Early Life

LeBron Raymone James was born in Akron, Ohio on December 30, 1984. His mother, Gloria Marie James, was only 16 years old and raised him by herself. Growing up was a struggle for LeBron. They had to move from apartment to apartment so they never had a permanent home. Gloria struggled to find a job. Gloria knew that LeBron would be better off in a more stable environment. She let him move in with a local football coach, Frank Walker, who introduced him to basketball at the age of 9. He played at AAU with his friends Sian Cotton, Dru Joyce III, and Willie McGee. A.K.A, "the fab four."

High School Career

LeBron James went to St. Vincent High School. As a freshman, LeBron averaged 21 points and 6 rebounds per game for the basketball team. The Fighting Irish finished the season 27-0 winning the Division III state title. As a sophomore, James averaged 25.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 3.8 steals per game. The Fighting Irish finished the season 26-1, becoming the state champs again. He was selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team. He was also named Ohio Mr. Basketball, becoming the first sophomore to do either.

Prior to his junior year, James appeared in the SLAM Magazine and on the cover of Sports Illustrated, which made him the first high school underclassmen to do so. That season, he averaged 29 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 3.3 steals per game. He was selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team and named Ohio Mr. Basketball for the second year straight. He became the first junior to be named Boys' Basketball Gatorade National Player of the Year. St. Vincent finished the year with a 24-3 record and took a hard loss at the Division II championship game.

After the season, James tried to enter the NBA Draft but wasn't able to because of a rule stating that he had to complete high school to be eligible. During LeBron's senior year, he accepted 2 throwback jerseys worth $845 from an urban clothing store in exchange for posing for pictures. That violated OSHAA's (Ohio High School Athletic Association) rule that states that no amateur may accept any gift valued over $100 as a reward for athletic performance. He was suspended for 2 games. On his first game back, he scored a career-high 52 points.

Cleveland

"With the first pick pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers select, LeBron James, from St.Vincent High School," were the words said by David Stern in 2003. LeBron James was selected by his hometown team. In his debut against the Sacramento Kings, he set a world record by scoring the most points as a prep-to-pro player in his debut performance, which would be 25 points. At the end of the season, LeBron was named ROTY, (Rookie of The Year) ending the season with averages of 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. He was the first Cavalier to receive the honor.

He was also one of the 3 Cavaliers ever to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game in their rookie season. The Cavaliers finished the season with a 35-47 record and didn't make the playoffs. In the 04-05 season, LeBron earned his first NBA All-Star Game selection. The Eastern Conference won with James' stats being 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl said,"It's weird talking about a 20-year-old kid being a great player, but he is a great player. He's the exception to almost every rule." On March 20, he scored 56 points against the Toronto Raptors, setting Cleveland's new single-game points record.

That seson he averaged 27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 2.2 steals per game and was named to his first All-NBA team. The Cavaliers failed to make the playoffs with a 42-40 record. In the 2006 NBA All-Star Game, LeBron led the Eastern Conference to a victory. He scored 29 points and was named NBA All-Star Game MVP. That season he averaged 31.4 points, 7 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game. He finished second in the voting for the NBA MVP Award. Steve Nash was named MVP. The Cavaliers made the playoffs for the first time since 1998. In LeBron's postseason debut, he recorded a triple-double gaining a win over the Washington Wizards.

In Game 3, LeBron hit the first game-winning shot of his career. In Game 5 he made another one. They would defeat the Wizards in the first round but lose to the Detroit Pistons in the second. In the 06-07 season, LeBrons averages were 27.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. The Cavaliers finished the season with 50 wins. In Game 5 of the Conference Finals, James had 48 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists scoring 29 of Cleveland's last 30 points with a game-winning layup with 2 seconds left. Marv Albert described it as, "one of the greatest moments in postseason history." Steve Kerr said it was "Jordan-esque."

The Cavaliers made it to The NBA Finals with the San Antonio Spurs. James struggled averaging 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game on just 35.6 percent shooting and were eliminated in a sweep. In the 07-08 All-Star Game, James was named NBA All-Star Game MVP. He put up 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists. The Cavaliers finished the season with a 45-37 record, entering the playoffs. The Cavaliers faced the Boston Celtics in the second round. In Game 7, Paul Peirce from the Celtics scored 41 points and James scored 45 in a game that the Associated Press called a, "shootout." At the end of the 08-09 season, James finished second overall in DPOY.

(continued from page 19Defensive Player of The Year) He made his first NBA All-Defensive Team with 23 chasedown blocks and a career-high 93 total blocks. The Cavaliers finished the season 66-16 and fell one game short of having the best home record in league history. That season, LeBron averaged 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game being named MVP becoming the first Cavalier ever to do so. In the playoffs, the Cavaliers swept the Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks. Although James scored 49 points, the Cavaliers lost Game 1 to the Orlando Magic. In Game 2, he hit a game-winner.

Cleveland lost in Game 6 and james immediatley left the court without shaking hands which is unsportsmanlike. That series, he averaged 38.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 8 assists per game. In the 09-10 season, James had to play point gaurd because of injury problems with the Cavaliers. Cleveland finished the season with the best record for the second consecutive season. That season, he averaged 29.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1 block winning the MVP award again. In the postseason, the Cavaliers defeated the Chicago Bulls, earning a matchup against the Celtics. The team suffered its worst lost in franchse history.