LeBron Raymone James (born December 30, 1984 in Akron, Ohio) is a professional basketball player who plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). James, commonly nicknamed "King James," was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar while still a sophomore in high school at St. Vincent - St. Mary High School, and was named Ohio's "Mr. Basketball" three times. At the age of 18, he was selected with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cavaliers and signed a US$90 million shoe contract with Nike before his NBA debut. He has since set numerous youngest player records. During his first season, he received the NBA Rookie of the Year Award and in the following four seasons received All-NBA and All-Star honors. He has led the Cavaliers to consecutive playoff appearances in 2006, 2007, and 2008; in 2007, the team advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time since 1992 and the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.James is listed as a small forward, but is often classified as a point forward due to his ability to play point guard. He is a member of the United States men's national basketball team winning the bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics and redeeming that result by winning the gold medal at the 2008 Olympics. He finished second in the league's Most Valuable Player balloting in 2006
On March 3, 2008 James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for February 2008. It was the second straight month that he won the award. On March 5, 2008, James scored 50 points with 8 rebounds and 10 assists on the New York Knicks, becoming only the third player since the ABA-NBA merger to record a 50-point 10-assist game. On March 10, 2008, James notched his seventh triple double of the season against the Portland Trail Blazers. Seven triple doubles in a season broke his personal and team records for triple doubles in a season and 17 career triple doubles broke his team record as well. On March 12, 2008, James scored 42 points against the New Jersey Nets and surpassed Austin Carr for second all-time in Cavaliers points scored. On March 21, 2008, James scored 29 points against the Toronto Raptors, taking him past Brad Daugherty's all-time Cavaliers scoring record of 10,389 points. Daugherty achieved this record over the course of 548 games, while James took only 380 games to score 10,414 points.
Player profile:
James has established himself as a legitimate triple-double threat and has averaged 27.3 points, 6.6 assists and 6.9 rebounds per game for his career. As of the 2007–08 season, he has recorded 17 triple-doubles in his career, with 14 in the regular season and 3 in the postseason.On offense, James utilizes his quickness, size, and strength to get past defenders. James is known for his exceptional upper body strength. When penetrating to the basket, James exhibits superb body control, adjusting his shot in mid-air according to the defense, allowing him to absorb contact and finish at the basket. He is also proficient at finishing around the rim with both hands. In the 2005–06 season, he led the league in completed traditional three point plays. He is a solid rebounder who regularly ranks among the league leaders in rebounds for the small forward position. His overall skill sets and on-court play has led to many comparisons to NBA legends Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan.
Although James exhibits exceptional offensive ability, he has yet to be featured on the NBA All-Defensive Team and has struggled with his free throw shooting — he averaged a subpar .698 free throw percentage in the 2006-07 season.
During his sophomore year at St. Vincent - St. Mary High School, he was named first-team all-state as a wide receiver in football, and in his junior year, he led his team to the state semifinals.
In basketball, James respected how Penny Hardaway played the game. James in 2003 stated, "Penny sees the whole floor and can score" and that, "He's still one of my favorite players of all-time."
James has endorsement contracts with Nike, Sprite, Glacéau, Bubblicious, and Upper Deck. With Nike, James has released six signature shoe styles, and four additional shoes (20-5-5, Soldier, Soldier 2, Ambassador). He has acted in a series of commercials called "The LeBrons".
During the 2007 NBA Playoffs, James drew criticism when he declined to sign a petition started by his teammate, Ira Newble, regarding the Chinese government's alleged involvement in the ongoing conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan, stating that he did not know enough about the issue. A year later, however, James did talk publicly about the issue, saying, "At the end of the day we're talking about human rights. And people should understand that human rights and people's lives are in jeopardy. We're not talking about contracts here. We're not talking about money. We're talking about people's lives being lost and that means a lot more to me than some money or a contract."
James, with comedian Jimmy Kimmel, co-hosted the 2007 ESPY Awards. James himself was nominated for three ESPYs: Best Male Athlete, Best NBA Player (winner), and Best Record Breaking Performance. The Record Breaking performance was when he scored 48 points in Game 5 of the 2007 NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons, including 29 of the last 30 points and all of the teams 25 points in overtime. In other comedic pursuits, James hosted the 33rd season premiere of Saturday Night Live. The show's creator Lorne Michaels praised him for his versatility.
In December 2007, James was ranked at #1 in the Forbes Top 20 Earners Under 25 with annual earnings of $27 million.
In March 2008, James became the first black man to appear on the cover of Vogue magazine, posing with Gisele Bündchen. He also was just the third man to appear on the cover of Vogue, after Richard Gere and George Clooney. Some considered the cover offensive, describing the positioning of James and Bündchen as a reference to classic imagery of the movie monster King Kong. James told the The Plain Dealer he was pleased with the cover, saying he was "just showing a little emotion," and "Everything my name is on is going to be criticized in a good way or bad way."
In June 2008, James donated $20,000 to a committee to elect Barack Obama.
In August 2008, a source close to James said he would strongly consider playing in Europe for Olympiacos if given a $50-million annual salary. However, James later said he may sign a contract extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers at the conclusion of the 2008-2009 NBA season.
