halaman ini sedang diperbaiki dan diterjemahkan, harap bersabar (dmic00710)
james bermain basket antar sekolah di st.
mary high school di kotanya, akron, ohio, dimana ia dipuji setinggi-tingginya oleh media nasional sebagai bintang nba selanjutnya.
setelah lulus, ia terpilih nomor 1 di 2003 nba draft oleh cleveland cavaliers.
james memimpin cleveland hingga penampilan finals pertama cavaliers di 2007, kalah dari san antonio spurs.
tahun 2010, ia meninggalkan cavaliers untuk miami heat dalam publikasi spesial espn yang berjudul the decision.
james bermain 4 musim untuk heat, mencapai finals setiap tahunnya dan memenangkan kejuaraan secara beruntun tahun 2012 dan 2013.
tahun 2013, ia memimpin miami dalam 27 kemenangan beruntun, ketiga terbanyak dalam sejarah nba. menjelang musim terakhirnya di miami heat, james memutuskan tidak memperbarui kontraknya dan bergabung kembali ke cavaliers.
dengan kepemimpinannya, cleveland melaju ke 2 finals beruntun (5 dan 6 beruntun untuk james) melawan golden state warriors, memenangkannya pada tahun 2016.
di luar lapangan, james telah mencapai sejumlah kekayaan dan ketenaran dari beberapa sponsornya.
kehidupan publiknya sering menjadi subjek pengawasan, dan ia telah ditetapkan sebagai salah satu dari atlit yang berpengaruh dan populer di seluruh amerika . ia telah dimasukkan dalam buku, dokumenter, dan iklan televisi.
ia juga membawa beberapa acara seperti espy awards, saturday night live, dan tampil di film tahun 2015, trainwreck.
james dilahirkan tanggal 30 desember, 1984 di akron, ohio, oleh ibunya yang berumur 16 tahun, gloria marie james, yang membesarkannya sendiri.ketika masih muda, james bermain di amateur athletic union (aau) untuk northeast ohio shooting stars.
tim itu menikmati kesuksesan di level lokal dan nasional, dipimpin oleh james dan kawannya sian cotton, dru joyce iii, dan willie mcgee.
sebagai freshmen, james mencetak rata-rata 21 points dan 6 rebounds per game untuk tim varsity st. vincent-st. mary.
the fighting irish finis tahun itu dengan rekor 270, memenangkan juara negara bagian divisi iii.
sebagai sophomore, ia mencetak rata-rata 25.2 points dan 7.2 rebounds dengan 5.8 assists dan 3.8 steals per game.
untuk beberapa pertandingan rumah, st. vincent-st.
mary bermain di rhodes arena milik university of akron berkursi 5,492 orang untuk memuaskan permintaan tiket dari alumni, fans, dan kuliah, serta scout dari nba yang ingin melihat james bermain.sebelum tahun awal james, ia tampil di slam magazine dan dipuji sebagai kemungkinan "pebasket sma terbaik di amerika saat ini."
ketika musim itu, ia tampil di cover sports illustrated, menjadi pebasket kelas bawah sma pertama yang melakukannya.usa today all-usa first team, dan menjadi pemain junior pertama yang memenangkan gatorade national player of the year award untuk basket pria.
ketika tahun seniornya, james dan the fighting irish berkeliling satu negara untuk bermain dengan beberapa tim berperingkat nasional, termasuk game melawan oak hill academy yang ditelevisikan secara nasional oleh espn2.ketika masa seniornya, james during his senior year, james adalah pusat dari beberapa kontroversi.
untuk ulang tahunnya yang ke-18, ia menerima hummer h2 dari ibunya, yang mendapat jaminan pinjaman kendaraan memanfaatkan kekuatan pendapatan masa depan lebron sebagai atlet profesional.
hal ini mendorong terjadinya investigasi oleh ohio high school athletic association (ohsaa) dengan pedomannya menyatakan bahwa tidak ada pemain amatir yang boleh menerima hadiah diatas $100 sebagai hadiah untuk performa atletik.
kemudian di musim yang sama, james menerima 2 throwback jerseys seharga $845 dari toko pakaian perkotaan sebagai hadiah untuk berpose untuk gamber, dengan resmi melanggar peraturan ohsaa dan membuatnya dilucuti dari kelayakan olahraga sma-nya.
james mengajukan banding dan hukumannya dikurangi menjadi skors selama 2 game, membuatnya bisa bermain untuk sisa musim.
