LeBron James’ journey to the NBA to become one of the greatest athletes of all time can truly inspire anyone, whether they are a basketball fan or not.

LeBron Raymone James Sr was born on December 30, 1984 in Akron, Ohio (USA). His mother, Gloria Marie James, gave birth to him when he was only 16 years old, and he never saw his biological father.

LeBron moved around a lot during his early years because his mother didn’t have a steady job. He also struggled to make friends at school and found it hard to focus on his studies due to his circumstances. He was fortunate to find an outlet by playing sports, primarily basketball and soccer.

He was then moved in with the family of Frank Walker – a local youth football coach – who introduced James to basketball when he was nine years old.

James began playing basketball in fifth grade. He later played for the Northeast Ohio Shooting Stars in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball league.

LeBron James had a very difficult childhood

In 1999, LeBron attended St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, where he immediately made an impact on the school’s basketball team. LeBron James’ team, nicknamed “The Fighting Irish,” went on to win 26 of 27 games in the state championship.

With his excellent performances, Lebron James was nicknamed “Mr. Ohio Basketball” and was selected into the USA Today’s best team.

At the age of 17, he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine, becoming the first high school student to do so.

After graduating, James was selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA Draft and was named Rookie of the Year.

James participated in the NBA All-Star Game for the first time in the 2004/05 season, playing alongside famous players such as Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki.

LeBron James tại Cleveland Cavaliers

In 2006, James and the Cavaliers made the playoffs and won their first Eastern Conference championship.

In 2007, he successfully brought the Cavs to the NBA finals, although they lost to the San Antonio Spurs, it was still considered a success for James and the Cavs.

Lebron won the NBA MVP title two consecutive seasons in 2009 and 2010.

Then, through a live television show called “The Decision” , Lebron James left the Cavs and announced that he would sign with the Miami Heat. James’ move to Miami led to much criticism, he was considered the villain of the NBA at that time. 

At the Heat, LeBron James reached the Finals four years in a row and won two consecutive championships in 2012 and 2013. In 2013, he helped the Heat win 27 consecutive games, ranking 2nd in league history (behind the Lakers/33 consecutive games in the 1971-1972 season).

LeBron James decides to leave Cavs to join Miami Heat

On March 3 of the 2013/14 season, James scored a new career high of 61 points in a game against the Charlotte Bobcats.

After his final season with the Heat, James opted not to renew his contract and rejoined the Cavaliers.

In his first year back with the Cavaliers, James led Cleveland back to the 2015 NBA Finals, becoming the first player since the 1960s to play in five Finals. Despite losing to the Golden State Warriors, he still averaged 35.8 points.

In a rematch between the Warriors and the Cavaliers in the 2015/16 season, James led the Cavs in perhaps the most epic comeback in sports history. Cleveland won the championship and James became the season’s Finals MVP.

In the 2017-2018 season, James set an NBA record with 867 consecutive games scoring 57 points, the most in the NBA since the beginning of the season.

During the 2018 season, LeBron did not renew his contract with Cleveland and decided to join the Los Angeles Lakers.

LeBron currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers

After suffering a groin injury early in the season, James was unable to return to action early enough to lead Los Angeles through the playoffs.

The following season, Los Angeles launched a duo combining LeBron with superstar Anthony Davis. Although the dramatic 2019/20 season was interrupted by the pandemic, LeBron still made history.

On January 25, 2020, LeBron surpassed Kobe Bryant to take third place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

Los Angeles advanced to the playoffs and won the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat. LeBron also took home his fourth Finals MVP award, becoming the first player in league history to win the Finals MVP award with three different teams.