LeBron James - wikipedia LeBron James `` LeBron '' redirects here. For other uses, see Lebron ( disambiguation ). LeBron James James with the Cavaliers in 2017 No. 23 -- Cleveland Cavaliers Position Small forward League NBA ( 1984 - 12 - 30 ) December 30, 1984 ( age 32 ) Akron, Ohio Nationality American Listed height 6 ft 8 in ( 2.03 m ) Listed weight 250 lb ( 113 kg ) Career information High school St. Vincent -- St. Mary ( Akron, Ohio ) NBA draft 2003 / Round : 1 / Pick : 1st overall Selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers Playing career 2003 -- present Career history 2003 -- 2010 Cleveland Cavaliers 2010 -- 2014 Miami Heat 2014 -- present Cleveland Cavaliers Career highlights and awards 3 × NBA champion ( 2012, 2013, 2016 ) 3 × NBA Finals MVP ( 2012, 2013, 2016 ) 4 × NBA Most Valuable Player ( 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 ) 13 × NBA All - Star ( 2005 -- 2017 ) 2 × NBA All - Star Game MVP ( 2006, 2008 ) 11 × All - NBA First Team ( 2006, 2008 -- 2017 ) 2 × All - NBA Second Team ( 2005, 2007 ) 5 × NBA All - Defensive First Team ( 2009 -- 2013 ) NBA All - Defensive Second Team ( 2014 ) NBA Rookie of the Year ( 2004 ) NBA scoring champion ( 2008 ) J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award ( 2017 ) 2 × AP Athlete of the Year ( 2013, 2016 ) 2 × Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year ( 2012, 2016 ) USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year ( 2012 ) 2 × Mr. Basketball USA ( 2002, 2003 ) Naismith Prep Player of the Year ( 2003 ) McDonald 's All - American Game MVP ( 2003 ) 3 × Ohio Mr. Basketball ( 2001 -- 2003 ) Stats at NBA.com Stats at Basketball-Reference.com Medals Men 's basketball Representing the United States Olympic Games 2008 Beijing Team 2012 London Team 2004 Athens Team FIBA World Championship 2006 Japan FIBA Americas Championship 2007 Las Vegas LeBron Raymone James ( / ləˈbrɒn / ; born December 30, 1984 ) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ). James has won three NBA championships, four NBA Most Valuable Player Awards, three NBA Finals MVP Awards, two Olympic gold medals, an NBA scoring title, and the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He has also been selected to 13 NBA All - Star teams, 13 All - NBA teams, and six All - Defensive teams, is the Cavaliers ' all - time leading scorer, and is the NBA career playoff scoring leader. 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 by his home team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, as the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft. James led Cleveland to the franchise 's first Finals appearance in 2007, ultimately losing to the San Antonio Spurs. In 2010, he left the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat in a highly publicized ESPN special titled The Decision. James spent four seasons with the Heat, reaching the Finals all four years and winning back - to - back championships in 2012 and 2013. In 2013, he led Miami on a 27 - game winning streak, the third longest in league history. Following his final season with the Heat in 2014, James opted out of his contract and returned to the Cavaliers. From 2015 to 2017, he led the Cavaliers to three consecutive Finals, winning his third championship in 2016 to end Cleveland 's 52 - year professional sports title drought. Off the court, James has accumulated considerable wealth and fame from numerous endorsement contracts. His public life has been the subject of much scrutiny, and he has been ranked as one of America 's most influential and popular athletes. He has been featured in books, documentaries, and television commercials. He also hosted the ESPY Awards, Saturday Night Live, and appeared in the 2015 film Trainwreck. Contents 1 Early life 2 High school career 2.1 Basketball 2.2 Football 3 Professional career 3.1 Cleveland Cavaliers ( 2003 -- 2010 ) 3.1. 1 Rookie season ( 2003 -- 2004 ) 3.1. 2 Rise to superstardom ( 2004 -- 2008 ) 3.1. 3 First MVP tenure ( 2008 -- 2010 ) 3.2 2010 free agency 3.3 Miami Heat ( 2010 -- 2014 ) 3.3. 1 Year of controversy ( 2010 -- 2011 ) 3.3. 2 Back - to - back championships ( 2011 -- 2013 ) 3.3. 3 Fourth consecutive Finals ( 2013 -- 2014 ) 3.4 Return to the Cavaliers ( 2014 -- present ) 3.4. 1 2014 free agency 3.4. 2 Ending the 52 - year Cleveland sports curse ( 2014 -- 2016 ) 3.4. 3 Post-championship ( 2017 -- present ) 4 National team career 5 Player profile 5.1 Offense 5.2 Defense 6 Personal life 6.1 Business interests 6.2 Public image 7 NBA career statistics 7.1 Regular season 7.2 Playoffs 8 Awards and honors 9 See also 10 Notes 11 References 12 Further reading 13 External links Early life James was born on December 30, 1984 in Akron, Ohio to a 16 - year - old mother, Gloria Marie James, who raised the child on her own. When James was growing up, life was often a struggle for the family, as they moved from apartment to apartment in the seedier neighborhoods of Akron while Gloria struggled to find steady work. Realizing that her son would be better off in a more stable family environment, Gloria allowed him to move in with the family of Frank Walker, a local youth football coach, who introduced James to basketball when he was nine years old. As a youth, James played Amateur Athletic Union ( AAU ) basketball for the Northeast Ohio Shooting Stars. The team enjoyed success on a local and national level, led by James and his friends Sian Cotton, Dru Joyce III, and Willie McGee. The players were inseparable and dubbed themselves the `` Fab Four '', promising each other that they would attend high school together. In a move that stirred local controversy, they chose to attend St. Vincent -- St. Mary High School, a predominately white private Catholic school. High school career Basketball As a freshman, James averaged 21 points and 6 rebounds per game for the St. Vincent - St. Mary varsity basketball team. The Fighting Irish finished the year 27 -- 0, winning the Division III state title. As a sophomore, James averaged 25.2 points and 7.2 rebounds with 5.8 assists and 3.8 steals per game. For some home games during the season, St. Vincent - St. Mary played at the University of Akron 's 5,492 - seat Rhodes Arena to satisfy ticket demand from alumni, fans, and college and NBA scouts who wanted to see James play. The Fighting Irish finished the season 26 -- 1 and repeated as state champions. For his outstanding play, James was named Ohio Mr. Basketball and selected to the USA Today All - USA First Team, becoming the first sophomore to do either. Prior to the start of James 's junior year, he appeared in SLAM Magazine and was lauded as possibly `` the best high school basketball player in America right now '' by writer Ryan Jones. During the season, he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, becoming the first high school basketball underclassman to do so. With averages of 29 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 3.3 steals per game, he was again named Ohio Mr. Basketball and selected to the USA Today All - USA First Team, and became the first junior to be named boys ' basketball Gatorade National Player of the Year. St. Vincent - St. Mary finished the year with a 23 -- 4 record, ending their season with a loss in the Division II championship game. Following the loss, James seriously considered declaring for the 2002 NBA draft, unsuccessfully petitioning for an adjustment to the NBA 's draft eligibility rules that required prospective players to have at least graduated from high school. During this time, he used marijuana to help cope with the stress that resulted from the constant media attention he was receiving. Throughout his senior year, James and the Fighting Irish traveled around the country to play a number of nationally ranked teams, including a game against Oak Hill Academy that was nationally televised on ESPN2. Time Warner Cable, looking to capitalize on James 's popularity, offered St. Vincent - St. Mary 's games to subscribers on a pay - per - view basis throughout the season. For the year, James averaged 31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 3.4 steals per game, was named Ohio Mr. Basketball and selected to the USA Today All - USA First Team for an unprecedented third consecutive year, and was named Gatorade National Player of the Year for the second consecutive year. He participated in three year - end high school basketball all - star games -- the EA Sports Roundball Classic, the Jordan Capital Classic, and the McDonald 's All - American Game -- losing his National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) eligibility and making it official that he would enter the 2003 NBA draft. Many basketball analysts, scouts, and writers have remarked that James left high school as one of the best and most hyped prospects of all - time. Also during his senior year, James was the centerpiece of several controversies. For his 18th birthday, he skirted state amateur bylaws by accepting a Hummer H2 from his mother, who had secured a loan for the vehicle by utilizing LeBron 's future earning power as a professional athlete. This prompted an investigation by the Ohio High School Athletic Association ( OHSAA ) because its guidelines stated that no amateur may accept any gift valued over $100 as a reward for athletic performance. James was cleared of any wrongdoing because he had accepted the gift from a family member and not from an agent or any outside source. Later in the season, James accepted two throwback jerseys worth $845 from an urban clothing store in exchange for posing for pictures, officially violating OHSAA rules and resulting in him being stripped of his high school sports eligibility. James appealed the ruling and his penalty was eventually dropped to a two - game suspension, allowing him to play the remainder of the year. The Irish were also forced to forfeit one of their wins, their only official loss that season. In his first game back after the suspension, James scored a career - high 52 points. Football James played wide receiver for St. Vincent - St. Mary 's football team and was recruited by some Division I programs, including Notre Dame. As a sophomore, he was named first team all - state, and as a junior, he helped lead the Fighting Irish to the state semifinals. He decided to stop playing high school football before his senior year, after he broke his wrist during an AAU basketball game. Many sports analysts, football critics, high school coaches, and former and current players have speculated on whether he could have played in the National Football League. Professional career Cleveland Cavaliers ( 2003 -- 2010 ) Rookie season ( 2003 -- 2004 ) James picks up his dribble against the Washington Wizards in November 2006. James was selected by his home team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, as the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft. 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. Rise to superstardom ( 2004 -- 2008 ) James earned his first NBA All - Star Game selection in 2004 -- 05, contributing 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in a winning effort for the Eastern Conference. Around the league, teams took note of his rapid development, with Denver Nuggets coach George Karl telling Sports Illustrated, `` 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, James scored 56 points against the Toronto Raptors, setting Cleveland 's new single - game points record. With final averages of 27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 2.2 steals per game, he was named to his first All - NBA Team. Despite a 30 -- 20 record to start the year, the Cavaliers again failed to make the playoffs, finishing the season 42 -- 40. At the 2006 All - Star Game, James led the East to victory with 29 points and was named the NBA All - Star Game Most Valuable Player. Behind final season averages of 31.4 points, 7 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game, he also finished second in overall NBA Most Valuable Player Award voting to Steve Nash. Under James 's leadership, the Cavaliers qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1998. In his postseason debut, James recorded a triple - double in a winning effort versus the Washington Wizards. In Game 3 of the series, he made the first game - winning shot of his career, making another in Game 5. Cleveland would go on to defeat the Wizards before being ousted by the Detroit Pistons in the second round. James engages in his pre-game ritual of tossing crushed chalk into the air in March 2008. The routine was mostly retired after 2011. In 2006 -- 07, James 's averages declined to 27.