On October 29, 2008, James gathered almost 20,000 people at the Quicken Loans Arena for a viewing of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's 30-minute American Stories, American Solutions television advertisement. It was shown on a large screen above the stage, where Jay-Z later held a free concert.
James and Ice Cube have paired up to pitch a one-hour special to ABC based on James' life. James will also act as executive producer if the show is greenlighted.
Avant-garde guitarist Buckethead honoured James' 24th birthday with two new songs on his website.His earlier song "King James" from Crime Slunk Scene (2006) is also dedicated to James.
There has recently been an ad played on TV and the internet, including a YouTube channel which features James from behind making an announcement to a crowded room (supposedly full of media) that he will "follow his first love". The spot ends with the words "Brace Yourself" flashed across the screen and the date January 18, 2009. There has been much speculation over what this may be for, including a Nike promotion. Some people think that James will return to playing football. He was a top receiver on his high school football team and was recruited by virtually every school in the country.
Player profile:
James has established himself as a legitimate triple-double threat and has averaged 27.3 points, 6.6 assists and 6.9 rebounds per game for his career. As of the 2007–08 season, he has recorded 17 triple-doubles in his career, with 14 in the regular season and 3 in the postseason.On offense, James utilizes his quickness, size, and strength to get past defenders. James is known for his exceptional upper body strength. When penetrating to the basket, James exhibits superb body control, adjusting his shot in mid-air according to the defense, allowing him to absorb contact and finish at the basket. He is also proficient at finishing around the rim with both hands. In the 2005–06 season, he led the league in completed traditional three point plays. He is a solid rebounder who regularly ranks among the league leaders in rebounds for the small forward position. His overall skill sets and on-court play has led to many comparisons to NBA legends Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan.
Although James exhibits exceptional offensive ability, he has yet to be featured on the NBA All-Defensive Team and has struggled with his free throw shooting — he averaged a subpar .698 free throw percentage in the 2006-07 season.
During his sophomore year at St. Vincent - St. Mary High School, he was named first-team all-state as a wide receiver in football, and in his junior year, he led his team to the state semifinals.
In basketball, James respected how Penny Hardaway played the game. James in 2003 stated, "Penny sees the whole floor and can score" and that, "He's still one of my favorite players of all-time."
James has endorsement contracts with Nike, Sprite, Glacéau, Bubblicious, and Upper Deck. With Nike, James has released six signature shoe styles, and four additional shoes (20-5-5, Soldier, Soldier 2, Ambassador). He has acted in a series of commercials called "The LeBrons".
During the 2007 NBA Playoffs, James drew criticism when he declined to sign a petition started by his teammate, Ira Newble, regarding the Chinese government's alleged involvement in the ongoing conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan, stating that he did not know enough about the issue. A year later, however, James did talk publicly about the issue, saying, "At the end of the day we're talking about human rights. And people should understand that human rights and people's lives are in jeopardy. We're not talking about contracts here. We're not talking about money. We're talking about people's lives being lost and that means a lot more to me than some money or a contract."
James, with comedian Jimmy Kimmel, co-hosted the 2007 ESPY Awards. James himself was nominated for three ESPYs: Best Male Athlete, Best NBA Player (winner), and Best Record Breaking Performance. The Record Breaking performance was when he scored 48 points in Game 5 of the 2007 NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons, including 29 of the last 30 points and all of the teams 25 points in overtime. In other comedic pursuits, James hosted the 33rd season premiere of Saturday Night Live. The show's creator Lorne Michaels praised him for his versatility.In December 2007, James was ranked at #1 in the Forbes Top 20 Earners Under 25 with annual earnings of $27 million.
In March 2008, James became the first black man to appear on the cover of Vogue magazine, posing with Gisele Bündchen. He also was just the third man to appear on the cover of Vogue, after Richard Gere and George Clooney. Some considered the cover offensive, describing the positioning of James and Bündchen as a reference to classic imagery of the movie monster King Kong. James told the The Plain Dealer he was pleased with the cover, saying he was "just showing a little emotion," and "Everything my name is on is going to be criticized in a good way or bad way."
In June 2008, James donated $20,000 to a committee to elect Barack Obama.
In August 2008, a source close to James said he would strongly consider playing in Europe for Olympiacos if given a $50-million annual salary. However, James later said he may sign a contract extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers at the conclusion of the 2008-2009 NBA season.
On October 29, 2008, James gathered almost 20,000 people at the Quicken Loans Arena for a viewing of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's 30-minute American Stories, American Solutions television advertisement. It was shown on a large screen above the stage, where Jay-Z later held a free concert.
James and Ice Cube have paired up to pitch a one-hour special to ABC based on James' life. James will also act as executive producer if the show is greenlighted.
Avant-garde guitarist Buckethead honoured James' 24th birthday with two new songs on his website.His earlier song "King James" from Crime Slunk Scene (2006) is also dedicated to James.
There has recently been an ad played on TV and the internet, including a YouTube channel which features James from behind making an announcement to a crowded room (supposedly full of media) that he will "follow his first love". The spot ends with the words "Brace Yourself" flashed across the screen and the date January 18, 2009. There has been much speculation over what this may be for, including a Nike promotion. Some people think that James will return to playing football. He was a top receiver on his high school football team and was recruited by virtually every school in the country.
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