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How long has lebron james played basketball


How Many Years Has Lebron Been In the NBA?

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LeBron James is a professional basketball player of the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. His nickname is “King James” which makes him broadly recognized as one of the best players in NBA history. LeBron James is regularly in comparison with Michael Jordan to pick up the best basketball player ever. 

How many years has Lebron been in the NBA? LeBron has played 19 years in his career. As an NBA Finals MVP, he is the only one who has obtained NBA championships with three NBA teams (the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat, and the Los Angeles Lakers). James has played in up to 10 NBA Finals. 

Scott Fujita will offer a list of his achievements in his NBA 19-year career: 

  • 4 NBA championships.
  • 4 NBA MVP awards.
  • 4 NBA Finals MVP awards.
  • 2 Olympic gold medals.

Contents

How Many Years Has Lebron Been In The NBA?

He has played 19 years in his career. LeBron James achieved the most First Team selections with 13 times. He even won 11 constant First Team selections. James also did make the five-time NBA All-Defensive First Team and became a 17-time All-Star.

Early Life

LeBron James did play basketball for St. Mary High School in his birthplace of Akron, Ohio, where the national media described him as a potential NBA superstar. 

High School Career

As a novice, King James had averages of  21 PTS and 6 REB per game for the St. Mary High School basketball team. This boy’s high school team had won the Division III state title and then became undefeated. 

Later, LeBron James had averages of 25.2 PTS and 7.2 REB with 5.8 AST and 3. 8 STL per game. For this distinguished performance, James was honored by the USA Today All-USA First Team.

Before starting junior year, King James had appeared in Slam. The writer Ryan Jones praised him as probably the greatest high school basketball player in the US at that time. While participating in the season, James also became the model for the cover of Sports Illustrated. 

Having averaged 29 PTS, 8.3 REB, 5.7 AST, and 3.3 STL per game, he again achieved the USA Today All-USA First Team.

Professional Career

Cleveland Cavaliers (2003–2010)

LeBron James in the Cleveland Cavaliers

2003–04: Rookie season

LeBron James became a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers as the first team of the 2003 NBA draft. In the first NBA regular season, James scored 25 PTS against the Sacramento Kings. He then set an NBA record for most PTS that a prep-to-pro basketball player could score in the debut performance. 

The Cleveland Cavaliers eventually finished the NBA season 35–47. The team failed to enter the playoffs despite improvements over the last year.

View more: How many rings does Lebron have

2004–08: Gain superstardom

LeBron James won the first NBA All-Star Game selection in 2004 – 2005. He contributed 13 PTS, 8 REB, and 6 AST in winning efforts for the Eastern Conference. 

At the 2006 NBA All-Star Game, King James led the Eastern Conference to victory with 29 PTS. In the final season, he averaged 31.4 PTS, 7 REB, and 6.6 AST per game.

In the postseason debut, King James earned a triple-double in the match with the Washington Wizards. The Cleveland Cavaliers could defeat the Washington Wizards before the team left the NBA season in the second round.

How many years straight has Lebron been in the NBA finals? In the 2006-07 season, the Cleveland Cavaliers continued to win Game 6 and gained the first Eastern Conference championship. It helped them have a matchup with the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.

In the championship round, King James had averages of 22 PTS, 7.0 REB, and 6.8 AST per game. Unfortunately, the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers.

During the NBA playoffs of the 2007–08 season, the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Washington Wizards in the first round. But this team got ousted in seven games by the eventual champion Boston Celtics in the second round. 

2008–10: NBA MVP seasons

At the end of the NBA 2008–09 season, James scored 28.4 PTS, 7.6 REB, 7.2 AST, 1.7 STL, and 1.2 BLK per game. James received the MVP Award as the Cavaliers won.

In Game 1 of the NBA playoffs, James scored 49 PTS on 66 shooting percentage. In Game 2, the Cavaliers lost the series in six games. During the NBA series, James scored 38.5 PTS, 8.3 REB, and 8 AST per game. He finished the NBA postseason with a playoff-high 35.3 points per game.

In the 2009–10 NBA season, the team underwent the greatest loss in franchise history. James scored 27 PTS, 19 REB, 10 AST, and 9 turnovers in losing efforts.

Miami Heat (2010–2014)

Lebron James in the Miami Heat

The Decision

Lebron James turned into a free agent on July 1, 2010. At that time, plenty of NBA teams contacted King James, such as the Los Angeles Clippers and the Miami Heat. On July 8, James announced on The Decision that he would play for the Miami Heat.

Fellow free agents including Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade claimed that they would play for Miami too. James believed that his great teammates would provide him with a better chance of earning an NBA championship than in the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Lebron James, then, could escape from the responsibility of scoring. There may be a chance for him to become the first basketball player since Oscar Robertson averaged a triple-double in an NBA season.