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. Some analysts attributed the fall to a regression in his passing skills and shot selection, stemming from a lack of effort and focus. The Cavaliers finished the season with 50 wins for the second consecutive year and entered the playoffs as the East 's second seed. In Game 5 of the Conference Finals, James notched 48 points with 9 rebounds and 7 assists, scoring 29 of Cleveland 's last 30 points, including the game - winning layup with two seconds left, against the Pistons. After the game, play - by - play announcer Marv Albert called the performance `` one of the greatest moments in postseason history '' and color commentator Steve Kerr described it as `` Jordan-esque ''. In 2012, ESPN ranked the performance the fourth greatest in modern NBA playoff history. The Cavaliers went on to win Game 6 and claim their first - ever Eastern Conference championship, earning them a matchup with the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. During the championship round, James struggled, averaging 22 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game on just 35.6 percent shooting, and Cleveland was eliminated in a sweep. In February of the 2007 -- 08 season, James was named All - Star Game MVP for the second time behind a 27 - point, 8 - rebound, and 9 - assist performance. On March 21, he moved past Brad Daugherty as the Cavaliers ' all - time leading scorer in a game against the Raptors, doing so in over 100 less games than Daugherty. His 30 points per game were also the highest in the league, representing his first scoring title. Despite his individual accomplishments, Cleveland 's record fell from the year before to 45 -- 37. Seeded fourth in the East entering the playoffs, the Cavaliers defeated the Wizards in the first round for the third consecutive season before being eliminated in seven games by the eventual - champion Boston Celtics in the next round. During the decisive seventh game in Boston, James scored 45 points and Paul Pierce scored 41 in a game the Associated Press described as a `` shootout ''. First MVP tenure ( 2008 -- 2010 ) James and DeShawn Stevenson in April 2008. The two had a short feud after Stevenson called James `` overrated ''. At the conclusion of the 2008 -- 09 season, James finished second in NBA Defensive Player of the Year voting and made his first NBA All - Defensive Team, posting 23 chase - down blocks and a career - high 93 total blocks. He also became only the fourth postmerger player to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks in a single season. Behind his play and the acquisition of All - Star guard Mo Williams, Cleveland went a franchise record 66 -- 16 and fell just one game short of matching the best home record in league history. With final averages of 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game, James became the first Cavalier to win the MVP Award. Reflecting on James 's performance for ESPN, John Hollinger later wrote, `` He 's having what is arguably the greatest individual season in history, and it 's time we gave him his due for it. '' In the playoffs, Cleveland swept the Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks to earn a matchup with the Orlando Magic in the Conference Finals. In Game 1 of the series, James scored 49 points on 66 percent shooting in a losing effort for the Cavaliers. In Game 2, he hit a game - winner to tie the series at 1 -- 1. Cleveland would lose the series in six games, and following the loss in Game 6, James immediately left the floor without shaking hands with his opponents, which was an act that many media members viewed as unsportsmanlike. For the series, he averaged 38.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 8 assists per game, finishing the postseason with a career playoff - high 35.3 points per game. In February of the 2009 -- 10 season, James was forced into a temporary point guard role following a series of injuries to the Cavaliers ' backcourt. Behind his leadership, Cleveland lost no momentum, finishing the year with the best record in the league for the second consecutive season. Due in part to his increased minutes as the Cavaliers ' primary ball handler, James increased his statistical production, averaging 29.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1 block per game on 50 percent shooting en route to another MVP Award. To open the playoffs, Cleveland advanced past the Bulls to earn a matchup with the Celtics in the second round. James was heavily criticized for not playing well in Game 5 of the series, shooting only 20 percent on 14 shots and scoring 15 points. The team suffered its worst loss in franchise history, and at the conclusion of the game, James walked off the court to a smattering of boos from Cleveland 's home crowd. The Cavaliers were officially eliminated from the postseason in Game 6, with James posting 27 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists, and nine turnovers in the losing effort. 2010 free agency Main article : The Decision ( TV special ) James with the Cavaliers in November 2009. He finished his first stint with the Cavs averaging 27.8 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. James became an unrestricted free agent at 12 : 01 am EDT on July 1, 2010. During this time, he was contacted by several teams, including the Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets, and Cavaliers. On July 8, he announced on a live ESPN special titled The Decision that he would sign with the Heat. The telecast was broadcast from the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich, Connecticut and raised $2.5 million for the charity. An additional $3.5 million was raised from advertising revenue, which was donated to other charities. The day before the special, fellow free agents Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade had also announced that they would sign with Miami ; reports later arose that back in 2006 the trio had discussed among themselves their upcoming 2010 free agencies. James decided to join with Bosh and Wade in part so that he could shoulder less of the offensive load ; he thought that his improved teammates would give him a better chance of winning an NBA championship than had he stayed in Cleveland. Heat president Pat Riley played a major role in selling James on the idea of playing with Bosh and Wade. James would be relieved of the burden of scoring, and he thought he could be the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple - double in a season. James drew intense criticism from sports analysts, executives, fans, and current and former players for leaving the Cavaliers. The Decision itself was also scrutinized and viewed as unnecessary. Many thought the prolonged wait for James 's choice was unprofessional as not even the teams courting him were aware of his decision until moments before the show. Upon learning that James would not be returning to Cleveland, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert published an open letter to fans in which he aggressively denounced James 's actions. Some angry fans of the team recorded videos of themselves burning his jersey. Former NBA players, including Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, were also critical of James, condemning him for joining with Bosh and Wade in Miami and not trying to win a championship as `` the guy ''. James drew further criticism in a September interview with CNN when he claimed that race might have been a factor in the fallout from The Decision. As a result of his actions during the 2010 free agency period, he quickly gained a reputation as one of America 's most disliked athletes, a radical change from years prior. The phrase `` taking my talents to South Beach '' became a punch line for critics. Immediately following The Decision, James claimed that there was nothing he would change about the handling of his free agency despite all the criticism. During the 2010 -- 11 season, he expressed some regret, admitting, `` ( I ) probably would do it a little bit different... But I 'm happy with my decision. '' Before the 2011 -- 12 season, he relented, ``... if the shoe was on the other foot and I was a fan, and I was very passionate about one player, and he decided to leave, I would be upset too about the way he handled it. '' Miami Heat ( 2010 -- 2014 ) Year of controversy ( 2010 -- 2011 ) James attempts a slam dunk in March 2011 as a member of the Miami Heat. James officially became a member of the Heat on July 10, 2010. With the move, he became only the third reigning MVP to change teams and the first since Moses Malone in 1982. That evening, the Heat threw a welcome party for their new `` big three '' at the American Airlines Arena, an event that took on a rock concert atmosphere. During the gathering, James predicted a dynasty for the Heat and alluded to multiple championships. Outside of Miami, the spectacle was not well - received, furthering the negative public perception of James. Throughout the 2010 -- 11 season, James embraced the villain role that was bestowed upon him by the media. He played for the Heat with an angry demeanor and less joy than in years past, and later admitted that he regretted this approach. On December 2, he faced the Cavaliers in Cleveland for the first time since departing as a free agent. He scored 38 points and led Miami to a win while being booed every time he touched the ball. He finished the season with averages of 26.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7 assists per game on 51 percent shooting. Miami entered the playoffs as the East 's second seed and advanced to the Finals before stumbling against the Dallas Mavericks, losing in six games despite holding a 2 -- 1 series lead going into Game 4. James received the brunt of the criticism for the loss, averaging only three points in fourth quarters in the series. His Finals scoring average of 17.8 points per game signified an 8.9 - point drop from the regular season, the largest point drop - off in league history. Back - to - back championships ( 2011 -- 2013 ) James was humbled by the Heat 's loss to the Mavericks, and he spent the offseason working with Hakeem Olajuwon on his post game. His work with Olajuwon paid off, fueling what Grantland 's Kirk Goldsberry called `` one of the greatest and most important transformations in recent sports history ''. Behind James 's more post-oriented play, Miami matched their best start to a season in franchise history, and at the conclusion of the lockout - shortened 2011 -- 12 season, he was named MVP for the third time, finishing with averages of 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.9 steals per game on 53 percent shooting. James stands at midcourt during a dead ball in January 2013. On that night, he became the youngest player in NBA history to score 20,000 career points. In Game 4 of the second round of the playoffs, James registered 40 points, 18 rebounds, and 9 assists to help even the series against the Indiana Pacers. Miami eventually defeated the Pacers in six games. Facing elimination in Game 6 of the Conference Finals against the Celtics, James scored 45 points to lead the Heat to victory in what The New York Times called a `` career - defining performance ''. Miami won Game 7 to advance to the Finals, earning them a matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Late in Game 4 of the series, James hit a three - pointer to give the Heat a lead, helping them win the game despite missing time with leg cramps. In Game 5, he registered a triple - double as Miami defeated Oklahoma City for their second - ever championship and James 's first championship. James was unanimously voted the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player with averages of 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game. His full postseason run, in which he averaged 30.