LeBron James

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LeBron James bigraphy, stories - American basketball player

LeBron James : biography

December 30, 1984 –

LeBron Raymone James ( born December 30, 1984), nicknamed "King James", is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing at and weighing in at , he has played the small forward and power forward positions. James has been a two-time NBA champion, a four-time NBA Most Valuable Player, a two-time NBA Finals MVP, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, an NBA scoring champion, and the NBA Rookie of the Year. He has also been selected to nine NBA All-Star teams, nine All-NBA teams, and five All-Defensive teams, and is the Cleveland Cavaliers’ all-time leading scorer.

James played high school basketball at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, where he was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar. After graduating, he was selected with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cavaliers. James led Cleveland to the franchise’s first NBA Finals appearance in 2007, losing to the San Antonio Spurs in a sweep. In 2010, he left the Cavaliers for the Heat in a highly publicized free agency period. In his first season in Miami, the Heat reached the Finals, but lost to the Dallas Mavericks. James won his first championship in 2012 when Miami defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, earning the NBA Finals MVP Award for his play. In 2013, the Heat won their second consecutive title and he repeated as Finals MVP. His career achievements and leadership role during Miami’s 2012 and 2013 championship runs have led many basketball analysts, experts, and writers to consider him the best player in the NBA today.

Off the court, James has accumulated considerable wealth and fame as a result of numerous endorsement contracts. His public life has been the subject of much scrutiny, and he has been ranked as one of America’s most disliked and influential athletes. He has also been featured in books, documentaries, and television commercials, and has hosted the ESPY Awards and Saturday Night Live.

International career

James made his debut for the United States national team at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. U.S. Olympic coach Larry Brown said that James, accustomed to being a star, was not 100% receptive to a reduced role. James spent the Olympics mostly on the bench without quality playing time, averaging 14.6 minutes per game with 5.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game in eight games. Team USA finished the competition with a bronze medal, becoming the first U.S. basketball team to return home without a gold medal since adding professionals to their line-up. James felt his limited playing time was a "lowlight" and believed he was not given "a fair opportunity to play". His attitude during the Olympics was described as "disrespectful" and "distasteful" by columnists Adrian Wojnarowski and Peter Vecsey, respectively.

At the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan, James took on a greater role for Team USA, averaging 13.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game as co-captain.usabasketball.com, , accessed May 1, 2007.nba.com, , accessed May 7, 2007. The team finished the tournament with an 8–1 record, winning another bronze medal. James’ behavior was again questioned, this time by teammate Bruce Bowen, who confronted James during tryouts regarding his treatment of staff members.

Before naming James to the 2008 Olympic team, Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo and coach Mike Krzyzewski gave James an ultimatum to improve his attitude, and he heeded their advice. At the FIBA Americas Championship 2007, he averaged 18.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game, including a 31-point performance against Argentina in the championship game, the most ever by an American in an Olympic qualifier.espn.com, , September 3, 2007. Team USA went 10–0, winning the gold medal and qualifying for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. James credited the team’s attitude and experience for their improvement, saying: "I don’t think we understood what it meant to put on a USA uniform and all the people that we were representing in 2004. We definitely know that now." At the Olympics, Team USA went unbeaten, winning their first gold medal since 2000. In the final game, James turned in 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists against Spain.