Lebron James Biography / Pictures

Biography

Lebron captured the attention of the nation with his incredible exploits in high school. Following a solid freshman year on a Division III state championship team, he put together an exceptional sophomore campaign in 2000-01 where he averaged 25 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals, in addition to another state championship. He was named Ohio's "Mr. Basketball" and USA Today selected him for the All-USA First Team, the first sophomore to be honored with such a nomination. He added to his resume by being first-team all-state in high school football.

LeBron's talents were becoming well known by the rest of the nation in his junior year, and eventually he would earn the nickname "King". As a junior, he showed no letdown and averaged 29 points and 8 rebounds and was once again named Mr. Basketball and again had a spot All-USA First Team. The team lost the state championship that year as it moved to Division II but LeBron's reputation was already well intact. His talent was great enough that Lebron attempted to declare for the NBA draft as a high school junior, trying to adjust the rule stating that a player must finish high school to be eligible. He would be unsuccessful but it set the tables for a senior season with LeBron getting much more attention than any high school athlete before him.

"King" Lebron was already on the covers of Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine while still in school and was already working out multi-million dollar shoe contracts while a senior. The attention he was receiving was so great that his high school games were available on pay-per-view and some games were even televised nationally. While he dazzled people with his on-the-court play, his off-the-court doings were becoming as well publicized. He was under a great deal of controversy when he received a Hummer, worth about $50,000, as a gift that was percieved by some to threaten his amateur status in the state. A rule for Ohio high schools states that by "capitalizing on athletic fame by receiving gifts of monetary value", an athlete must forfeit amateur status. He was cleared of wrongdoing with the vehicle without punishment, as his mother provided documentation. He was not as lucky after accepting a pair of throwback jerseys, worth only $845 all-told, free from a clothing store. This would be a direct violation of the rule and he was declared ineligible on January 31st. The team was forced to forfeit one of their schools wins as a result.

Fans in Akron were outraged at the decision to suspend their native son's high school career, and lawyers for LeBron appealed the ruling. On February 5th he was given reinstatement by a temporary restraining order which blocked the ruling. He proved as good as he'd been before by scoring 52 after his return. Lebron continued to wow fans with his play. By the end of the season, it was the same story, earning unprecedented third selections as Ohio's Mr. Basketball and on the All-USA First Team, also earning a third state championship. He highlighted this dream season by appearing at three high school all-star games, the McDonald's All-American Game, the EA Sports Roundball Classic, and the Jordan Capital Classic (which he had a $10 million insurance policy on), and he earned MVP honours in all three.

To very little surprise, LeBron officially declared for the draft on April 25th. He prepared for his professional debut by signing a contract with Nike for a mere $90 million over 7 years. Virtually a consensus #1 pick for the 2003 draft, the NBA Draft Lottery was thought of as the "LeBron Lottery". The hometown Cleveland Cavaliers had the best chance to get King James, although during his senior year he had shown issues with some facets of the organization. When the Cavaliers successfully drew the first pick, however, Lebron had no issues with joining the team. Cleveland confirmed his selection as the #1 pick over a month before the draft, as well as finishing off contract negotiations in advance.

During his rookie season, Lebron largely met the extremely high expectations placed on him. He was named Rookie of the Year and nearly led his team, previously the worst in the NBA, to the playoffs. Lebron is often associated with fellow rookie sensation Carmelo Anthony, though he has begun to separate himself as he continues to improve while Carmelo's image has taken multiple hits. On November 27, 2004, he scored his 2,000th point, becoming the youngest player ever to attain that mark. Kobe Bryant had previously held the record, having reached his 2,000th point at 20 years, 183 days. At 19 years, 272 days old, Lebron was a full 277 days younger than Bryant had been when he reached the mark. On December 28, 2004 his face was injured when he was jumping towards Houston Rocket Dikembe Mutombo. The aftermath was that he had to wear a facial mask for protection of his healing process.