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game, was later ranked the second best in modern NBA history by ESPN. In February of the 2012 -- 13 season, James 's performance was described by Sports Illustrated as a `` month for the ages '', averaging 29.7 points and 7.8 assists per game while setting multiple shooting efficiency records. During this period, the Heat began a 27 - game winning streak, the third longest in NBA history. Behind his play, Miami finished the year with a franchise and league best 66 -- 16 record, and James was named MVP for the fourth time, falling just one vote shy of becoming the first player in NBA history to win the award unanimously. His final season averages were 26.8 points, 8 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 1.7 steals per game on 56.5 percent shooting. In Game 1 of the Conference Finals, James scored a buzzer - beating layup to give Miami a one - point victory against the Pacers. Throughout the series, his supporting cast struggled significantly, and his added scoring load prompted him to compare his responsibilities to those of his `` Cleveland days ''. Despite these struggles, the Heat advanced to the Finals for a meeting with the Spurs, signifying a rematch for James from his first Finals six years earlier. At the beginning of the series, he was criticized for his lack of aggressiveness and poor shot selection as Miami fell behind 2 -- 3. In Game 6, he recorded his second triple - double of the series, including 16 fourth quarter points, to lead the Heat to a comeback victory. In Game 7, he tied the Finals record for most points scored in a Game 7 victory, leading Miami over San Antonio with 37 points. He was named Finals MVP for the second straight season, averaging 25.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2.3 steals per game for the championship round. Fourth consecutive Finals ( 2013 -- 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. Throughout the year, he was one of the few staples for a Heat roster that used 20 different starting lineups due to injuries, finishing with averages of 27.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game on 56.7 percent shooting. In the second round of the playoffs, he tied a career postseason - high by scoring 49 points in Game 4 against the Brooklyn Nets. 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. 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. In Game 2, he led the Heat to a series - tying victory with 35 points on a 64 percent shooting rate. San Antonio eventually eliminated the Heat in five games, ending Miami 's quest for a three - peat. For the Finals, James averaged 28.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game. Return to the Cavaliers ( 2014 -- present ) 2014 free agency James throws a pass against the Minnesota Timberwolves in December 2014. Later that season, he reached several passing milestones, including becoming the Cavaliers ' all - time assists leader. On June 25, 2014, James opted out of his contract with the Heat and officially became an unrestricted free agent on July 1. On July 11, he revealed via a first - person essay in Sports Illustrated that he intended to return to the Cavaliers. In contrast to The Decision, his announcement to return to Cleveland was well received. On July 12, he officially signed with the team, who had compiled a league - worst 97 -- 215 record in the four seasons following his departure. A month after James 's signing, the Cavaliers acquired Kevin Love from the Minnesota Timberwolves, forming a new star trio along with Kyrie Irving. Ending the 52 - year Cleveland Sports curse ( 2014 -- 2016 ) In January of the 2014 -- 15 season, James missed two weeks due to left knee and lower back strains, the longest stretch of missed games in his career. In total, he played a career - low 69 games and his final averages were 25.3 points, 6 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game. In the second round of the playoffs, he hit a baseline jumper at the buzzer to give Cleveland a 2 -- 2 series tie with the Bulls. In the Conference Finals, the Cavaliers defeated the Hawks to advance to the Finals, making James the first player since the 1960s to play in five consecutive Finals. For most of the Finals against the Golden State Warriors, Irving and Love were sidelined due to injury, giving James more offensive responsibilities. Behind his leadership, the Cavaliers opened the series with a 2 -- 1 lead before being eliminated in six games. Despite the loss, he received serious consideration for the Finals MVP Award, averaging 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game for the championship round. During the 2015 -- 16 season, James was criticized for his role in several off - court controversies, including the midseason firing of Cavaliers ' head coach David Blatt. Despite these distractions, Cleveland finished the year with 57 wins and the best record in the East. James 's final averages were 25.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game on 52 percent shooting. In the playoffs, the Cavaliers advanced comfortably to the Finals, losing only two games en route to a rematch with the Warriors, who were coming off a record - setting 73 win season. To begin the series, Cleveland fell behind 3 -- 1, including two blowout losses. 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. 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, 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. James became just the third player to record a triple - double in an NBA Finals Game 7, and behind series averages of 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 2.3 blocks, and 2.6 steals per game, 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. Post-championship ( 2017 -- present ) The 2016 -- 17 season was marred by injuries and unexpected losses for the Cavaliers ; James later described it as one of the `` strangest '' years of his career. Following a January defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans, he publicly criticized Cleveland 's front office for constructing a team that he felt was too `` top heavy '', for which he received criticism. The Cavaliers finished the season as the East 's second seed, with James averaging 26.4 points and career highs in rebounds ( 8.6 ), assists ( 8.7 ), and turnovers ( 4.1 ) per game. In Game 3 of the first round of the postseason, he registered 41 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists against the Pacers, leading Cleveland to a comeback victory after trailing by 25 points at halftime, representing the largest halftime deficit overcome in NBA playoff history. In Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Celtics, James scored 35 points and surpassed Michael Jordan as the league 's all - time postseason scoring leader. The Cavaliers won the game and the series, advancing to their third consecutive Finals against the Warriors. Behind averages of 33.6 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists per game, James became the first player to average a triple - double in the Finals, but Cleveland was defeated in five games. After starting the 2017 -- 18 season with a 3 -- 5 record, James led the Cavaliers to a 130 -- 122 win over the Washington Wizards on November 3 to end a four - game losing skid. He scored 57 points in the game to set the second - highest point total of his career, making 23 of 34 field - goal tries and all nine free throws, adding 11 rebounds and seven assists. James reached at least 10 points for the 800th game in a row, joining Michael Jordan ( 866 ) as the only other NBA player with a streak that long. James also became the youngest player to reach 29,000 career points in the NBA. On November 28, 2017, James was ejected for the first time in his career during the third quarter of the Cavaliers ' 108 -- 97 win over the Miami Heat. James was in the midst of his 1,082 nd career regular season game, and 1,299 th overall. On December 16, 2017, he had his 60th career triple - double in a 109 -- 100 win over the Utah Jazz. James had his fifth triple - double of the season and passed Larry Bird for sixth on the career list. National team career James attempts a shot over China 's Yao Ming at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. James made his debut for the United States national team at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. He spent the Games mostly on the bench, 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 active NBA players 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. The team finished the tournament with an 8 -- 1 record, winning another bronze medal. James 's 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. 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 do n'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. James did not play at the 2010 FIBA World Championship but rejoined Team USA for the 2012 Olympics in London, England. He became the leader of the team with Kobe Bryant, who would soon be 34, stepping back. James facilitated the offense from the post and perimeter, called the defensive sets, and provided scoring when needed. During a game against Australia, he recorded the first triple - double in U.S. Olympic basketball history with 11 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists. Team USA went on to win their second straight gold medal, again defeating Spain in the final game. James contributed 19 points in the win, becoming the all - time leading scorer in U.S. men 's basketball history. He also joined Michael Jordan as the only players to win an NBA MVP award, NBA championship, NBA Finals MVP, and Olympic gold medal in the same year. Afterwards, Krzyzewski said James `` is the best player, he is the best leader and he is as smart as anybody playing the game right now. '' Player Profile `` It 's not just that ( LeBron James ) is really good in his 15th year. He 's the best player. '' -- Greg Anthony, NBA TV and TNT analyst Standing 6 feet 8 inches ( 2.03 m ) and weighing 250 pounds ( 113.4 kg ), James has started at small forward and power forward, but he can also play the other three positions. With career averages of 27.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 1.6 steals per game, he is considered one of the most athletic and versatile players in the NBA, and has been compared to Hall of Famers Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan. Since 2011, he has been ranked the best player in the NBA by ESPN and Sports Illustrated. Many basketball analysts, coaches, fans, and current and former players consider James to be one of the greatest players of all - time, often ranking him as the best small forward and in the top five overall. He has earned All - NBA honors every season since his sophomore year, All - Defensive honors every season from 2009 to 2014, and was named Rookie of the Year in his debut season. With four MVP awards, he is part of a select group of players who have won the award four times, including Kareem Abdul - Jabbar, Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, and Bill Russell ; James and Russell are the only two players who have won four MVP awards in a five - year span. While James has never won the Defensive Player of the Year Award, he has finished second in the voting twice and lists it as one of his main goals. James has appeared in the Finals eight times and won three championships. Some analysts have criticized him for not having a better Finals record, while others have defended him, arguing that James usually performed well but was defeated by superior competition. Offense James drives to the basket in March 2008. A deft finisher, he led the NBA in scoring and shooting percentage at the rim in 2013. Upon entering the NBA as a 19 - year - old rookie, James made an immediate offensive impact and led the Cavaliers in scoring. He holds numerous `` youngest to '' distinctions, including being the youngest player to score 28,000 career points. During his first stint in Cleveland, he was primarily used as an on - ball point forward. His shooting tendencies were perimeter - oriented, and he established himself as one of the best slashers and finishers in basketball ; he led the NBA in three - point plays in 2006. His combination of speed, quickness, and size often created matchup problems for opposing teams as he was capable of blowing by larger defenders and overpowering smaller ones. These qualities became more apparent in transition, where he developed a reputation for grabbing defensive rebounds and then beating the defense downcourt for highlight - quality baskets. Around this time, James was frequently criticized