Chosen One: Who is LeBron James?
James, who opened his eyes on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio, spent most of his life in Akron. LeBron, who is part of a poor family, turned to sports during his childhood. Although his interest initially shifted to football, he met his real love, basketball, when he was 9 years old.
LeBron has had many local successes, first tackling the NEO Shooting Stars, part of the Amateur Athletic Union. In high school, St Vincent-St. The true story began after LeBron James, who was on his way to Mary High School, signed up for the school's basketball team. His performance here first became news in the local and then in the national media. The matches he played while he was still in high school began to be watched all over America by ESPN. As expected, LeBron was selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA draft.
Cleveland Cavaliers years
LeBron signed for the team of the city where he was born and grew up in 2003 and had a great start to the season. With 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists in his rookie year, James approached his biggest goal, the NBA championship, for the first time in the 2007 NBA finals.
Life story
It was February 18, 2002, when the name LeBron James first came to the national agenda of the United States, not the world. He was still a third-year high school student, but Sports Illustrated, the most prestigious sports magazine in the country, made him the cover story and announced it with the title "Chosen One".
At that time, the NBA was still in the throes of the post-Michael Jordan era. Television ratings were falling, the league had lost its old charm. The interesting thing is that at that time, Jordan had once again come back from retirement and was hanging out on the NBA courts for his pleasure, wearing the Washington Wizards jersey. But at the same time, he was looking for an actor to fill his place, both in terms of talent and charisma.
LeBron graduated high school the following year. He made his way to the NBA without passing through the university gate and started playing like a mature star. 20 seasons have passed, and LeBron is still one of the most important actors in basketball. Both on and off the field... Since he played for such a long time, it is inevitable that he will have some records, and some will come to the brink. For example, he is getting closer and closer to his record of scoring the most points in the regular season, which has been unbreakable since 1989.
Abdul-Jabbar's record was said to be unbreakable
Another NBA legend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, scored 38,387 points when he quit basketball in 1989, and this record was unlikely to be broken. Although the average points per game were very high, this possibility seemed to have disappeared when Michael Jordan interrupted his career twice and missed four and a half seasons. Of course, 20 years ago, no one expected that LeBron could stay in the league for such a long time and that the style of play in the NBA would change completely 20 years ago.
LeBron has been heavily involved in the NBA since his first season. He won four titles for three different teams, was named the most valuable player four times, and became the king of points and assists. He was selected for the All-Star Game 18 times by the audience. Despite his age and the tiredness of 20 years, he manages to perform at a high level.
True, he doesn't dunk as much as he used to, he uses the ball far from the rim on offense and his defense isn't what it was a few years ago, but he's still averaging 29.1 points and 8.2 rebounds.
The next target? Playing against each other in the NBA with his sons Bronny and Bryce. For this, he may need to continue his career for at least two more seasons. If Bronny can make the leap to the NBA after a year of college, maybe we can watch him bouncing on the same park in 2024.
January 2023
LeBron James becomes the second player in NBA history to score 38,000 points
LeBron James became the second player in NBA history to score 38,000 points in a game against Philadelphia. This brings James one step closer to the record of former Lakers player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Playing his 20th season in the NBA, LaBron James needed 11 points to reach 38,000 points and passed the milestone when he slammed a mid-range dunk in the first quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers home game against the Philadelphia 76ers. LeBron James' 24 points, 16 rebounds, and 9 assists did not prevent the defeat. The Sixers managed to win 112-113 by stopping the Lakers on the last offense. With this result, the Sixers won 27 times in their 43rd game, while the Lakers lost 24 times in their 43rd game.
LeBron James becomes the first basketball player to make the billionaire list
LeBron James, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers, became the first basketball player to enter the billionaire list while his professional career continued. According to Forbes data; The net worth of the NBA star has exceeded $1 billion.
The famous economics publication Forbes announced that the world-famous star of the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James, has entered the billionaire list. LeBron James, who was selected as an 18-time NBA All-Star, won 4 NBA championships and won 2 Olympic gold medals, and became the first basketball player to become a billionaire while continuing his active sports life.
James, who earned more than $385 million in the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and Los Angeles Lakers, where he played in the NBA, is also among the shareholders of Liverpool, one of the Premier League teams. It is estimated that the NBA star has an income of around 900 million dollars, excluding basketball.
The fact that Michael Jordan, who is considered to be one of the greatest players of the NBA and even history, made his name on the billionaires' list after leaving basketball shows the difficulty of the point LeBron James has reached.