| Revision as of 04:59, 21 December 2004 view sourceEkedolphin (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users3,153 editsm added the Cavs to the opening sentence← Previous edit | Revision as of 00:12, 2 January 2005 view source 66.248.17.51 (talk)No edit summaryNext edit → | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| '''LeBron James''' (born ], ], in ]) is an ] ] player |
'''LeBron James''' (born ], ], in ]) is an ] ] player for the ]. | ||
| He entered the NBA directly from St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, and, prior to his professional debut, he was one of the most anticipated and discussed players in basketball history. He is primarily a ], but is also capable of playing ] and ]. | |||
| ⚫ | James first captured the attention of |
||
| Born to an unwed mother, James was raised by her and a succession of her boyfriends, many of whom had criminal records. The identity of James's father has always been a mystery; the '']'' has reported that he is dead. A neighborhood couple befriended the boy, and taught him basketball, which his showed an almost-immediate gift for. | |||
| ⚫ | James' |
||
| ⚫ | James first captured the attention of fans following a solid freshman year the Division III state championship team. He put together an exceptional sophomore campaign in ]-] in which 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 '']'' selected him for the All-USA First Team, making him 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. | ||
| "King" James was already on the covers of '']'' and ''] The Magazine'' while still in high 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 nationally on ] and some games were even televised nationally. In addition to his on-court play, some events in his private life also became news. A controversy occurred when he received a "]" truck, worth about $50,000, as a gift from his mother, who purchased it with a loan. Many felt this threatened his amateur status in the state: a rule for ] 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 in the case of the vehicle without punishment, but he was not as lucky after accepting a pair of throwback jerseys, worth approximately $845, free from a clothing store. This was taken as a direct violation of the rule and he was declared ineligible on January 31st. James' team was forced to forfeit one of their schools wins as a result. | |||
| ⚫ | In James's junior year, he averaged 29 points and 8 rebounds and was once again named Mr. Basketball and again had a spot All-USA First Team. He also began to use the nickname "King" James. His team failed to defend their state championship as it moved to the more challenging Division II. However, LeBron's reputation was already intact. James attempted to declare for the NBA draft, petitioning for an adjustment to the rule stating that a player must finish high school to be eligible. This would have made him the youngest player in NBA history. The petition was unsuccessful, but it led to an unprecedented level of attention on his play as a high school senior. At a ], ] press conference, James verbally committed to play college basketball at the ]. | ||
| Fans in ] were outraged at the decision to suspend their native son's high school career, and lawyers for James appealed against the ruling. On ], he was reinstated by a temporary restraining order which blocked the ruling. After his team earned a third state championship, James, for an unprecedented third time, won selections as Ohio's Mr. Basketball and was named to the All-USA First Team. He highlighted this performance by earning MVP honors at three high school all-star games: the ] All-American Game, the ] Roundball Classic, and the Jordan Capital Classic. | |||
| "King" James was already on the covers of '']'' and ''] The Magazine'' while still in high school and was already working out multi-million dollar shoe contracts while a senior. Celebrities such as ] were attending his games, a few of which were being televised nationally on EPSN2 and on ]. | |||
| ⚫ | To no surprise, LeBron officially declared for the NBA draft on ]. He prepared for his professional debut by signing a contract with ] for $90 million over 7 years. Because James was seen as a consensus first pick, the ] Lottery was described by some as the "LeBron Lottery". James' local team, the ], successfully drew the first pick. Cleveland confirmed his selection as the #1 pick over a month before the draft, and contract negotiations were concluded some time in advance. | ||
| Events in his private life also became news. His mother used her son's future earning power to get a bank loan to buy an $80,000 ] H2 for his 18th birthday, prompting an investigation by the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA). Under the OHSAA guidelines, no amateur may accept any gift valued over $100 as a reward for athletic performance. When James later accepted two jerseys from a Cleveland sports store worth $845 in exchange for him posing for pictures to be displayed on its walls, the OHSAA stripped him of his eligibility. James appealed, and a judge blocked the ruling, reducing the penalty to a two-game suspension, allowing the phenom to play the remainder of the season. James's team was forced to forfeit one of their schools wins as a result. However, St. Vincent-St. Mary won a third state championship, and James, for an unprecedented third time, was named Mr. Basketball and to the All-USA First Team. He highlighted this performance by earning MVP honors at three high school all-star games: the ] All-American Game, the ] Roundball Classic, and the Jordan Capital Classic. | |||
| ⚫ | During his rookie season, James 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. |
||