for not having developed a reliable jump shot or post game. Teams would try to exploit these weaknesses by giving him space in the half court and forcing him to settle for three - pointers and long two - pointers, a strategy famously utilized by Spurs coach Greg Popovich in the 2007 Finals, where James converted on only 36 percent of his field goals in four games. In Miami, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra changed James 's role to a more unconventional one. James began spending more time in the post and shooting fewer three - pointers, attempting a career - low 149 in 2012. He improved his shot selection and accuracy on jump shots, finishing second in the league in catch - and - shoot field goal percentage in 2013. He also learned how to work as an off - ball cutter in the Heat 's `` pass - happy '' offense. Behind these improvements, James 's overall scoring efficiency rose to historically - great levels, peaking in 2014 when he registered a 64.9 true shooting percentage. During this period, ESPN 's Tom Haberstroh called James 's free - throw shooting his biggest weakness, describing it as `` average ''. Upon returning to the Cavaliers, James began to experience subtle age - related declines in productivity, posting his lowest scoring averages since his rookie season in 2015 and 2016. His shooting also temporarily regressed, and he briefly ranked as the worst high - volume outside shooter from outside the paint in the NBA. Despite these changes, he has remained an elite offensive player who is capable of beating defenses with body control, strength, and varying attacking speeds. James 's playmaking ability is generally considered to be one of his premier skills, with some analysts ranking him among the greatest passers in NBA history. He is the only frontcourt player in league history to register over 7,000 career assists. Using his size, vision, and the attention he garners from opposing defenses to his advantage, James is able to create easy points for his teammates with accurate assists, manufacturing a league leading 2.6 three - pointers per game by way of his passing alone in 2013. He will often execute passes that would normally be considered unconventional, including passes after leaving his feet and passes through defensive traffic. His uncanny tendency to find the open man played a significant role in the evolution of modern NBA defenses, forcing teams to incorporate some elements of zone into their schemes to better cover the weak side of the court and prevent James from passing to open shooters. Early in James 's career, he was criticized by the media for his play in pressure situations ; specifically, for passing instead of shooting in the waning seconds of close games. In a 2011 interview, teammate Chris Bosh stated that he would rather have Dwyane Wade take a last - second shot than James. Later in James 's career, his clutch play was viewed more favorably ; for example, a 2011 article by Henry Abbott revealed that James had a better shooting percentage with the game on the line than such notables as Ray Allen and Kobe Bryant. In 2015, FiveThirtyEight wrote that he might be `` the most clutch playoff shooter of his generation ''. Defense At the beginning of James 's NBA career, he was considered to be a poor defensive player, but he improved steadily through the years. Near the end of his first tenure in Cleveland, he became proficient at the chase - down block, which involved coming in from behind the opposition in transition to block their shot. In Miami, he developed into a more versatile defensive player, and the Heat relied on him to guard all five positions. James was paired with teammates Shane Battier and Dwyane Wade, and Miami used him in an ultra-aggressive defensive scheme, with James cheating off the ball to help out inside or get into rebounding position. Beginning in 2014, some analysts noted a regression in his defensive impact, stemming from a lack of effort and expected age - related declines. James himself admitted to taking plays off at times, referring to this approach as `` chill mode ''. Writing for ESPN in 2016, Nate Duncan observed that while James tended to take off more plays than in his younger days, he was able to raise his level in that year 's Finals and temporarily recapture his Miami form. Personal life James and then Heat teammate Dwyane Wade tape a public service announcement with United States First Lady Michelle Obama in January 2014. At a December 31, 2011, party celebrating New Year 's Eve and his 27th birthday, James proposed to Savannah Brinson, his high school sweetheart. She accepted and the two were married on September 14, 2013 in San Diego. Together, they have three children : LeBron James Jr. ( b. 2004 ), Bryce Maximus James ( b. 2007 ), and Zhuri James ( b. 2014 ). During his tenure with the Heat, James resided in Coconut Grove, an affluent Miami neighborhood, where he bought a $9 million three - story mansion overlooking Biscayne Bay. In November 2015, James bought a 9,350 square - foot East Coast -- style mansion in Brentwood, Los Angeles for about $21 million. James is an active supporter of the Boys & Girls Club of America, Children 's Defense Fund, and ONEXONE. He also has his own charity foundation, the LeBron James Family Foundation, which is based in Akron. Since 2005, the foundation has held an annual bike - a-thon in Akron to raise money for various causes. In 2015, James announced a partnership with the University of Akron to provide scholarships for as many as 2,300 children beginning in 2021. In 2016, he donated $2.5 million to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture to support an exhibit about Muhammad Ali. In 2017, he received the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award from the NBA for his `` outstanding service and dedication to the community ''. In November of that same year, the school board of Ohio approved of the `` I Promise '' Elementary School, a public school created in a partnership with the LeBron James Family Foundation to help struggling elementary school students ( currently 3rd and 4th graders ) stay in school and help retain information more easily. James later noted that it was his most important professional accomplishment yet. Business interests James is represented by agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports. His first agent was Aaron Goodwin, whom he left in 2005 for Leon Rose. Rose joined Creative Artists Agency ( CAA ) in 2007, and he worked with fellow CAA agent Henry Thomas, who represented Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, to bring James to Miami in 2010. James left CAA for Paul in 2012. James, Paul, Maverick Carter, and Randy Mims -- all childhood friends -- formed agent and sports - marketing company LRMR after James left Goodwin. LRMR handles James 's marketing, including the marketing of The Decision, for which it was criticized. Throughout his career, James has taken a unique approach to his playing contracts, usually opting to sign shorter term deals in order to maximize his earnings potential and flexibility ; for example, in 2006, he and the Cavaliers negotiated a three - year, $60 million contract extension instead of the four - year maximum as it allotted him the option of seeking a new contract worth more money as an unrestricted free agent following the 2010 season. This move ultimately allowed James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh to sign with the Heat together. During his second stint in Cleveland, he began opting out and re-signing on new contracts after each season in order to take advantage of higher salaries resulting from the NBA 's rising salary cap. In 2016, he signed with the Cavaliers on a three - year deal, becoming the highest - paid player in the league for the first time in his career. James has been the recipient of numerous endorsement contracts ; some of the companies he does business with are Audemars Piguet, Coca - Cola, Dunkin ' Brands, McDonald 's, Nike, State Farm, and Samsung. Coming out of high school, he was the target of a three - way bidding war among Nike, Reebok, and Adidas, eventually signing with Nike for approximately $90 million. His signature shoes have performed well for Nike. In 2011, Fenway Sports Group became the sole global marketer of his rights, and as part of the deal, he was granted a minority stake in the English Premier League football club Liverpool FC, who he has claimed his support for. As a result of James 's endorsement money and NBA salary, he has been listed as one of the world 's highest - paid athletes. In 2013, he surpassed Kobe Bryant as the highest paid basketball player in the world, with earnings of $56.5 million. In 2014, James realized a profit of more than $30 million as part of Apple 's acquisition of Beats Electronics ; he had originally struck a deal to get a small stake in the company at its inception in exchange for promoting its headphones. In 2015, he was ranked the sixth highest earning sportsperson, and third highest in 2016 ( after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi ). James has stated that we would like to own an NBA team in the future, albeit in a hands - off capacity. James and comedian Jimmy Kimmel co-hosted the 2007 ESPY Awards. In other comedic pursuits, he hosted the 33rd - season premiere of Saturday Night Live. He has also tried his hand at acting, appearing in a cameo role on the HBO series Entourage. In 2015, he played himself in the Judd Apatow film Trainwreck, receiving positive reviews for his performance. That same year, James 's digital video company, Uninterrupted, raised $15.8 million from Warner Bros. Entertainment and Turner Sports to help expand the company 's efforts to bring athlete - created content to fans. It is hosted on Bleacher Report and is used by several other athletes including New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman. Along with business partner Maverick Carter, James owns production company SpringHill Entertainment, whose first work was the Lions Gate documentary More Than a Game, released in 2009 and chronicling James 's high school years. Series produced by SpringHill include the Disney XD sports documentaries Becoming, Starz sitcom Survivor 's Remorse, and animated web series The LeBrons. In 2016, CNBC aired an unscripted series hosted by James called Cleveland Hustles, where four up - and - coming Northern Ohio entrepreneurs will be financed on the condition of revitalizing a neighborhood in Cleveland. In the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival, a 60 - minute Vince Carter documentary entitled The Carter Effect was executive produced by James and Maverick Carter along with rapper Drake and Future the Prince. Public image James is considered by many people -- including his fellow players -- to be the `` face of the NBA ''. His opinions have yielded significant influence on important league decisions ; for example, in 2014 he asked commissioner Adam Silver to increase the duration of the All - Star break, and the request was granted the following season. On February 13, 2015, James was elected the first Vice President of the National Basketball Players Association ( NBPA ). Throughout his career, James has been ranked by Forbes as one of the world 's most influential athletes, and in 2017, he was listed by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. During his first stint with the Cavaliers, he was adored by local fans, with Sherwin - Williams displaying a giant Nike - produced banner of James on its world headquarters. Despite their affection for James, Cleveland fans and critics were frequently annoyed when he attended Cleveland Indians baseball games versus the New York Yankees sporting a Yankees hat. Following his actions during the 2010 free agency period and, more specifically, The Decision, he was listed as one of the world 's most disliked athletes. By 2013, his image had mostly recovered and he was reported by ESPN as the most popular player in the NBA for the second time in his career. In 2014, he was named the most popular male athlete in America by the Harris Poll. He has led the league in jersey sales six times. The WWI Destroy This Mad Brute poster and the April 2008 Vogue cover with James and Gisele Bündchen, which critics said referenced the earlier poster. In March 2008, James became the first black man -- and