive achievements, which is an underrated aspect of LeBron’s game. He has made the All-Defensive team six times, and placed second in the Defensive Player of the Year award in the 2012-2013 season[3]. LeBron only has one season where he played every game, and that was the 2017-2018 season[3]. He has also led the league in minutes played three times[3]. Most of these statistics and achievements are almost impossible for an average NBA player to achieve. Only few in the history of the game have done what LeBron has done.
One of the Greats
LeBron James will go down as one of the greats at the end of his career. His prolific scoring ability and all-around play style skyrocketed his place on the all-time greatest players list. Even though he is known for basketball, he is an amazing guy who helps out the community all the time. I hope that LeBron continues to play at this legendary level for the rest of his career, because it is truly a sight to see.
Legacy
Not only is LeBron a generational type talent in the NBA, but he also helps out in his community. LeBron recently opened up a school in Ohio named the I Promise School. The school was meant to help kids get an education in inner-city Akron, where poverty rates are high. This is an outstanding achievement on its own, and the people of Ohio will benefit from this.
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