However, former players like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson were critical of Lebron James. They condemned him for playing with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in Miami Heat and not trying to achieve an NBA championship as “the man”.  

As a consequence of his decisions in 2010 free agency time, King James suddenly had a reputation as one of the US’s most disliked players.

2010–11: Fan scrutiny

The Miami Heat finally went to the NBA Finals, where they lost in six games. Lebron James suffered from the tension of the criticism for the failure. James scored an average of 17.8 PTS per game that illustrated an 8.9-point decrease from the NBA regular season. It is the biggest point drop in NBA history.

2011–13: Consecutive NBA championships

James revealed that in the 2011-12 NBA season, he got a contract to join professional football from the Dallas Cowboys and the Seattle Seahawks to refresh his mind and body.

In Game 5 of the 2011-12 NBA playoffs, Lebron James gained a triple-double as Miami Heat did defeat Oklahoma City for their second NBA championship.

Lebron James then became the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player as he averaged 28.6 PTS, 10.2 REB, and 7. 4 AST per game. His whole postseason run, where he had averages of 30.3 PTS, 9.7 REB, and 5.6 AST per game, ranked the second greatest performance in NBA history.

In the 2012–2013 season, James scored 29.7 PTS and 7.8 AST per game. During that time, the Miami Heat also built up a 27-game streak that is the 3rd longest in modern NBA history. 

Following these achievements, Sports Illustrated illustrated Lebron James’s performance as a “month for the ages”. In the NBA Finals, he averaged 26.8 PTS, 8 REB, 7.3 AST, and 1.7 STL per game on 56.5 shooting percent.

Particularly, in Game 7, Lebron James led the Miami Heat over San Antonio with 37 PTS. He then became Finals MVP for the second NBA season with averages of 25.3 PTS, 10.9 REB, 7 AST, and 2.3 STL per game for the NBA championship round.

2013–2014: Final season in Miami

In the 2013–14 NBA season, James scored the highest 61 PTS in one game during his NBA career. In Game 2 of the NBA Finals, Lebron James led the Miami Heat to a victory with 35 PTS on a 64 shooting percent.  

San Antonio finally defeated the Miami Heat in five games. For the NBA Finals, Lebron James had averages of 28.2 PTS, 7.8 REB, and 2.0 STL per game.

Return to the Cleveland Cavaliers (2014–2018)

On June 25, 2014, Lebron James opted out of the contract with the Miami Heat. On July 1, he then again became a free agent. On July 11, Lebron James revealed through an essay in Sports Illustrated that he aimed at returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Los Angeles Lakers (2018–present)

Lebron James in the Los Angeles Lakers

2018–19: Injuries and NBA playoff miss

On June 29, 2018, Lebron James opted out of the contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers and then again became a free agent. On July 1, 2018, James announced that he would play for the Los Angeles Lakers.

To start the 2018–19 NBA season, the team had difficulties finding efficient lineups and achieved only two wins during the first seven games. 

After the team blew out the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day, Los Angeles made some improvements yet Lebron James got the first injury during his basketball career. The Los Angeles Lakers lost in the NBA playoff contention without King James.

On March 7, 2019, the Los Angeles Lakers announced that he would start a minute restriction. On March 30, 2019, Lebron James could not join the remainder of the NBA season. It is the first time in his 12-year career that James did not get on the All-NBA First Team.

2019–20: Fourth NBA championship

In the 2019-20 NBA playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers eventually eliminated the Miami Heat in Game 6. It helped Lebron James earn his fourth NBA championship as well as the fourth Finals MVP Award. 

At 35 years old, Lebron James became the only basketball player in NBA history to achieve the MVP award with three different NBA teams. 

2020–2021: Back-to-back chase

During the first round of the NBA playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers had a matchup with the Phoenix Suns. It is the first time that Lebron James did not possess home-court advantages in the NBA opening series.

The Los Angeles Lakers gained 2–1 before Davis got an injury in Game 4 when Lebron James finished with averages of 25 PTS, 12 REB, and 6 AST. The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Phoenix Suns in six games. 

James finished the NBA series with an average of 23.3 PTS. It is the fourth-lowest score in his basketball career and the lowest mark since the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals.

Lebron James has gotten more involved in philanthropy and activism later in his basketball career. His charitable organization – the LeBron James Family Foundation – gave support for opening elementary schools, housing complexes, and community centers/retail plazas in his hometown of Akron.

Final Words

Lebron James is a basketball superstar in the NBA. He is one of the best players in NBA history who can win the most NBA championships with three different teams. 

Despite a few difficulties of point drops and failures in the NBA playoffs in his career, Lebron James still gets over it and comes back with more effort in winning the NBA championships with his teammates.