third man overall after Richard Gere and George Clooney -- to appear on the cover of Vogue, posing with Gisele Bündchen. Some sports bloggers and columnists considered the cover offensive, describing the demeanor of James and his holding Bündchen as a reference to classic imagery of the movie monster King Kong, a dark savage capturing his light - skinned love interest. Throughout his career, James has taken stances on controversial issues. On several occasions, he mentioned a feeling of obligation to effect change using his status. Those include the War in Darfur, the Trayvon Martin case, the now - former NBA owner Donald Sterling 's racist comments in 2014, the Michael Brown verdict, and the death of Eric Garner. Following a racist incident at his Los Angeles home in 2017, James stated, `` being black in America is tough. We got a long way to go for us as a society and for us as African Americans until we feel equal in America. '' Later on that same year, in the aftermath of the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, James questioned President Donald Trump 's Make America Great Again slogan by stating `` It 's sad what 's going on in Charlottesville. Is this the direction our country is heading ? Make America Great Again huh ? He said that '' and `` Our youth deserve better ! ! '' In June 2008, James donated $20,000 to a committee to elect Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. Later that year, James gathered almost 20,000 people at the Quicken Loans Arena for a viewing of Obama 's 30 - minute American Stories, American Solutions television advertisement. The ad was shown on a large screen above the stage, where Jay - Z later held a free concert. James later publicly endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Presidential election. NBA career statistics Legend GP Games played GS Games started MPG Minutes per game FG % Field goal percentage 3P % 3 - point field goal percentage FT % Free throw percentage RPG Rebounds per game APG Assists per game SPG Steals per game BPG Blocks per game PPG Points per game Bold Career high † Denotes seasons in which James won an NBA championship * Led the league Regular season Year Team GP GS MPG FG % 3P % FT % RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 2003 -- 04 Cleveland 79 79 39.5. 417. 290. 754 5.5 5.9 1.6. 7 20.9 2004 -- 05 Cleveland 80 80 42.4 *. 472. 351. 750 7.4 7.2 2.2. 7 27.2 2005 -- 06 Cleveland 79 79 42.5. 480. 335. 738 7.0 6.6 1.6. 8 31.4 2006 -- 07 Cleveland 78 78 40.9. 476. 319. 698 6.7 6.0 1.6. 7 27.3 2007 -- 08 Cleveland 75 74 40.4. 484. 315. 712 7.9 7.2 1.8 1.1 30.0 * 2008 -- 09 Cleveland 81 81 37.7. 489. 344. 780 7.6 7.2 1.7 1.1 28.4 2009 -- 10 Cleveland 76 76 39.0. 503. 333. 767 7.3 8.6 1.6 1.0 29.7 2010 -- 11 Miami 79 79 38.8. 510. 330. 759 7.5 7.0 1.6. 6 26.7 2011 -- 12 † Miami 62 62 37.5. 531. 362. 771 7.9 6.2 1.9. 8 27.1 2012 -- 13 † Miami 76 76 37.9. 565. 406. 753 8.0 7.3 1.7. 9 26.8 2013 -- 14 Miami 77 77 37.7. 567. 379. 750 6.9 6.4 1.6. 3 27.1 2014 -- 15 Cleveland 69 69 36.1. 488. 354. 710 6.0 7.4 1.6. 7 25.3 2015 -- 16 † Cleveland 76 76 35.6. 520. 309. 731 7.4 6.8 1.4. 6 25.3 2016 -- 17 Cleveland 74 74 37.8 *. 548. 363. 674 8.6 8.7 1.2. 6 26.4 Career 1,061 1,060 38.9. 501. 342. 740 7.3 7.0 1.6. 8 27.1 All - Star 13 13 29.4. 518. 344. 735 6.0 5.8 1.3. 2 24.2 Playoffs Year Team GP GS MPG FG % 3P % FT % RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 2006 Cleveland 13 13 46.5. 476. 333. 737 8.1 5.8 1.4. 7 30.8 2007 Cleveland 20 20 44.7. 416. 280. 755 8.1 8.0 1.7. 5 25.1 2008 Cleveland 13 13 42.5. 411. 257. 731 7.8 7.6 1.8 1.3 28.2 2009 Cleveland 14 14 41.4. 510. 333. 749 9.1 7.3 1.6. 9 35.3 Cleveland 11 11 41.8. 502. 400. 733 9.3 7.6 1.7 1.8 29.1 2011 Miami 21 21 43.9. 466. 353. 763 8.4 5.9 1.7 1.2 23.7 2012 † Miami 23 23 42.7. 500. 259. 739 9.7 5.6 1.9. 7 30.3 2013 † Miami 23 23 41.7. 491. 375. 777 8.4 6.6 1.8. 8 25.9 2014 Miami 20 20 38.2. 565. 407. 806 7.1 4.8 1.9. 6 27.4 2015 Cleveland 20 20 42.2. 417. 227. 731 11.3 8.5 1.7 1.1 30.1 2016 † Cleveland 21 21 39.1. 525. 340. 661 9.5 7.6 2.3 1.3 26.3 2017 Cleveland 18 18 41.3. 565. 411. 698 9.1 7.8 1.9 1.3 32.8 Career 217 217 42.1. 485. 330. 742 8.9 6.9 1.8 1.0 28.4 Awards and honors Main article : List of career achievements by LeBron James James ( center ) celebrates during the Heat 's 2012 championship parade. NBA Three - time NBA Champion : 2012, 2013, 2016 Three - time NBA Finals MVP : 2012, 2013, 2016 Four - time NBA Most Valuable Player : 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 13 - time NBA All - Star : 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 Two - time NBA All - Star Game MVP : 2006, 2008 11 - time All - NBA First Team : 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 Two - time All - NBA Second Team : 2005, 2007 Five - time NBA All - Defensive First Team : 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 NBA All - Defensive Second Team : 2014 2004 NBA Rookie of the Year 2004 NBA All - Rookie First Team 2008 NBA Scoring Champion 2017 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award National team Two - time Olympic Gold Medal winner : 2008, 2012 2004 Olympic Bronze Medal winner 2006 FIBA World Championship Bronze Medal winner 2007 FIBA Americas Championship Gold Medal winner 2012 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year Commemorative banner in Miami 's American Airlines Arena ( for his 2012 gold medal won as a member of the Miami Heat ) High school 2003 National Champion Three - time OHSAA Champion : 2000, 2001, 2003 Two - time Gatorade National Player of the Year 2002, 2003 Two - time USA Today High School Player of the Year 2002, 2003 Three - time Ohio Mr. Basketball : 2001, 2002, 2003 Three - time USA Today All - USA First Team : 2001, 2002, 2003 Two - time PARADE High School Player of the Year : 2002, 2003 2003 Naismith Prep Player of the Year 2003 McDonald 's National Player of the Year 2003 McDonald 's High School All - American 2003 McDonald 's All - American Game 2003 2003 EA Sports Roundball Classic MVP 2003 Jordan Capital Classic MVP Number 23 retired by St. Vincent - St. Mary St. Vincent - St. Mary Hall of Fame ( class of 2011 ) St. Vincent - St. Mary home basketball court named The LeBron James Arena Other Three - time Cleveland Sports Awards Professional Athlete of the Year : 2009, 2016, 2017 Two - time AP Athlete of the Year ( 2013, 2016 ) Two - time Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year ( 2012, 2016 ) 2012 Sporting News Athlete of the Year 2006 Sporting News NBA MVP 2004 Sporting News Rookie of the Year Sports Illustrated NBA All - Decade First Team ( 2000s ) 17 - time ESPY Award winner in various categories ( 13 individually, four as part of a team ) Two - time Hickok Belt winner : 2012, 2013 2017 NAACP Image Awards -- Jackie Robinson Award South Main Street in downtown Akron renamed King James Way 10 - story commemorative banner in downtown Cleveland Six - story commemorative banner in downtown Akron Honorary lockers at Ohio State 's football and basketball facilities See also Basketball portal National Basketball Association portal NBA regular season records NBA post-season records NBA All - Star Game records List of National Basketball Association career scoring leaders List of National Basketball Association career assists leaders List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders List of National Basketball Association career turnovers leaders List of National Basketball Association career 3 - point scoring leaders List of National Basketball Association career free throw scoring leaders List of National Basketball Association franchise career scoring leaders List of National Basketball Association career playoff scoring leaders List of National Basketball Association career playoff rebounding leaders List of National Basketball Association career playoff assists leaders List of National Basketball Association career playoff steals leaders List of National Basketball Association career playoff turnovers leaders List of National Basketball Association career playoff 3 - point scoring leaders List of National Basketball Association career playoff free throw scoring leaders List of National Basketball Association players with 1,000 games played List of National Basketball Association players with most points in a game List of National Basketball Association season minutes leaders List of Olympic medalists in basketball History of the Miami Heat Cleveland Cavaliers draft history Notes Jump up ^ Assists were recorded as an official Olympic statistic starting in 1976. 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Jump up ^ Morre, Matt ( March 10, 2012 ). `` Heat 93, Pacers 91 : LeBron is clutch, then not clutch, clutch enough ? ''. CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on March 28, 2012. Jump up ^ Jackson, Scoop ( March 8, 2012 ). `` LeBron 's stomach - turning stigma ''. ESPN.com. Archived from the original on March 28, 2012. Jump up ^ Chiavetta, Ryan ( January 13, 2012 ). `` Chris Bosh Says Dwyane Wade, Not Lebron James, Should Be Heat Closer ''. New England Sports Network. Archived from the original on January 13, 2012. Jump up ^ Abbott, Henry. `` The truth about Kobe Bryant in crunch time ''. ESPN.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2011. Retrieved June 28, 2012. Jump up ^ Pane, Neil. `` LeBron May Be The Most Clutch Playoff Shooter Of His Generation ''. Retrieved May 22, 2015. Jump up ^ `` LeBron against the all - time greats ''. ESPN. Retrieved June 11, 2013. Jump up ^ Haberstroh, Tom. `` ' Point center ' LeBron James fourth in DPOY ''. ESPN. Retrieved June 11, 2013. Jump up ^ Lowe, Zach. `` Lights, Cameras, Revolution ''. Grantland. Retrieved June 11, 2013. Jump up ^ Harper, Zach. `` LeBron James ' defensive assignment allows versatility for Miami Heat ''. CBS Sports. Retrieved June 11, 2013. Jump up ^ Haberstroh, Tom. `` Who 's the real plus - minus MVP ? ''. ESPN Insider. Retrieved June 8, 2014. Jump up ^ Partnow, Seth. `` Here 's proof LeBron James is exiting the prime of his career ''. The Washington Post. Retrieved August 7, 2016. Jump up ^ Pelton, Kevin. `` LeBron 's ' chill mode ' hurting Cavs ''. ESPN. Retrieved April 8, 2017. Jump up ^ Duncan, Nate. `` Player profiles : Projecting LeBron, Kyrie, Love and the Cavs ''. ESPN Insider. Retrieved October 26, 2016. Jump up ^ Wire Reports ( January 1, 2012 ). `` LeBron James and Savannah Brinson are engaged ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 2, 2012. Jump up ^ `` LEBRON WEDS GIRLFRIEND IN SAN DIEGO ''. AP. Retrieved September 15, 2013. Jump up ^ Amato. `` LeBron James ' Kids : 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know ''. Heavy.com. Retrieved October 7, 2015. Jump up ^ Said. `` LeBron James Kids ''. TheRichest. Retrieved October 7, 2015. Jump up ^ CNN Library. `` LeBron James Fast Facts ''. CNN. Retrieved August 18, 2014. Jump up ^ Carter, Nicole ( December 9, 2010 ). `` Miami heat : LeBron James buys $9 M mansion in Coconut Grove, Fla ''. New York : NY Daily News. Retrieved July 4, 2012. Jump up ^ `` LeBron James Snags Brentwood Mansion for $21 Million ''. Variety. November 10, 2015. Jump up ^ `` LeBron James Charity Work, Events and Causes ''. Look to the Stars. Retrieved July 1, 2012. Jump up ^ `` The LeBron James Family Foundation to Unveil its Brand New Website, LeBronJamesFamilyFoundation.org ''. NBA.