| ⚫ | To no surprise, LeBron officially declared for the NBA draft on ]. He prepared for his professional debut by signing a contract with ] for $90 million over 7 years. Because James was seen as a consensus first pick, the ] Lottery was described by some as the "LeBron Lottery". James's local team, the ], successfully drew the first pick. Cleveland confirmed his selection as the #1 pick over a month before the draft, and contract negotiations were concluded some time in advance. | ||
| ⚫ | By the ]-] season, |
||
| ⚫ | During his rookie season, James 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. James is often associated with fellow rookie sensation ], though in recent months has begun to separate himself as he continues to improve while Carmelo's image has taken multiple hits. | ||
| ⚫ | By the ]-] season, James continued to improve. On ], he scored his 2,000th point, becoming the youngest player ever to attain that mark. ] had previously held the record, having reached his 2,000th point at 20 years, 183 days. | ||
| On ], ], his longtime girlfriend gave birth to their son. James has declined to give more details. | |||
| ==Further reading== | ==Further reading== | ||
| Line 20: | Line 26: | ||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| * | * | ||
| *{{espn nba|id=3704|name=LeBron James}} | *{{espn nba|id=3704|name=LeBron James}} | ||
| *{{basketball-reference|id=j/jamesle01|name=LeBron James}} | *{{basketball-reference|id=j/jamesle01|name=LeBron James}} | ||
Revision as of 00:12, 2 January 2005
LeBron James (born December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio) is an NBA basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He entered the NBA directly from St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, and, prior to his professional debut, he was one of the most anticipated and discussed players in basketball history. He is primarily a shooting guard, but is also capable of playing point guard and small forward.
Born to an unwed mother, James was raised by her and a succession of her boyfriends, many of whom had criminal records. The identity of James's father has always been a mystery; the Akron Beacon Journal has reported that he is dead. A neighborhood couple befriended the boy, and taught him basketball, which his showed an almost-immediate gift for.
James first captured the attention of fans following a solid freshman year the Division III state championship team. He put together an exceptional sophomore campaign in 2000-01 in which 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, making him 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.
In James's junior year, he averaged 29 points and 8 rebounds and was once again named Mr. Basketball and again had a spot All-USA First Team. He also began to use the nickname "King" James. His team failed to defend their state championship as it moved to the more challenging Division II. However, LeBron's reputation was already intact. James attempted to declare for the NBA draft, petitioning for an adjustment to the rule stating that a player must finish high school to be eligible. This would have made him the youngest player in NBA history. The petition was unsuccessful, but it led to an unprecedented level of attention on his play as a high school senior. At a March 31, 2003 press conference, James verbally committed to play college basketball at the Maryland.
"King" James was already on the covers of Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine while still in high school and was already working out multi-million dollar shoe contracts while a senior. Celebrities such as Shaquille O'Neal were attending his games, a few of which were being televised nationally on EPSN2 and on pay-per-view.
Events in his private life also became news. His mother used her son's future earning power to get a bank loan to buy an $80,000 Hummer H2 for his 18th birthday, prompting an investigation by the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA). Under the OHSAA guidelines, no amateur may accept any gift valued over $100 as a reward for athletic performance. When James later accepted two jerseys from a Cleveland sports store worth $845 in exchange for him posing for pictures to be displayed on its walls, the OHSAA stripped him of his eligibility. James appealed, and a judge blocked the ruling, reducing the penalty to a two-game suspension, allowing the phenom to play the remainder of the season. James's team was forced to forfeit one of their schools wins as a result. However, St. Vincent-St. Mary won a third state championship, and James, for an unprecedented third time, was named Mr. Basketball and to the All-USA First Team. He highlighted this performance by earning MVP honors at three high school all-star games: the McDonald's All-American Game, the EA Sports Roundball Classic, and the Jordan Capital Classic.
To no surprise, LeBron officially declared for the NBA draft on April 25th. He prepared for his professional debut by signing a contract with Nike for $90 million over 7 years. Because James was seen as a consensus first pick, the 2003 NBA Draft Lottery was described by some as the "LeBron Lottery". James's local team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, successfully drew the first pick. Cleveland confirmed his selection as the #1 pick over a month before the draft, and contract negotiations were concluded some time in advance.
During his rookie season, James 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. James is often associated with fellow rookie sensation Carmelo Anthony, though in recent months has begun to separate himself as he continues to improve while Carmelo's image has taken multiple hits.
By the 2004-05 season, James continued to improve. On November 27, 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.
On October 6, 2004, his longtime girlfriend gave birth to their son. James has declined to give more details.
Further reading
- Jones, Ryan: King James: Believe the Hype, St. Martin's Griffin 2003. ISBN 0312322291
- Morgan, David Lee: LeBron James: The Rise of a Star, Gray & Company Publishers 2003. ISBN 1886228744