Biography

BIOGRAPHY

LeBron James Sr. was born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio. He is a forward in the NBA.

Nicknamed "King James", he is considered to be one of the greatest basketball players in history and is often compared to Michael Jordan in debates over the greatest basketball player of all time. James is the all-time leading scorer in NBA history and ranks fourth in career assists. He has won four NBA championships (two with the Miami Heat, one each with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers), and has competed in 10 NBA Finals.He has four MVP awards, four Finals MVP awards, and two Olympic gold medals. He has been named an All-Star 19 times, selected to the All-NBA Team 18 times (including 13 First Team selections), and to the All-Defensive Team six times, and was a runner-up for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2013.

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. A prep-to-pro, he was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft. Named the 2004 NBA Rookie of the Year, he soon established himself as one of the league's premier players, winning the NBA MVP award in 2009 and 2010 and leading the Cavaliers to their first NBA Finals appearance in 2007. After failing to win a championship with Cleveland, James left in 2010 as a free agent to join the Miami Heat; this was announced in a nationally televised special titled The Decision and is among the most controversial free agency moves in sports history.

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 to re-sign with 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,  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. James is also the first player in NBA history to accumulate $1 billion in earnings as an active player.

On August 18, 2022, James re-signed with the Los Angeles Lakers on a two-year, $97.1 million contract. The contract extension made James the highest-paid athlete in NBA history at $528.9 million, surpassing Kevin Durant in all-time earnings.

On January 2, 2023, James recorded 43 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists in a 121–115 win over the Charlotte Hornets. He joined Michael Jordan as the only two players with back-to-back 40-point games at 38 years of age or older. On January 9, James received his 66th player-of-the-week award, doubling the career total of runner-up Bryant. On January 13, he became the second player in NBA history to reach 38,000 points. On January 16, James had a season high 48 points, eight rebounds and nine assists in a 140–132 win over the Houston Rockets. It was his 100th career game with 40 or more points – including the postseason. On January 23, he scored 46 points, including a career-high nine 3-pointers, in a 133–115 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, becoming the first player in NBA history to score at least 40 points in a game against all NBA franchises. On January 19, James was named as a starter at the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record for the most All-Star selections (19). It was also James's 19th consecutive All-Star appearance, surpassing Bryant's previous mark. On January 31, James put up a triple-double with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 129–123 overtime win over the New York Knicks, becoming the first player in NBA history to put up a triple-double in his 20th season. He also surpassed Mark Jackson and Steve Nash for fourth on the NBA all-time career assists list.

On February 7, 2023, in a 133–130 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, he scored his 38,388th career point, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time leading scorer in NBA history. Abdul-Jabbar had previously set the record on April 5, 1984, 8 months before James was born. After James broke the record, the NBA stopped the game with 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter for an on-court ceremony. During the ceremony, he received the game ball from Abdul-Jabbar. He also gave a speech and then embraced Abdul-Jabbar, as well as his family.

On December 9, James and the Lakers won the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament with a 123–109 victory over the Pacers, with James receiving the Tournament MVP award.

Entering the 2023–24 season, James was the oldest player in the league, following the retirements of Udonis Haslem and Andre Iguodala. In the season opener against the defending champion Nuggets, James put up 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists in a 119–107 loss. On November 1, James put up 35 points in a 130–125 overtime win over the Los Angeles Clippers. His 35 points were his 81st 30-point game since turning 35, surpassing Karl Malone for the most 30-point games by any player since turning 35 in NBA history.

Off the court, James has accumulated more wealth and fame from numerous endorsement contracts. He has been featured in books, documentaries (including winning two Sports Emmy Awards as an executive producer), and television commercials. He has won 19 ESPY Awards, hosted Saturday Night Live, and starred in the sports film Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021). James 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/community center, and medical center in Akron.