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012. Jump up ^ `` LeBron 's bike event stresses education ''. ESPN.com. Associated Press. Retrieved July 1, 2012. Jump up ^ ESPN.com news services. `` LeBron James, Akron to fund 4 - year scholarships for I Promise students ''. ESPN. Retrieved October 3, 2015. Jump up ^ `` LeBron James donates $2.5 million to Smithsonian 's Muhammad Ali exhibit ''. ESPN.com. November 17, 2016. Retrieved November 17, 2016. Jump up ^ `` LeBron James Wins PBWA 's 2016 - 17 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award ''. Cleveland Cavaliers Official Website. Retrieved May 21, 2017. Jump up ^ https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2017/11/28/board-oks-plan-for-lebron-james-i-promise-school-in-akron/108092894/ Jump up ^ https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2017/11/30/lebron-james-opening-school-most-important-professional-accomplishment/909374001/ Jump up ^ `` LeBron James -- Forbes ''. Forbes. Retrieved June 9, 2013. Jump up ^ Windhost, Brian ( September 13, 2012 ). `` LeBron chooses Rich Paul as agent ''. ESPN.com. Archived from the original on September 7, 2014. Jump up ^ Freeman, Eric ( September 13, 2012 ). `` On LeBron James ' bold move to leave CAA, and the league - wide implications that could result ''. yahoo.com. Archived from the original on September 7, 2014. Jump up ^ Taddeo, Lisa ( July 6, 2010 ). `` LeBron James 's Magnum - sized, Ultrashiny, Nike - powered Lawn Mower to the Next Century ''. Esquire. Archived from the original on September 7, 2014. Jump up ^ Windhorst, Brian. `` LeBron James transitioning from businessman to a business, man ''. ESPN. Retrieved May 8, 2016. Jump up ^ Winderman,, Ira ( July 8, 2010 ). `` Sun Sentinel : LeBron James to join Chris Bosh, Heat 's Dwyane Wade ''. SunSentinel. Retrieved July 7, 2013. Jump up ^ `` LeBron officially signs contract extension with Cavs ''. ESPN.com. Retrieved May 7, 2007. Jump up ^ Megdal, Howard. `` LeBron James, decisions, and how Carmelo Anthony squandered all his leverage ''. CBS Sports. Retrieved February 20, 2017. Jump up ^ `` LeBron James Opts Out of Contract ''. International Business Times. Retrieved June 29, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Cavalers Re-sign Forward LeBron James ''. NBA.com. July 10, 2015. Retrieved July 11, 2015. Jump up ^ Sam, Amick. `` LeBron James gets two - year contract with Cavaliers ''. USA Today. Retrieved May 8, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Cavaliers And LeBron James Sign Multi-Year Contract ''. NBA.com. August 12, 2016. Retrieved August 12, 2016. Jump up ^ Bradley, Pat. `` NBA Scoreboard Stats Standings Teams Players Odds LeBron James Just Became NBA 's Highest - Paid Player For First Time Ever ''. NESN. Retrieved September 2, 2016. Jump up ^ Adams, Ariel. `` You Can Now Buy The $51,500 LeBron James Limited Edition Watch By Audemars Piguet ''. Forbes. Retrieved May 27, 2017. ^ Jump up to : Highkin, Sean. `` Magic Johnson thinks LeBron does n't have enough endorsements ''. USA Today. Retrieved June 9, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Dunkin ' aims at China with pork donuts, LeBron James ''. Reuters. March 5, 2012. Retrieved June 5, 2012. Jump up ^ `` James to endorse for McDonald 's ''. ESPN.com. Associated Press. Retrieved July 4, 2012. Jump up ^ `` LeBron James enters partnership with State Farm ''. USA Today. February 13, 2008. Retrieved October 27, 2009. Jump up ^ Rovell, Darren. `` LeBron James Signs New Deal With Nike ''. CNBC. Retrieved June 9, 2013. Jump up ^ Berman, John. `` Is LeBron James Worth $90 Million ? ''. ABC News. Retrieved June 9, 2013. Jump up ^ Eagle, Ben. `` LeBron James reportedly leads all NBA players in U.S. shoe sales ''. Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on June 9, 2013. Retrieved June 9, 2013. Jump up ^ Futterman, Matthew ( April 6, 2011 ). `` LeBron James in Deal With Fenway Sports ''. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 6, 2011. Jump up ^ `` 10 famous Liverpool fans from North America ''. Liverpool FC. April 12, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2015. Jump up ^ Badenhausen, Kurt. `` Full List : The World 's 50 Highest - Paid Athletes ''. Forbes. Retrieved July 2, 2012. Jump up ^ Golliver, Ben. `` LeBron James passes Kobe Bryant on SI 's ' Fortunate 50 ' highest - earning athletes list ''. Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2013. Jump up ^ Windhorst, Brian. `` Heat look to target Carmelo Anthony ''. ESPN. Retrieved June 21, 2014. Jump up ^ `` The World 's Highest - Paid Celebrities ''. Forbes. November 15, 2015. Jump up ^ `` The World 's Highest Paid Athletes List 2016 ''. Forbes. June 15, 2016. Jump up ^ `` LeBron James : `` My Dream Is To Actually Own An NBA Team '' ``. Jump up ^ ESPN.com news services. `` LeBron, Kimmel to co-host ESPY Awards ''. ESPN.com. Retrieved February 26, 2013. Jump up ^ `` SNL Transcripts : LeBron James ''. SNL Transcripts. Retrieved February 26, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Lebron James Matt Damon `` Entourage '' Cameo October 4 ``. Pop Crunch. Retrieved July 2, 2012. Jump up ^ Smith, Troy L. `` LeBron James filming ' Trainwreck ' with Amy Schumer and other movie projects ''. Cleveland.com. Retrieved August 31, 2014. Jump up ^ `` The Greatest Movie Performance by an Active Professional Basketball Player ''. The New Yorker. July 20, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2015. Jump up ^ `` LeBron James 's confessional video web site for athletes gets investment from Turner and Warner Bros ''. Mashable. Retrieved December 3, 2015. Jump up ^ `` LeBron James ' SpringHill Entertainment Signs Deal With Warner Bros ''. Hollywood Reporter. July 22, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2016. Jump up ^ Levin, Josh. `` Self - Love and Basketball ''. Slate. Retrieved February 26, 2013. Jump up ^ Windhorst, Brian ( February 10, 2015 ). `` Disney XD picks up ' Becoming ' ''. ESPN. Retrieved May 16, 2016. Jump up ^ `` King of Comedy : Trailer for LeBron 's new sitcom released ''. Fox Sports. Retrieved August 31, 2014. Jump up ^ `` The LeBrons : Season 2 Kickoff Party with LeBron James ''. Houston Press. February 18, 2013. Retrieved May 16, 2016. Jump up ^ `` LeBron James ' reality TV show ' Cleveland Hustles ' to premiere Aug. 24 ''. Crain 's Cleveland Business. April 1, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2016. Jump up ^ `` '' The Carter Effect '' Trailer ``. cowbellkingdom.com. Retrieved August 24, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Look : LeBron, business partner dine with Drake ''. theScore.com. Retrieved August 24, 2017. Jump up ^ Vardon, Joe. `` LeBron James is the ' face ' of the NBA, but is Stephen Curry next ? ''. Cleveland.com. Retrieved February 16, 2015. Jump up ^ Feldman, Dan. `` LeBron James reportedly asked Adam Silver for longer All - Star break, fewer back - to - backs ''. NBC Sports. Retrieved February 16, 2015. Jump up ^ Pollakoff, Brett. `` Report : LeBron James elected Vice President of NBA Players Association ''. NBC Sports. Retrieved February 16, 2015. Jump up ^ The Most Influential Athletes. Forbes ; April 21, 2010. Jump up ^ Van Riper, Tom. `` Most Influential Athletes 2013 ''. Forbes. Retrieved July 27, 2013. Jump up ^ Dove, Rita. `` LeBron James : Time 100 ''. Time. Retrieved May 21, 2017. Jump up ^ Cho, Janet. `` Sherwin - Williams replaces LeBron poster with Cleveland skyline ''. Cleveland.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012. Jump up ^ Briggs, David ( October 5, 2007 ). `` LeBron spurns Tribe, sports Yanks cap ''. MLB.com. Jump up ^ America 's Most Disliked Athletes. Forbes ; February 7, 2012. Jump up ^ Rovell, Darren. `` LeBron James NBA 's most popular ''. ESPN. Retrieved July 27, 2013. Jump up ^ Harper, Zach. `` LeBron James is finally the most popular male athlete in America ''. CBS Sports. Retrieved July 25, 2014. Jump up ^ Rovell, Darren. `` LeBron James tops jersey sale ''. ESPN. Retrieved April 27, 2014. ^ Jump up to : `` Some Call LeBron James ' ' Vogue ' Cover Offensive ''. National Public Radio. March 27, 2008. ^ Jump up to : Hill, Jemele ( March 21, 2008 ). `` LeBron should be more careful with his image ''. ESPN.com. Retrieved October 13, 2010. But this cover gave you the double - bonus of having LeBron and Gisele strike poses that others in the blogosphere have noted draw a striking resemblance to the racially charged image of King Kong enveloping his very fair - skinned lady love interest. Jump up ^ Chronicle News Services. `` NBA : LeBron becomes third man on Vogue cover ''. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 26, 2013. ^ Jump up to : Wallace, Michael. `` LeBron : No place for Sterling ''. ESPN. Retrieved April 27, 2014. Jump up ^ `` James Draws Criticism For Stand on Darfur Issue ''. Yahoo. May 28, 2007. Jump up ^ Beck, Howard ( May 16, 2007 ). `` Cavalier Seeks Players ' Support for Darfur ''. The New York Times. Retrieved June 8, 2007. Jump up ^ Zimmerman, Jonathan. `` On Darfur, LeBron James drops the ball ''. Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved June 7, 2007. Jump up ^ Smith, Shelley ( May 16, 2008 ). `` LeBron speaking out on Darfur ''. ESPN. Jump up ^ Hill, Jemele. `` The Heat 's hoodies as change agent ''. ESPN. Retrieved April 27, 2014. Jump up ^ McMenamin, Dave. `` LeBron James : Bigger issues at play ''. ESPN. Retrieved December 11, 2014. Jump up ^ McMenamin, Dave. `` LeBron, Irving in ' I Ca n't Breathe ' tees ''. ESPN. Retrieved December 11, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Racial slur sprayed on LeBron 's house : ' It 's tough being black in America '. CNN. Retrieved August 6, 2017 Jump up ^ Nathan, Alec. `` LeBron James Talks Charlottesville Riots, Questions ' Make America Great Again ' ''. Jump up ^ `` Lebron donates cash to Obama ''. InsideHoops.com. July 31, 2008. Retrieved May 7, 2013. ^ Jump up to : `` Jay - Z, LeBron James get out vote for Obama ''. msnbc. October 30, 2008. Jump up ^ Rooney, Kyle ( November 8, 2016 ). `` Lebron James lets fans know Love, genuine LOVE and FAITH they 'll get through ''. Hotnewhiphop. Retrieved November 8, 2016. Jump up ^ `` LeBron James ''. USA Basketball Official Website. Retrieved June 22, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Andrew Wiggins Named Naismith Player of the Year ; Quincy Lewis Named Coach of the Year ''. SLAM Online. Retrieved July 4, 2013. Jump up ^ Grimala, Michael. `` Shabazz Muhammad is McDonald 's POY ''. ESPN. Retrieved July 4, 2013. Jump up ^ `` McDonald 's High School Basketball All American Teams ''. Basketball Reference. Retrieved July 4, 2013. ^ Jump up to : `` Cleveland Cavaliers choose LeBron James with No. 1 pick in 2003 : NBA Draft rewind ''. Cleveland.com. Retrieved July 4, 2013. Jump up ^ `` James ' Number Retired ''. Associated Press via cincinnati.com. Retrieved February 20, 2003. Jump up ^ `` LeBron James Arena ''. St. Vincent - St. Mary High School. Archived from the original on April 28, 2015. Retrieved April 25, 2015. Jump up ^ `` LeBron James Arena ''. St. Vincent St. Mary. Archived from the original on July 6, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Finalists & Past Winners ''. Cleveland Sports Awards. Retrieved January 28, 2016. Jump up ^ Young, Royce. `` LeBron James named 2013 AP Male Athlete of the Year ''. CBS Sports. Retrieved March 29, 2016. Jump up ^ Jenkins, Lee ( December 3, 2012 ). `` Miami Heat 's LeBron James named SI 's Sportsman of the Year ''. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 19, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Sporting News Athlete of the Year 2012 ''. Sporting News. Retrieved July 19, 2013. Jump up ^ `` James, Nash share Sporting News MVP award ''. ESPN. Retrieved June 22, 2013. Jump up ^ `` NBA & ABA Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award Winners ''. Basketball Reference. Retrieved June 22, 2013. Jump up ^ `` The NBA All - Decade Team ''. Sports Illustrated. December 15, 2009. Retrieved July 19, 2013. Jump up ^ `` 2016 ESPY Awards ''. ESPN. Retrieved July 14, 2016. ^ Jump up to : `` Akron designates downtown street `` King James Way '' ``. Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved June 23, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Cleveland landmark not going anywhere ''. Fox Sports. Retrieved June 28, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Sherwin Williams elects to keep iconic LeBron James banner up ''. CBS Sports. Retrieved June 29, 2016. Jump up ^ `` LeBron James has honorary locker at OSU ''. Fox Sports. Retrieved 2013 - 09 - 03. Jump up ^ `` LeBron James has football locker at OSU ''. Cavaliers 24 / 7. Retrieved 2016 - 08 - 16. Further reading Freedman, Lew ( 2008 ). LeBron James : A Biography. Westport, CT : Greenwood Press. ISBN 978 - 0 - 313 - 34361 - 2. Morgan, David Lee ( 2003 ). LeBron James : The Rise of a Star. Cleveland : Gray & Co. ISBN 1 - 886228 - 74 - 4. Pluto, Terry ; Windhorst, Brian ( 2007 ). The Franchise : Lebron James and the Remaking of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland : Gray & Co. ISBN 1 - 59851 - 028 - 2. External links Find more aboutLeBron Jamesat Wikipedia 's sister projects Media from Wikimedia Commons News from Wikinews Quotations from Wikiquote Career statistics and player information from NBA.com, or Basketball-Reference.com Official website NBA.com Prospect Profile : LeBron James USA Basketball -- LeBron James 100 Olympic Athletes to Watch : 1. LeBron James LeBron James ' 61 - point game vs Charlotte Bobcats on YouTube LeBron James on IMDb `` LeBron James collected news and commentary ''. The New York Times. LeBron James Main Career achievements 40 - plus point games The Decision The Block Films More than a Game Other Big Three ( Miami Heat ) Big Three ( Cleveland Cavaliers ) The LeBrons Cleveland Cavaliers current roster 0 Love 1 Rose 3 Thomas 4 Shumpert 5 Smith 8 Frye 9 Wade 10 Holland ( TW ) 13 Thompson 15 Perrantes ( TW ) 16 Osman 23 James 26 Korver 32 Green 41 Žižić 81 Calderón 99 Crowder Head coach : Lue Assistant coaches : Boylan Drew ( Assoc. HC ) Handy Jones Longabardi Posey Potapenko Links to related articles Mr. Basketball USA winners 1955 : Chamberlain 1956 : Robertson 1957 : Lucas 1958 : Lucas 1959 : Raftery 1960 : Hawkins 1961 : Bradley 1962 : Russell 1963 : Lacy 1964 : Alcindor 1965 : Alcindor 1966 : Murphy 1967 : Haywood 1968 : Westphal 1969 : McGinnis 1970 : McMillen 1971 : Lucas 1972 : Buckner 1973 : Dantley 1974 : Malone 1975 : Cartwright 1976 : Griffith 1977 : King 1978 : Aguirre 1979 : Kellogg 1980 : Rivers 1981 : Ewing 1982 : Tisdale 1983 : R. Williams 1984 : J. Williams 1985 : Ferry 1986 : Reid 1987 : Johnson 1988 : Mourning 1989 : Anderson 1990 : Bailey 1991 : Webber 1992 : Kidd 1993 : Wallace 1994 : Lopez 1995 : Garnett 1996 : Bibby 1997 : McGrady 1998 : Lewis 1999 : Bender 2000 : Miles 2001 : Wagner 2002 : James 2003 : James 2004 : Telfair 2005 : Ellis 2006 : Oden 2007 : Mayo 2008 : Jennings 2009 : Favors 2010 : Barnes 2011 : Kidd - Gilchrist 2012 : Muhammad 2013 : Wiggins 2014 : Alexander 2015 : Simmons 2016 : Ball Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award winners 1987 : Scott 1988 : Mourning 1989 : Anderson 1990 : Bailey 1991 : Webber 1992 : Kidd 1993 : Livingston 1994 : Ward 1995 : Mercer 1996 : Bryant 1997 : Battier 1998 : Harrington 1999 : Harvey 2000 : Wallace 2001 : Wagner 2002 : Felton 2003 : James 2004 : Howard 2005 : Williams 2006 : Oden 2007 : Love 2008 : Jennings 2009 : Favors 2010 : Sullinger 2011 : Rivers 2012 : Muhammad 2013 : Wiggins 2014 : Alexander 2015 : Simmons 2016 : Ball 2017 : Porter USA Today High School Boys ' Basketball Player of the Year Award 1983 : Williams 1984 : Brooks 1985 : Ferry 1986 : Reid 1987 : Liberty 1988 : Mourning 1989 : Anderson 1990 : Bailey 1991 : Webber 1992 : Kidd 1993 : Wallace 1994 : Lopez 1995 : Garnett 1996 : Bryant 1997 : McGrady 1998 : Harrington 1999 : Harvey 2000 : Wallace 2001 : Wagner 2002 : James 2003 : James 2004 : Howard 2005 : Oden 2006 : Oden 2007 : Love 2008 : Samuels 2009 : Favors 2010 : Barnes 2011 : Rivers 2012 : Noel 2013 : Wiggins 2014 : Okafor 2015 : Simmons 2016 : Ball 2017 : Porter Gatorade High School Basketball Player of the Year Award Boys 1986 : J.R. Reid 1987 : LaBradford Smith 1988 : Alonzo Mourning 1989 : Kenny Anderson 1990 : Damon Bailey 1991 : Chris Webber 1992 : Corliss Williamson 1993 : Randy Livingston 1994 : Felipe Lopez 1995 : Stephon Marbury 1996 : Kobe Bryant 1997 : Baron Davis 1998 : Al Harrington 1999 : LaVell Blanchard 2000 : Jared Jeffries 2001 : Kelvin Torbert 2002 : LeBron James 2003 : LeBron James 2004 : Dwight Howard 2005 : Greg Oden 2006 : Greg Oden 2007 : Kevin Love 2008 : Jrue Holiday 2009 : Brandon Knight 2010 : Brandon Knight 2011 : Bradley Beal 2012 : Jabari Parker 2013 : Andrew Wiggins 2014 : Karl - Anthony Towns 2015 : Ben Simmons 2016 : Jayson Tatum 2017 : Michael Porter Girls 1986 : Susan Anderson 1987 : Kris Durham 1988 : Vicki Hall 1989 : Lisa Harrison 1990 : Lisa Leslie 1991 : Michelle Marciniak 1992 : Katie Smith 1993 : La'Keshia Frett 1994 : Monick Foote 1995 : Stephanie White 1996 : Jamie Walz 1997 : Nikki Teasley 1998 : Tamika Williams 1999 : Nicole Kaczmarski 2000 : Shereka Wright 2001 : Shyra Ely 2002 : Ann Strother 2003 : Candace Parker 2004 : Candace Parker 2005 : Abby Waner 2006 : Tina Charles 2007 : Maya Moore 2008 : Nneka Ogwumike 2009 : Skylar Diggins 2010 : Chiney Ogwumike 2011 : Kaleena Mosqueda - Lewis 2012 : Breanna Stewart 2013 : Mercedes Russell 2014 : Brianna Turner 2015 : Katie Lou Samuelson 2016 : Erin Boley 2017 : Megan Walker Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year Award Boys 2003 : LeBron James 2004 : Dwight Howard 2005 : Greg Paulus 2006 : Greg Oden 2007 : Kevin Love 2008 : Matt Barkley 2009 : Garrett Gilbert 2010 : Brandon Knight 2011 : Dylan Bundy 2012 : Johnathan Gray 2013 : Andrew Wiggins 2014 : Karl - Anthony Towns 2015 : Kyler Murray 2016 : Jayson Tatum 2017 : MacKenzie Gore Girls 2003 : Allyson Felix 2004 : Candace Parker 2005 : Cynthia Barboza 2006 : Tina Charles 2007 : Maya Moore 2008 : Chanelle Price 2009 : Skylar Diggins 2010 : Chiney Ogwumike 2011 : Morgan Brian 2012 : Breanna Stewart 2013 : Morgan Andrews 2014 : Brianna Turner 2015 : Candace Hill 2016 : Sydney McLaughlin 2017 : Sydney McLaughlin McDonald 's Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year 1997 : Battier 1998 : Curry 1999 : Williams 2000 : Duhon 2001 : Miles 2002 : Francis 2003 : James 2004 : Howard 2005 : McRoberts 2006 : Oden 2007 : Love 2008 : Monroe 2009 : Favors 2010 : Barnes 2011 : Rivers 2012 : Muhammad 2013 : Parker 2014 : Okafor 2015 : Simmons 2016 : Ball 2017 : Carter McDonald 's All - American Game -- Boys ' MVPs 1979 : Daye 1980 : Cross 1981 : Branch & Sherrod 1982 : Winters 1983 : Bennett 1984 : Williams 1985 : Lambiotte 1986 : Reid 1987 : Macon 1988 : Mourning & Owens 1989 : Hurley & O'Neal 1990 : Bradley 1991 : Webber & Brunson 1992 : Harrington 1993 : Vaughn & Stackhouse 1994 : López 1995 : Garnett 1996 : Holloway 1997 : Gregory 1998 : R. Curry 1999 : Bender 2000 : Randolph 2001 : E. Curry 2002 : Redick 2003 : James 2004 : Howard & Smith 2005 : McRoberts 2006 : Budinger & Durant 2007 : Beasley 2008 : Evans 2009 : Favors 2010 : Barnes & Sullinger 2011 : Gilchrist & McAdoo 2012 : Muhammad 2013 : Gordon 2014 : Ju. Jackson & Okafor 2015 : Diallo 2016 : F. Jackson & Jo. Jackson 2017 : Porter Jordan Brand Classic All - American Game -- Boys ' MVPs 2002 : Stoudemire & May 2003 : James & Brown 2004 : Howard 2005 : Hansbrough & Blatche 2006 : Young & Durant 2007 : Greene & Fisher 2008 : Evans & Jennings 2009 : Favors & Sidney 2010 : Barnes & Irving 2011 : Davis & McAdoo 2012 : Purvis & Muhammad 2013 : Randle & Parker 2014 : Alexander & Okafor 2015 : Diallo & Trier 2016 : Fox & Monk 2017 : Bowen & Walker 2003 NBA draft First round LeBron James Darko Miličić Carmelo Anthony Chris Bosh Dwyane Wade Chris Kaman Kirk Hinrich T.J. Ford Michael Sweetney Jarvis Hayes Mickaël Piétrus Nick Collison Marcus Banks Luke Ridnour Reece Gaines Troy Bell Žarko Čabarkapa David West Sasha Pavlović Dahntay Jones Boris Diaw Zoran Planinić Travis Outlaw Brian Cook Carlos Delfino Ndudi Ebi Kendrick Perkins Leandro Barbosa Josh Howard Second round Maciej Lampe Jason Kapono Luke Walton Jerome Beasley Sofoklis Schortsanitis Szymon Szewczyk Mario Austin Travis Hansen Steve Blake Slavko Vraneš Derrick Zimmerman Willie Green Zaza Pachulia Keith Bogans Malick Badiane Matt Bonner Sani Bečirovič Mo Williams James Lang James Jones Paccelis Morlende Kyle Korver Remon van de Hare Tommy Smith Nedžad Sinanović Rick Rickert Brandon Hunter Xue Yuyang Andreas Glyniadakis NBA first overall draft picks 1947 : McNeely 1948 : Tonkovich 1949 : Shannon 1950 : Share 1951 : Melchiorre 1952 : Workman 1953 : Felix 1954 : Selvy 1955 : Ricketts 1956 : Green 1957 : Hundley 1958 : Baylor 1959 : Boozer 1960 : Robertson 1961 : Bellamy 1962 : McGill 1963 : Heyman 1964 : Barnes 1965 : Hetzel 1966 : Russell 1967 : Walker 1968 : Hayes 1969 : Alcindor 1970 : Lanier 1971 : Carr 1972 : L. Martin 1973 : Collins 1974 : Walton 1975 : D. Thompson 1976 : Lucas 1977 : Benson 1978 : M. Thompson 1979 : E. Johnson 1980 : Carroll 1981 : Aguirre 1982 : Worthy 1983 : Sampson 1984 : Olajuwon 1985 : Ewing 1986 : Daugherty 1987 : D. Robinson 1988 : Manning 1989 : Ellison 1990 : Coleman 1991 : L. Johnson 1992 : O'Neal 1993 : Webber 1994 : G. Robinson 1995 : Smith 1996 : Iverson 1997 : Duncan 1998 : Olowokandi 1999 : Brand 2000 : K. Martin 2001 : Brown 2002 : Yao 2003 : James 2004 : Howard 2005 : Bogut 2006 : Bargnani 2007 : Oden 2008 : Rose 2009 : Griffin 2010 : Wall 2011 : Irving 2012 : Davis 2013 : Bennett 2014 : Wiggins 2015 : Towns 2016 : Simmons 2017 : Fultz NBA Rookie of the Year Award 1953 : Meineke 1954 : Felix 1955 : Pettit 1956 : Stokes 1957 : Heinsohn 1958 : Sauldsberry 1959 : Baylor 1960 : Chamberlain 1961 : Robertson 1962 : Bellamy 1963 : Dischinger 1964 : Lucas 1965 : Reed 1966 : Barry 1967 : Bing 1968 : Monroe 1969 : Unseld 1970 : Alcindor 1971 : Cowens & Petrie 1972 : Wicks 1973 : McAdoo 1974 : DiGregorio 1975 : Wilkes 1976 : Adams 1977 : Dantley 1978 : Davis 1979 : Ford 1980 : Bird 1981 : Griffith 1982 : Williams 1983 : Cummings 1984 : Sampson 1985 : Jordan 1986 : Ewing 1987 : Person 1988 : Jackson 1989 : Richmond 1990 : Robinson 1991 : Coleman 1992 : Johnson 1993 : O'Neal 1994 : Webber 1995 : Hill & Kidd 1996 : Stoudamire 1997 : Iverson 1998 : Duncan 1999 : Carter 2000 : Brand & Francis 2001 : Miller 2002 : Gasol 2003 : Stoudemire 2004 : James 2005 : Okafor 2006 : Paul 2007 : Roy 2008 : Durant 2009 : Rose 2010 : Evans 2011 : Griffin 2012 : Irving 2013 : Lillard 2014 : Carter - Williams 2015 : Wiggins 2016 : Towns 2017 : Brogdon NBA All - Star Game Most Valuable Player Award 1951 : Macauley 1952 : Arizin 1953 : Mikan 1954 : Cousy 1955 : Sharman 1956 : Pettit 1957 : Cousy 1958 : Pettit 1959 : Baylor & Pettit 1960 : Chamberlain 1961 : Robertson 1962 : Pettit 1963 : Russell 1964 : Robertson 1965 : Lucas 1966 : A. Smith 1967 : Barry 1968 : Greer 1969 : Robertson 1970 : Reed 1971 : Wilkens 1972 : West 1973 : Cowens 1974 : Lanier 1975 : Frazier 1976 : Bing 1977 : Erving 1978 : R. Smith 1979 : Thompson 1980 : Gervin 1981 : Archibald 1982 : Bird 1983 : Erving 1984 : Thomas 1985 : Sampson 1986 : Thomas 1987 : Chambers 1988 : Jordan 1989 : Malone 1990 : Johnson 1991 : Barkley 1992 : Johnson 1993 : Stockton & Malone 1994 : Pippen 1995 : Richmond 1996 : Jordan 1997 : Rice 1998 : Jordan 1999 : No game played 2000 : O'Neal & Duncan 2001 : Iverson 2002 : Bryant 2003 : Garnett 2004 : O'Neal 2005 : Iverson 2006 : James 2007 : Bryant 2008 : James 2009 : Bryant & O'Neal 2010 : Wade 2011 : Bryant 2012 : Durant 2013 : Paul 2014 : Irving 2015 : Westbrook 2016 : Westbrook 2017 : Davis NBA season scoring leaders 1947 : Fulks 1948 : Zaslofsky 1949 : Mikan 1950 : Mikan 1951 : Mikan 1952 : Arizin 1953 : Johnston 1954 : Johnston 1955 : Johnston 1956 : Pettit 1957 : Arizin 1958 : Yardley 1959 : Pettit 1960 : Chamberlain 1961 : Chamberlain 1962 : Chamberlain 1963 : Chamberlain 1964 : Chamberlain 1965 : Chamberlain 1966 : Chamberlain 1967 : Barry 1968 : Bing 1969 : Hayes 1970 : West 1971 : Alcindor 1972 : Abdul - Jabbar 1973 : Archibald 1974 : McAdoo 1975 : McAdoo 1976 : McAdoo 1977 : Maravich 1978 : Gervin 1979 : Gervin 1980 : Gervin 1981 : Dantley 1982 : Gervin 1983 : English 1984 : Dantley 1985 : King 1986 : Wilkins 1987 : Jordan 1988 : Jordan 1989 : Jordan 1990 : Jordan 1991 : Jordan 1992 : Jordan 1993 : Jordan 1994 : Robinson 1995 : O'Neal 1996 : Jordan 1997 : Jordan 1998 : Jordan 1999 : Iverson 2000 : O'Neal 2001 : Iverson 2002 : Iverson 2003 : McGrady 2004 : McGrady 2005 : Iverson 2006 : Bryant 2007 : Bryant 2008 : James 2009 : Wade 2010 : Durant 2011 : Durant 2012 : Durant 2013 : Anthony 2014 : Durant 2015 : Westbrook 2016 : Curry 2017 : Westbrook NBA Most Valuable Player Award 1956 : Pettit 1957 : Cousy 1958 : Russell 1959 : Pettit 1960 : Chamberlain 1961 : Russell 1962 : Russell 1963 : Russell 1964 : Robertson 1965 : Russell 1966 : Chamberlain 1967 : Chamberlain 1968 : Chamberlain 1969 : Unseld 1970 : Reed 1971 : Alcindor 1972 : Abdul - Jabbar 1973 : Cowens 1974 : Abdul - Jabbar 1975 : McAdoo 1976 : Abdul - Jabbar 1977 : Abdul - Jabbar 1978 : Walton 1979 : M. Malone 1980 : Abdul - Jabbar 1981 : Erving 1982 : M. Malone 1983 : M. Malone 1984 : Bird 1985 : Bird 1986 : Bird 1987 : Johnson 1988 : Jordan 1989 : Johnson 1990 : Johnson 1991 : Jordan 1992 : Jordan 1993 : Barkley 1994 : Olajuwon 1995 : Robinson 1996 : Jordan 1997 : K. Malone 1998 : Jordan 1999 : K. Malone 2000 : O'Neal 2001 : Iverson 2002 : Duncan 2003 : Duncan 2004 : Garnett 2005 : Nash 2006 : Nash 2007 : Nowitzki 2008 : Bryant 2009 : James 2010 : James 2011 : Rose 2012 : James 2013 : James 2014 : Durant 2015 : Curry 2016 : Curry 2017 : Westbrook Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award 