the irish juga dipaksa untuk mengorbankan 1 kemenangan mereka, satu-satunya kekalahan resmi mereka musim itu.
game pertama setelah suspensi, james mencetak 52 point, yang tertinggi selama karirnya.
james bermain di posisi wide receiver untuk tim football sma st. vincent-st. mary dan direkrut oleh beberapa program dari divisi i, termasuk notre dame.
cleveland cavaliers (20032010)
musim rookie (200304)
james terpilih sebagai urutan pertama di 2003 nba draft oleh cleveland cavaliers.
di game profesional pertamanya, ia mencetak 25 poin melawan sacramento kings, membuat rekor nba untuk poin masuk dalam debut sebagai pemain prep-to-pro.
di akhir musim, ia mendapat nba rookie of the year, finis dengan rata-rata 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, dan 5.9 assists per game.
ia menjadi pemain cavalier pertama yang menerima penghargaan tersebut dan menjadi hanya pemain ketiga dalam sejarah nba yang mencetak rata-rata setidaknya 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game di tahun rookienya.
cavaliers finis musim itu 3547, gagal mencapai playoffs meski menang 18 game lebih banyak dari tahun sebelumnya.
mulai menjadi superstar (20042008)
james mendapatkan seleksi nba all-star game yang pertama pada tahun 200405, berkontribusi 13 points, 8 rebounds, dan 6 assists dalam upaya kemenangan untuk eastern conference.
20 maret, ia mencetak 56 points melawan toronto raptors, terbanyak dalam satu game untuk cleveland.
dengan rata-rata akhir 27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, dan 2.2 steals per game, di akhir musim, ia diberi penghargaan all-nba team pertamanya.
meski dengan rekor 3020 untuk memulai tahun itu, cavaliers gagal lagi masuk ke playoff, finis musim itu dengan 4240.
ketika all-star game tahun 2006, james memimpin east menang dengan 29 poin dan terpilih sebagai nba all-star game most valuable player.
musim itu, ia mencetak rata-rata 31.4 points, 7 rebounds, dan 6.6 assists per game, ia finis kedua dalam perebutan nba most valuable player award di belakang steve nash. dibawah kepemimpinan james, cavaliers lolos ke playoffs untuk pertama kalinya sejak 1998.
dalam debut postseason-nya, ia mencetak triple-double dalam kemenangan melawan washington wizards.
dalam game ke-3 seri itu, ia membuat game-winning shot pertama dalam karirnya, membuat satu lagi di game 5.
cleveland lalu mengalahkan wizard sebelum dikalahkan oleh detroit pistons di ronde kedua.
pada musim 200607, rata-rata james menurun hingga 27.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6 assists, dan 1.6 steals per game.
beberapa analis menyatakan menurunnya keterampilan passingnya, dan pemilihan tembakannya, berasal dari kurangnya usaha dan fokus.
cavaliers finis musim itu dengan 50 kemenangan untuk tahun kedua secara beruntun dan masuk playoffs sebagai unggulan kedua dari eastern conference.
pada game 5 conference finals, james mencatat 48 points dengan 9 rebounds dan 7 assists, mencetak 29 poin dari 30 poin terakhir cleveland, termasuk game-winning lay-up saat tersisa dua detik lagi, melawan pistons.
setelah game itu, play-by-play announcer marv albert menyebutkan performa itu "salah satu yang terbaik dalam sejarah postseason" dan color commentator steve kerr mendeskripsikannya sebagai "menyerupai jordan".
tahun 2012, espn menilai performa itu sebagai keempat terbaik dalam sejarah playoff nba modern.
cavaliers lalu memenangkan game 6 dan mendapatkan predikat eastern conference pertamanya.
mereka lolos ke nba finals, dimana mereka disapu san antonio spurs.
untuk finals, james mencetak rata-rata 22 points, 7 rebounds, dan 6.8 assists per game.
bulan februari pada musim 200708, james dinamai all-star game mvp untuk kedua kalinya, mencetak 27-point, 8-rebound, dan 9-assist saat itu.
21 maret, ia melewati brad daugherty sebagai pencetak angka terbanyak cavaliers ketika melawan raptors, 100 games lebih cepat dari daugherty.
dengan 7 triple-doubles tahun itu, james mencetak rekor tim dan personal baru dalam triple-double dalam semusim.
