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Table of Contents

Who is LeBron James?Page 2Pre NBA CareerPage 22003 DraftPage 3Career AchievementsPage 4TeamsPage 5Career StatisticsPage 6

Who is LeBron James?

Born in Akron, Ohio, in 1984, James is the only child of Gloria James, who gave birth to him when she was just sixteen years old. Gloria struggled to provide for James during his childhood. When James was about five years old, he and his mother moved seven times in a year. For a couple of years during elementary school, James lived with a foster family. Gloria's longtime boyfriend, Eddie Jackson, has acted as a father figure for James, but he was not always around during James's youth, spending several years in prison for selling drugs and, later, for fraud.

Photo (above): Akron Ohio, James Hometown

Pre NBA Career

At an early age, James showed a natural talent for basketball and was recruited by St. Vincent-St. Mary High School to join their basketball team in 1999. Overall, James scored 2,657 points, 892 rebounds and 523 assists during his four years there. As a freshman, James averaged 18 points per game. He helped the team to a Division III state title by scoring 25 points in the championship game. Word of his advanced basketball skills spread, and James received several honors for his performance. Deciding to finish his education, James had a tremendous senior year on the court. He averaged 31.6 points per game, helping his team clinch their third state title. The St. Vincent-St. Mary High School team also earned the top national ranking that year. James would soon emerge as one of the National Basketball Association's leading players

2003 NBA Draft

The First 10 Picks of the 2003 NBA Draft

Pick Number

Name

Team

1

LeBron James

Cleveland Cavaliers

2

Darko Milicic

Detroit Pistons

3

Carmelo Anthony

Denver Nuggets

4

Chris Bosh

Toronto Raptors

5

Dwayne Wade

Miami Heat

6

Chris Kaman

Los Angeles Clippers

7

Kirk Hinrich

Chicago Bulls

8

T.J Ford

Milwaukee Bucks

9

Michal Sweeny

New York Knicks

10

Jarvis Hayes

Washington Wizards

The 2003 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2003, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The NBA announced that 41 college and high school players and a record 31 international players had filed as early-entry candidates for the 2003 NBA draft. [1] The Cleveland Cavaliers, who had a 22.50 percent probability of obtaining the first selection, won the NBA draft lottery on May 22, and Cleveland chairperson Gordon Gundy said afterward his team would select LeBron James. [2] The Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets were second and third respectively.

Photo: Lebron after being selected first overall

Photo: Madison Square Garden, where the 2003 NBA draft was hosted

Career Achievements

NBA Championships

x3

MVP Awards

x4

Finals MVP Awards

x3

Other Notable Awards: Scoring Leader x1, All NBA First Team x12, All NBA Defensive Team x5, Rookie of the year x1, NBA Finals apperances x9, All Star Nominations x14

Career Teams

Cleveland (2003 – 2010)

James was selected by his home team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, as the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft.[34] In his first regular season game, he scored 25 points against the Sacramento Kings, setting an NBA record for most points scored by a prep-to-pro player in his debut performance. At the conclusion of the season, he was named the NBA Rookie of the Year, finishing with averages of 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. He became the first Cavalier to receive the honor and just the third player in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game as a rookie. The Cavaliers finished the season 35–47, failing to make the playoffs despite an 18-game improvement over the previous year.

Miami ( 2010 – 2014)

On March 3 of the 2013–14 season, James scored a career-high and franchise-record 61 points in a game against the Charlotte Bobcats.[155] Throughout the year, he was one of the few staples for a Heat roster that used 20 different starting lineups due to injuries,[156] finishing with averages of 27.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game on 56.7 percent shooting.[44] In the second round of the playoffs, he tied a career postseason-high by scoring 49 points in Game 4 against the Brooklyn Nets.[157] In the next round, Miami defeated the Pacers to earn their fourth consecutive Finals berth, becoming one of only four teams in NBA history to do so.[158] In Game 1 of the Finals, James missed most of the fourth quarter because of leg cramps, helping the Spurs take an early series lead.[159] In Game 2, he led the Heat to a series-tying victory with 35 points on a 64 percent shooting rate.[160] San Antonio eventually eliminated the Heat in five games, ending Miami's quest for a three-peat.[161] For the Finals, James averaged 28.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game.[162]

Return to Cleveland ( 2014 – Today)

During the 2015–16 season, James was criticized for his role in several off-court controversies, including the midseason firing of Cavaliers' coach David Blatt.[178][179] Despite these distractions, Cleveland finished the year with 57 wins and the best record in the East. To begin the series, Cleveland fell behind 3–1, including two blowout losses.[182] James responded by registering back-to-back 41 point games in Games 5 and 6, leading the Cavaliers to two consecutive wins to stave off elimination.[183] In Game 7, he posted a triple-double and made a number of key plays, including a memorable chase-down block on Andre Iguodala in the final two minutes,[184][185][186] as Cleveland emerged victorious, winning the city's first professional sports title in 52 years and becoming the first team in NBA history to come back from a 3–1 series deficit in the Finals.[187] James became just the third player to record a triple-double in an NBA Finals Game 7,[188] and behind series averages of 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 2.3 blocks, and 2.6 steals per game,[182] he also became the first player in league history to lead both teams in all five statistical categories for a playoff round, culminating in a unanimous Finals MVP selection.

Career Statistics