1969 : West 1970 : Reed 1971 : Alcindor 1972 : Chamberlain 1973 : Reed 1974 : Havlicek 1975 : Barry 1976 : White 1977 : Walton 1978 : Unseld 1979 : D. Johnson 1980 : E. Johnson 1981 : Maxwell 1982 : E. Johnson 1983 : Malone 1984 : Bird 1985 : Abdul - Jabbar 1986 : Bird 1987 : E. Johnson 1988 : Worthy 1989 : Dumars 1990 : Thomas 1991 : Jordan 1992 : Jordan 1993 : Jordan 1994 : Olajuwon 1995 : Olajuwon 1996 : Jordan 1997 : Jordan 1998 : Jordan 1999 : Duncan 2000 : O'Neal 2001 : O'Neal 2002 : O'Neal 2003 : Duncan 2004 : Billups 2005 : Duncan 2006 : Wade 2007 : Parker 2008 : Pierce 2009 : Bryant 2010 : Bryant 2011 : Nowitzki 2012 : James 2013 : James 2014 : Leonard 2015 : Iguodala 2016 : James 2017 : Durant Miami Heat 2011 -- 12 NBA champions 1 Bosh 3 Wade 5 Howard 6 James ( Finals MVP ) 13 Miller 14 Harris 15 Chalmers 21 Turiaf 22 Jones 30 Cole 31 Battier 40 Haslem 45 Pittman 50 Anthony Head coach Spoelstra Assistant coaches McAdoo Askins Rothstein Fizdale Kammerer De La Grana Regular season Playoffs Miami Heat 2012 -- 13 NBA champions 1 Bosh 3 Wade 6 James ( Finals MVP ) 9 Lewis 11 Andersen 13 Miller 15 Chalmers 22 Jones 24 Varnado 30 Cole 31 Battier 34 Allen 40 Haslem 50 Anthony Head coach Spoelstra Assistant coaches McAdoo Askins Rothstein Fizdale Kammerer Craig Regular season Playoffs Cleveland Cavaliers 2015 -- 16 NBA champions 0 Love 1 J. Jones 2 Irving 4 Shumpert 5 Smith 8 Dellavedova 9 Frye 12 McRae 13 Thompson 14 Kaun 20 Mozgov 23 James ( Finals MVP ) 24 Jefferson 30 Dah. Jones 52 Williams Head coach Lue Assistant coaches Brielmaier Boylan Drew Handy Longabardi Dam. Jones Posey Potapenko Regular season Playoffs United States men 's basketball squad -- 2004 Summer Olympics -- Bronze medal 4 Iverson 5 Marbury 6 Wade 7 Boozer 8 Anthony 9 James 10 Okafor 11 Marion 12 Stoudemire 13 Duncan 14 Odom 15 Jefferson Coach : Brown United States squad -- 2006 FIBA World Championship -- Bronze medal 4 Johnson 5 Hinrich 6 James 7 Jamison 8 Battier 9 Wade 10 Paul 11 Bosh 12 Howard 13 Miller 14 Brand 15 Anthony Coach : Krzyzewski United States squad -- 2007 FIBA Americas Championship -- Gold medal 4 Billups 5 Kidd 6 James 7 Williams 8 Redd 9 Prince 10 Bryant 11 Howard 12 Stoudemire 13 Miller 14 Chandler 15 Anthony Coach : Krzyzewski United States men 's basketball squad -- 2008 Summer Olympics -- Gold medal 4 Boozer 5 Kidd 6 James 7 Williams 8 Redd 9 Wade 10 Bryant 11 Howard 12 Bosh 13 Paul 14 Prince 15 Anthony Coach : Krzyzewski United States men 's basketball squad -- 2012 Summer Olympics -- Gold medal 4 Chandler 5 Durant 6 James 7 Westbrook 8 Williams 9 Iguodala 10 Bryant 11 Love 12 Harden 13 Paul 14 Davis 15 Anthony Coach : Krzyzewski USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year 1980 : Thomas 1981 : Boyle 1982 : Rivers 1983 : Jordan 1984 : Jordan & Perkins 1985 : Person 1986 : Robinson 1987 : Manning 1988 : Majerle 1989 : Johnson 1990 : Mourning 1991 : Laettner 1992 : U.S. Olympic team 1993 : Finley 1994 : O'Neal 1995 : Allen 1996 : Pippen 1997 : Boykins 1998 : Brand 1999 : Payton 2000 : Mourning 2001 : Duhon 2002 : Miller 2003 : Duncan 2004 : May & Paul 2005 : Williams 2006 : Anthony 2007 : Kidd 2008 : U.S. Olympic team 2009 : McAdoo 2010 : Durant 2011 : Parker 2012 : James 2013 : Gordon 2014 : Irving 2015 : Brunson 2016 : Anthony & Durant 2017 : Warney Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year 1954 : Roger Bannister 1955 : Johnny Podres 1956 : Bobby Morrow 1957 : Stan Musial 1958 : Rafer Johnson 1959 : Ingemar Johansson 1960 : Arnold Palmer 1961 : Jerry Lucas 1962 : Terry Baker 1963 : Pete Rozelle 1964 : Ken Venturi 1965 : Sandy Koufax 1966 : Jim Ryun 1967 : Carl Yastrzemski 1968 : Bill Russell 1969 : Tom Seaver 1970 : Bobby Orr 1971 : Lee Trevino 1972 : Billie Jean King & John Wooden 1973 : Jackie Stewart 1974 : Muhammad Ali 1975 : Pete Rose 1976 : Chris Evert 1977 : Steve Cauthen 1978 : Jack Nicklaus 1979 : Terry Bradshaw & Willie Stargell 1980 : U.S. Olympic Hockey Team 1981 : Sugar Ray Leonard 1982 : Wayne Gretzky 1983 : Mary Decker 1984 : Edwin Moses & Mary Lou Retton 1985 : Kareem Abdul - Jabbar 1986 : Joe Paterno 1987 : Bob Bourne, Judi Brown King, Kipchoge Keino, Dale Murphy, Chip Rives, Patty Sheehan, Rory Sparrow, & Reggie Williams 1988 : Orel Hershiser 1989 : Greg LeMond 1990 : Joe Montana 1991 : Michael Jordan 1992 : Arthur Ashe 1993 : Don Shula 1994 : Bonnie Blair & Johann Olav Koss 1995 : Cal Ripken Jr. 1996 : Tiger Woods 1997 : Dean Smith 1998 : Mark McGwire & Sammy Sosa 1999 : U.S. Women 's Soccer Team 2000 : Tiger Woods 2001 : Curt Schilling & Randy Johnson 2002 : Lance Armstrong 2003 : David Robinson & Tim Duncan 2004 : Boston Red Sox 2005 : Tom Brady 2006 : Dwyane Wade 2007 : Brett Favre 2008 : Michael Phelps 2009 : Derek Jeter 2010 : Drew Brees 2011 : Mike Krzyzewski & Pat Summitt 2012 : LeBron James 2013 : Peyton Manning 2014 : Madison Bumgarner 2015 : Serena Williams 2016 : LeBron James 2017 : José Altuve & J.J. Watt Sporting News Sportsman / Pro Athlete of the Year 1968 : Denny McLain 1969 : Tom Seaver 1970 : John Wooden 1971 : Lee Trevino 1972 : Charlie Finley 1973 : O.J. Simpson 1974 : Lou Brock 1975 : Archie Griffin 1976 : Larry O'Brien 1977 : Steve Cauthen 1978 : Ron Guidry 1979 : Willie Stargell 1980 : George Brett 1981 : Wayne Gretzky 1982 : Whitey Herzog 1983 : Bowie Kuhn 1984 : Peter Ueberroth 1985 : Pete Rose 1986 : Larry Bird 1987 : None 1988 : Jackie Joyner - Kersee 1989 : Joe Montana 1990 : Nolan Ryan 1991 : Michael Jordan 1992 : Mike Krzyzewski 1993 : Cito Gaston & Pat Gillick 1994 : Emmitt Smith 1995 : Cal Ripken Jr. 1996 : Joe Torre 1997 : Mark McGwire 1998 : Mark McGwire & Sammy Sosa 1999 : New York Yankees 2000 : Marshall Faulk & Kurt Warner 2001 : Curt Schilling 2002 : Tyrone Willingham 2003 : Dick Vermeil & Jack McKeon 2004 : Tom Brady 2005 : Matt Leinart 2006 : Dwyane Wade 2007 : Tom Brady 2008 : Eli Manning 2009 : Mariano Rivera 2010 : Roy Halladay 2011 : Aaron Rodgers 2012 : LeBron James Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year 1931 : Pepper Martin 1932 : Gene Sarazen 1933 : Carl Hubbell 1934 : Dizzy Dean 1935 : Joe Louis 1936 : Jesse Owens 1937 : Don Budge 1938 : Don Budge 1939 : Nile Kinnick 1940 : Tom Harmon 1941 : Joe DiMaggio 1942 : Frank Sinkwich 1943 : Gunder Hägg 1944 : Byron Nelson 1945 : Byron Nelson 1946 : Glenn Davis 1947 : Johnny Lujack 1948 : Lou Boudreau 1949 : Leon Hart 1950 : Jim Konstanty 1951 : Dick Kazmaier 1952 : Bob Mathias 1953 : Ben Hogan 1954 : Willie Mays 1955 : Howard Cassady 1956 : Mickey Mantle 1957 : Ted Williams 1958 : Herb Elliott 1959 : Ingemar Johansson 1960 : Rafer Johnson 1961 : Roger Maris 1962 : Maury Wills 1963 : Sandy Koufax 1964 : Don Schollander 1965 : Sandy Koufax 1966 : Frank Robinson 1967 : Carl Yastrzemski 1968 : Denny McLain 1969 : Tom Seaver 1970 : George Blanda 1971 : Lee Trevino 1972 : Mark Spitz 1973 : O.J. Simpson 1974 : Muhammad Ali 1975 : Fred Lynn 1976 : Bruce Jenner 1977 : Steve Cauthen 1978 : Ron Guidry 1979 : Willie Stargell 1980 : U.S. Olympic Hockey Team 1981 : John McEnroe 1982 : Wayne Gretzky 1983 : Carl Lewis 1984 : Carl Lewis 1985 : Dwight Gooden 1986 : Larry Bird 1987 : Ben Johnson 1988 : Orel Hershiser 1989 : Joe Montana 1990 : Joe Montana 1991 : Michael Jordan 1992 : Michael Jordan 1993 : Michael Jordan 1994 : George Foreman 1995 : Cal Ripken, Jr. 1996 : Michael Johnson 1997 : Tiger Woods 1998 : Mark McGwire 1999 : Tiger Woods 2000 : Tiger Woods 2001 : Barry Bonds 2002 : Lance Armstrong 2003 : Lance Armstrong 2004 : Lance Armstrong 2005 : Lance Armstrong 2006 : Tiger Woods 2007 : Tom Brady 2008 : Michael Phelps 2009 : Jimmie Johnson 2010 : Drew Brees 2011 : Aaron Rodgers 2012 : Michael Phelps 2013 : LeBron James 2014 : Madison Bumgarner 2015 : Stephen Curry 2016 : LeBron James ESPY Awards Cross-cutter Courage Female Athlete Male Athlete Breakthrough Athlete Championship Performance Coach / Manager Female College Athlete Male College Athlete Comeback Athlete Female Athlete with a Disability Male Athlete with a Disability Game Perseverance Upset Moment Play Record - Breaking Performance Team Individual Female Action Male Action Bowler Driver Fighter Female Golfer Male Golfer Jockey MLS MLB NBA NFL NHL Female Tennis Male Tennis Track and Field WNBA International Athlete Discontinued Male U.S. Olympian Female U.S. Olympian Action Soccer Female Soccer Male Soccer U.S. Olympian Male College Basketball Female College Basketball College Football Disabled Angler Boxer Golfer Female Track Male Track Outdoor Sportsman Movie Performance Under Pressure Award ceremonies 1993 1994 1995 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Best Male Athlete ESPY Award winners 1993 : Jordan 1994 : Bonds 1995 : Young 1996 : Ripken Jr. 1997 : Johnson 1998 : Woods / Griffey Jr. 1999 : McGwire 2000 : Woods 2001 : Woods 2002 : Woods 2003 : Armstrong 2004 : Armstrong 2005 : Armstrong 2006 : Armstrong 2007 : Tomlinson 2008 : Woods 2009 : Phelps 2010 : Brees 2011 : Nowitzki 2012 : James 2013 : James 2014 : Durant 2015 : Curry 2016 : James 2017 : Westbrook Hickok Belt winners 1950 : Phil Rizzuto 1951 : Allie Reynolds 1952 : Rocky Marciano 1953 : Ben Hogan 1954 : Willie Mays 1955 : Otto Graham 1956 : Mickey Mantle 1957 : Carmen Basilio 1958 : Bob Turley 1959 : Ingemar Johansson 1960 : Arnold Palmer 1961 : Roger Maris 1962 : Maury Wills 1963 : Sandy Koufax 1964 : Jim Brown 1965 : Sandy Koufax 1966 : Frank Robinson 1967 : Carl Yastrzemski 1968 : Joe Namath 1969 : Tom Seaver 1970 : Brooks Robinson 1971 : Lee Trevino 1972 : Steve Carlton 1973 : O.J. Simpson 1974 : Muhammad Ali 1975 : Pete Rose 1976 : Ken Stabler 1977 -- 2011 not awarded 2012 : LeBron James 2013 : LeBron James 2014 : Madison Bumgarner 2015 : Stephen Curry 2016 : Michael Phelps VIAF : 53530499 LCCN : n2003099514 MusicBrainz : 7d6308c5 - 7412 - 4afe - 879f - 181c7827744d Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=LeBron_James&oldid=815806524 '' Categories : LeBron James 1984 births Living people African - American basketball players African - American investors American investors American soccer chairmen and investors Basketball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 2012 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Ohio Businesspeople from Akron, Ohio Businesspeople from Los Angeles Cleveland Cavaliers draft picks Cleveland Cavaliers players Film producers from California Gatorade National Basketball Player of the Year Liverpool F.C. chairmen and investors McDonald 's High School All - Americans Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Miami Heat players National Basketball Association All - Stars National Basketball Association high school draftees Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in basketball Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball Parade High School All - Americans ( boys ' basketball ) People from Brentwood, Los Angeles Power forwards ( basketball ) Small forwards Sportspeople from Akron, Ohio Sportspeople from Los Angeles United States men 's national basketball team players Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from December 2017 Articles with permanently dead external links Pages containing links to subscription - only content Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected biographies of living people Wikipedia indefinitely move - protected pages Good articles Use mdy dates from May 2017 Articles which use infobox templates with no data rows Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers Talk View source Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote Aragonés Azərbaycanca Bân - lâm - gú Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Bosanski Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Emiliàn e rumagnòl Español Euskara فارسی Français Gaeilge Galego 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Hrvatski Ido Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska Italiano עברית ქართული Latina Latviešu Lietuvių Magyar Македонски Malagasy Монгол Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Polski Português Română Русский Scots Shqip Sicilianu Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska தமிழ் తెలుగు ไทย Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt Volapük Yorùbá 粵語 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 17 December 2017, at 07 : 34. 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Question: when did lebron go back to the cavs
Answer: 2014