30 points per game-nya juga tertinggi di liga, direpresentasikan oleh scoring title pertamanya.
meski dengan semua pencapaian individual itu, rekor cleveland jatuh ke 45-37.
menjadi unggulan keempat eastern conference memasuki playoffs, cavaliers mengalahkan wizards dalam ronde pertama untuk ketiga kalinya sebelum kalah dari boston celtics di ronde berikutnya dalam 7 game.
ketiga game penentu di game 7, james mencetak 45 poin, dan paul pierce mencetak 41 dalam game yang dideskripsikan oleh associated press sebagai "adu tembak".
mvp pertama (20082010)
pada akhir musim 200809, james finis kedua dalam voting nba defensive player of the year dan masuk nba all-defensive team untuk pertama kalinya, mencatat 23 chase-down blocks dan dengan total block tertinggi di karirnya sebanyak 93.
ia juga menjadi pemain keempat setelah merger nba-aba yang memimpin timnya dalam point, rebound, assist, steal, dan block dalam satu musim.
dibalik permainannya, cleveland mencetak sejarah baru dengan rekor 6616 dan hanya berjarak satu game untuk menyamai rekor home terbaik dalam sejarah nba. dengan rata-rata 28.4 point, 7.6 rebound, 7.2 assist, 1.7 steal, dan 1.2 block per game, ia menjadi pemain cavalier pertama yang memenangkan penghargaan mvp.
dalam playoffs, cleveland menyapu pistons dan atlanta hawks untuk dapat melawan orlando magic dalam conference finals.
dalam game 1 seri itu, james mencetak 49 point dalam persentase shoot sebanyak 66 persen dalam kekalahan cavaliers.
dalam game 2, ia mencetak shoot kemenangan untuk menyamai seri itu 11.
cleveland lalu dikalahkan dalam 6 game, dan setelah kalah di game 6, james langsung meninggalkan lapangan tanpa menjabat tangan lawannya, sebuah aksi yang di pandang media sebagai sangat tidak sportif.
untuk seri itu sendiri, ia mencetak rata-rata 38.5 point, 8.3 rebound, dan 8 assist per game, finis pasca-musim itu dengan karir playoff tertinggi dengan 35.3 point per game.
midway through the 200910 season, the cavaliers' guards experienced significant injuries, forcing james into a temporary point guard role.
with increased minutes as the team's primary ball handler, he averaged a career-high 8.6 assists in addition to 29.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1 block per game on 50 percent shooting, culminating in a second consecutive mvp award.
cleveland also finished the season with the league's best record for the second straight year.
in the playoffs, the cavaliers beat the bulls in the first round but fell to 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.
at the conclusion of the game, he walked off the court to a smattering of boos from cleveland's home crowd, the team having just suffered their worst home playoff loss ever.
the cavaliers were officially eliminated from the postseason in game 6, with james recording 27 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists, and nine turnovers in a losing effort.
2010 free agency
james became an unrestricted free agent at 12:01 am edt on july 1, 2010.
during his free agency, he was courted 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, broadcast from the boys &
girls club of greenwich, connecticut, raised $2.5 million for the charity and an additional $3.5 million from advertisement revenue that 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 the trio had discussed their 2010 free agencies together in 2006.
james decided to join with bosh and wade in part so that he could shoulder less of the load offensively, thinking that his improved teammates would give him a better chance of winning a 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.
relieved of the burden of scoring, james thought he could be the first player to average a triple-double in a season since oscar robertson.
james drew immense 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' 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' 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.
since then, he has expressed regret over his actions.
during the 201011 season, he said he "probably would do it a little bit different ... but i'm happy with my decision."
james relented about the special before the 201112 season: "... 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 (20102014)
debut season (201011)
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 201011 season, james embraced the villain role bestowed upon him by the media; he later admitted that he regretted this approach.
on december 2, he returned to cleveland for the first time since departing as a free agent, scoring 38 points and leading 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.
entering the playoffs as the east's second seed, miami advanced to the finals before stumbling against the dallas mavericks, losing in six games despite holding a 21 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.
hot corner: with nba title at stake, lebron james was a big flop
back-to-back championships (201113)
humbled by the heat's loss to the mavericks, james 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' more post-oriented play, miami matched their best start to a season in franchise history, and at the conclusion of the lockout-shortened 201112 campaign, 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.
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.
james' box score gem powers heat 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' 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.
in february of the 201213 season, james had, as described by sports illustrated, 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 6616 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 23.