Scott Fujita

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LeBron James Evolution - All About Basketball

LeBron James Evolution

Just a few months after his 28th birthday, LeBron James is ready to join the club of four-time regular season MVP winners. Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Russell are all ready to welcome LeBron into their ranks. No Kobe. No Shaq. No Duncan. No Magic. No Byrd. In the 2008/2009 season, he received his first trophy. And then he was a completely different guy than he is now. In fact, every year he won the MVP and did it in his characteristic way. LeBron is a basketball scientist and his game is his laboratory.

But not only is James the NBA's MVP, he's also the league's most versatile player. We all know well that LeBron is a great basketball player, but not all of us have thought about exactly how his game has changed since his first season in the league. I spoke to James in Miami after the Heat defeated the Pistons (25th consecutive win). When I asked him how his game had changed since his first season in the league, he immediately turned his attention to scoring. He said the following

“Efficiency. I have become a more efficient player. When you're a young player, you throw at low percentages and only think about your stats. As I've matured, I've tried my best to become a more effective player and I think that's helped my team over the years."

Over the years, James has made about a thousand attempts, but relatively recently, these throws began to reach the goal with a large percentage. In his first year, he shot 42 percent from the field and 29 percent from three. This year, these figures are 56 percent and 39 percent.percent, respectively. There are two reasons for this significant improvement in his shooting percentage: (1) He is a much better shooter, and (2) also a large proportion of his shots are near the basket.

James won the MVP of his last two seasons with Cleveland. He was a great player back then, but the Caves used James as a single-handed player who creates chances and converts them. Then Cleveland coach Mike Brown was often criticized for simplistic offensive schemes, which consisted of giving the ball to James and moving to the side. Forcing thereby to make too many throws. They made fun of Brown then, calling him "the one who can stop LeBron." Perhaps it was unfair, but his team was never able to win the title. This happened for many reasons, but we will not go into details. So, when we start comparing James's shooting percentages in Cleveland and Miami, we see a big difference. Yes, you can say that the team has changed, the partners have become better, the attacking strategy has changed. But the differences between "young" LeBron and "King" LeBron are huge.

LeBron's last season in Cleveland's shooting chart resembles that of a point guard. His "throw patterns" are reminiscent of those of Kyrie Irving or Chris Paul. James was very active on the perimeter. Long distance 45 degree throws were common. No game in "post". Too few attacks from under the ring. A lot of shots from behind the arc. He focused on the perimeter.

By signing with Miami, LeBron received a new challenge. New team, new environment, star partners, young coach. James was a Swiss Army knife and the coaching staff had to put him to good use. Before he landed in Miami, the Heat's coaching staff were already devising schemes that would make him a real superstar that would optimize James' unique skill set. One thing was clear: he should have carried the ball less and his role on the court should have been reduced.

In his first year with the Heat, LeBron made fewer shots from behind the arc and played more actively in the paint. But he was still "leaning on the perimeter". His early Miami pattern was similar to the Cleveland pattern: no hint of play in the post; too many long shots; his game was still too perimeter oriented. And after losing the 2011 NBA Finals, James and coach Eric Spoelstra were more determined than ever to change their offensive arsenal. Do a reload.

Spoelstra said: “This loss forced us to look at the LeBron offense from a different angle. He was the most versatile player in the league. We had to find an option how to use it in the most versatile way. Now it seems obvious, but we had to go through the events and failures together.”

In the last game of the 2011 finals, James sluggishly shot from behind the arc, hesitated, refused to use his height to get under the basket. His last shot of that final was symbolic: the ill-fated 25-foot right-hander, his favorite three-point shot. The next morning the newspapers and blogs kept reminding us that James was not a clutch player. A lot of people said at the time that LeBron didn't know how to "decide" the ending. And he doesn't know how to win the finals and so on and so forth.

But something had to change.

That defeat and all these insulting statements gave rise to one of the main "rebirths in sports history." James was lost, but somehow channeled that feeling in the right direction. Spoelstra was puzzled and thought a lot about how to fix the situation; he told me, “Shortly after our loss to Dallas in the Finals, LeBron and I met. He mentioned that he was going to steadily work on his game in the off-season, especially on the game in the post. It really made sense. We had to improve the game in attack, and it would be nice to improve in such a component as playing in the post.

It's no secret where and when James started working on his back to the basket game. Fueled by that loss to the Mavs, he traveled to Houston in the summer of 2011 to study with master Hakeem Olajuwon.

“I wanted to get better,” James said of his decision to work with Olajuwon. - I wanted to progress and asked for help from someone who really understands this component. Hakim is certainly a master of the fasting game. I was grateful to him and very glad that he welcomed me with open arms. I was in Houston for four and a half days; I exercised twice a day; he taught me how to play with my back to the ring and how to get an advantage over the opponent. When I got home, I used the rest of the offseason to continue training. Every day at the gym I worked and tried to improve my game day by day.”