On January 20, 2005, Lebron achieved yet another milestone as he became the youngest player in league history to record a Triple-double with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists as the Cavaliers rolled to a 107-101 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. The second-year star reached the mark at 20 years, 20 days, breaking the record held by Lamar Odom, who was 20 years, 54 days when he posted a triple-double for the Los Angeles Clippers on December 30, 1999 -- James' 15th birthday.

On March 20, 2005, Lebron scored 56 points in a loss to the Toronto Raptors. At 20 years, 80 days old, Lebron eclipsed Rick Barry as the youngest player to score 50 or more points in a game. Barry was 21 years, 261 days old when he scored 57 for the San Francisco Warriors against the New York Knicks, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

On April 19, 2005, after recording 32 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists against the Boston Celtics, Lebron became the youngest player to reach 3,500 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists. At 20 years and 110 days of age, he is more than two years younger than the previous record holder Kobe Bryant (22 years 161 days) and Magic Johnson (22 years 231 days).

Lebron Lightning LemonadeMuch like one of his predecessors, Michael Jordan, Lebron has been signed by many companies to sell their products via advertisements, including Coca Cola, which contracted him to sponsor their Sprite product. In March 2005, bubble gum brand Bubblicious launched the Lebron James Lightning Lemonade flavor. The Coca Cola brand Powerade sports drink included Lebron in a commercial in which an off-duty sports reporter and crew accidentally catch Lebron during his team's practice making 5 shots in a row, starting from three-quarter court and moving steadily backward to full court, which was made possible by computer effects.  A similar commercial involves Michael Vick of the NFL throwing a pass into the upper deck of a stadium during practice.

In only his second year in the NBA, Lebron James became just the 5th player to average at least 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists for an entire season, along with Oscar Robertson (6 times), John Havlicek (2 times), Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan (1 each). Yet despite his prodigious talents, Lebron failed to lead his Cleveland Cavaliers to the playoffs in his first two years in the league, while fellow 2003 draftees Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade experienced some playoff success. Frustration with Cleveland management has fueled talk that Lebron will leave the franchise when his rookie contract expires, although Lebron has denied that he is looking to leave the organization.

The 2006-07 season

Lebron 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, Lebron averaged 27.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. LeBron started the season with a 38 point, 5 assist, and 8 rebound performance in the 94-93 win against the Boston Celtics in November. LeBron's best month came in March, when he averaged 30.3 points per game, 7.0 assists per game, and 6.7 rebounds per game as the Cavs went 11-5 for the month. At the end of the season, 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 playoffs, Lebron led the Cavaliers to their first sweep in franchise history over the Washington Wizards in four games. It was also the first time the franchise has won consecutive road playoff games. For the series, Lebron averaged 27.8 points, 7.5 assists, and 8.5 rebounds. In the second round of the playoffs, Lebron 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 Game 1 of the Conference Finals, Lebron was scrutinized by most in the media for passing up a 6-foot shot near the end of the game, instead passing to Donyell Marshall, who missed an open three-point shot. After losing Game 2 where he did take the final shot, the series moved back to Cleveland with the Cavs down 0-2. In Game 3 with the Cavs up 84-82, Lebron hit a 14 foot jumper to seal the game. He also poured in 32 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists. In Game 4, in the waning seconds Lebron hit two free throws to seal the game again. Lebron had 25 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists.

In Game 5, Lebron scored 48 points, had 9 boards and had 7 assists; including 29 of Cleveland's last 30 points, all coming after the six minute mark in the fourth quarter, and the team's last 25 points (franchise record) in Cleveland's double-overtime Game 5 victory. Lebron was the only player to score for the Cavaliers in the two overtimes played. NBA analyst Marv Albert referred to James's performance as "one of the greatest performances in NBA history."The 48 points set a Cavaliers record for points scored by a player in a playoff game.

Lebron had a rough shooting night in Game 6 scoring only 20 points, but rebounded and passed well and his teammates did enough for the Cavaliers to lead Cleveland to a 98-82 win and their first trip to the NBA Finals in franchise history, against the San Antonio Spurs.

In the 2007 NBA Finals, Lebron James played four solid games but was unable to come out with a single win, which led to the San Antonio Spurs capturing their fourth title.

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