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 (201314)
on march 3 of the 201314 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 line-ups because of 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 steals per game.
return to the cavaliers (2014present)
in january of the 201415 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 22 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 21 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 201516 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' 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 campaign.
to begin the series, cleveland fell behind 31, 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 31 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.
national team career
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.usabasketball.com, 2006 usa men's world championship team: stats, accessed may 1, 2007.nba.com, melo joins lebron james and dwyane wade as captains, accessed may 7, 2007.
the team finished the tournament with an 81 record, winning another bronze medal.
james' 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.espn.com, james' record outing highlights team usa's dominance in title game, september 3, 2007.
team usa went 100, 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 don'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.
standing 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; only he and russell 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 seven times and won three championships; some analysts have criticized him for not having a better finals record, while others have defended him, arguing that his supporting casts were usually poor and he was defeated by superior competition despite performing well.
james entered the nba at an early age and made an immediate offensive impact; he holds numerous "youngest to" distinctions including being the youngest player to score 25,000 career points.throughout his career, james' playmaking ability has been praised; in one article, grantland's zach lowe called him "one of the greatest passers ever".
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.
early in james' 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' 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".
at the beginning of james' career, he was considered 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; coming in from behind the opposition in transition to block their shot.
in miami, he developed into a more versatile defender, and the heat relied on him to guard all five positions.
paired with teammates shane battier and dwyane wade, miami used james 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.
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.
off the court
james proposed to savannah brinson, his high school sweetheart, on december 31, 2011 at a party celebrating new year's eve and his 27th birthday.
the two were married on september 14, 2013 in san diego.
together, they have three children: lebron james jr. (born october 6, 2004), bryce maximus james (born june 14, 2007), and zhuri james.
during his tenure with the heat, james resided in coconut grove, an affluent miami neighborhood, where he bought a three-story mansion overlooking biscayne bay for $9 million.
in november 2015, james bought a 9,350 square-feet east coast-style mansion in brentwood, los angeles for about $21 million.
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 mimsall childhood friendsformed agent and sports-marketing company lrmr after james left goodwin.
lrmr handles james' 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.
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.
although his sign-and-trade, six-year contract with the heat would have allowed him to earn the maximum salary under the collective bargaining agreement, he took less money in order for miami to be able to afford chris bosh and dwyane wade as well as further roster support.
in 2014, he rejoined cleveland on a two-year contract worth $42.1 million with an option to become a free agent again in 2015.
the next offseason, he opted out of the contract and re-signed with the cavaliers on another two-year contract with a player option for the second year.
at the time, analysts speculated that james was 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 re-signed with cleveland on a three-year deal, becoming the highest-paid player in the league for the first time in his career.
james has 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, and in 2013 he led all nba players in shoe sales.
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' 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.
lebron james: "my dream is to actually own an nba team"
james, with 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' 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' 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 will air 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.
james is considered by many, 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).
james has been ranked by forbes as one of the world's most influential athletes throughout his career.
the most influential athletes.
forbes; april 21, 2010.
during his first tenure 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 games against the new york yankees dressed in 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.
america's most disliked athletes.
forbes; february 7, 2012.
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.
a philanthropist, 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 out of 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.
james has taken stances on controversial issues throughout his career, mentioning on several occasions a feeling of obligation to effect change using his status.
those include the war in darfur, the trayvon martin case, nba owner donald sterling's racist comments in 2014, the michael brown verdict, and the death of eric garner.
in june 2008, james donated $20,000 to a committee to elect barack obama.
later that year, james gathered almost 20,000 people at the quicken loans arena for a viewing of democratic presidential nominee barack obama's 30-minute american stories, american solutions television advertisement.
it was shown on a large screen above the stage, where jay-z later held a free concert.
nba career statistics
denotes seasons in which james won an nba championship
led the league
awards and honors
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
12-time nba all-star: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
two-time nba all-star game mvp: 2006, 2008
ten-time all-nba first team: 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
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
only player since oscar robertson to be in the top 20 for all-time points and assists leaders.
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)
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
two-time cleveland sports awards professional athlete of the year: 2009, 2016
2013 ap athlete of the year
2012 sports illustrated sportsman of the year
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)
16-time espy award winner in various categories (12 individually, four as part of a team)
south main street in downtown akron renamed king james way
10-story commemorative banner in downtown cleveland
six-story commemorative banner in downtown akron