Learning new steps is a lot of work. James knew this. James knew that working on the steps in the gym would be the key to his success.

After summer training, James met with Spoelstra to inform him of his summer accomplishments. “Spo and I were talking. I told him how hard I worked on my game in "post". I knew we needed it; we focused more on the perimeter in the first season. Now I have become more effective when playing with my back to the ring. I think that's what we need. "

It worked. It was after that summer that the real King James appeared. “When he came back from the lockout, he was a completely different player,” says Spoelstra. “It feels like he filled his schedule with training with Hakim and Ewing. I don't know if I've seen a player make that kind of progress in the offseason. This alone gives us an edge and a chance to win the 2012 championship rings.”

James' shots in the 2011/12 season were completely different from the previous ones. For the first time in his career, his game was heavily asymmetrical. James spent much more time on the left side of the court than on the right. Especially on the left side, he called this place "sweet spot" (sweet spot). He began to shoot less three-pointers and spend more time near the basket. Good things are happening for Miami when James is in "post". In addition to being the best scorer on the team, he is also the best passer and the best rebounder. LeBron's performance in the post from his "sweet spot" helped to open up another Miami player - Shane Batye. When you study his throws before and after visiting Hakim, it seems like they are two different people.

Everyone in Miami will tell you that that fateful summer after losing to Dallas made LeBron who he is today. It was after this series that he realized that he needed to use his dimensions, his height, hand size, physics and constantly use mismatches. Shane Battier confirms this:

“He understands that he has a physical advantage when he plays in the post, and he uses it. He worked on this component of the game. And he knew that it would really come in handy, given the kind of basketball they were now promoting. Now he's got some moves that are really hard to stop with LeBron James doing them."

The 2011 trip to Houston and subsequent training worked. The Heat defeated the Thunder in the Finals, and LeBron was named MVP of both the regular season and the Finals. But James was not satisfied. He continues to improve his game. This season, in addition to the "sweet spot", a couple more tricks appeared in his arsenal.

This season, he returned to three-point shooting.

“You know, I have changed. I rarely used 3's last season, I kind of played more post and more middle, but I feel like I did a good job on the 3 in the offseason and I'm ready to use it to replace the middle shot, which frankly doesn't work. This will be my next step. Develop three, perfect the game in the "post" and start to train the middle throw even harder.

James told me that when he was working on his 3-pointers, he wouldn't stop until he hit a target and punished himself until he hit the target.

“It's a job,” says James. – This is a big job. If you don’t achieve results while in training, you will have to pay for it on the court. So, if I want to do 8 out of 10 in the warm-up and I don't do 8 out of 10, then I run. I'll work myself to exhaustion until I hit that 8 out of 10. So you get that feeling that helps you convert field goals. This feeling helps you in the future. None of this is possible without hard work.

Last year, James developed this feeling by playing with his back to the basket. This season, he improves his long-range shot and, using his dominance, finds open partners: “Our team is built around attacking from the perimeter, getting to the ring and controlling the paint, we can score a three at any moment.

James is also a very good passer. Using the optical performance from the SportVU system, we can begin to visualize this aspect of his game. LeBron's dominance near the basket forces the defense to pull in on him, thereby exposing the rear. The perimeter of the "Hit" is decorated by such masters as Ray Allen and Shane Batier. James is always aware of the whereabouts of his teammates and he is always aware of who and when to be in an open position.

The reintegration of his 3-point shot is partly due to having good partners. He's shooting 39 percent this season, undeniably the highest of his career. In Cleveland, James often had to create situations for himself and rarely got a free throw. Unlike the current situation. In fact, when we look at SportVU data, we can see where he spends all his time in attack. There are four distinct zones here:

Three of these areas are, unsurprisingly, on that dominant left side, but there is one anomalous spot on the right. James spends a surprising amount of time in the right corner, the so-called place for Batier or Rashard Lewis. LeBron says: “Our offense places me in the right corner sometimes; in one of our combinations, I'm kind of in the right corner or moving to give D-Wade space." Although he says he doesn't spend too much time in the area, James shoots 53 percent from there. Thus, providing the team with excellent "fire support" not only from the beloved left side, but also from the right side too.

Simply put, LeBron James remains the NBA's most valuable and most versatile player. He really knows how to improve his game and adjust to the team. He continues to find new ways of development that would help both him and his team become much better. Instead of calling LeBron a physical freak whose entire dominance is built on athleticism, what needs to be understood is this: LeBron James is a basketball nerd gifted with a unique talent.

LeBron is the first NBA player to become a billionaire in the course of his career. How did it happen? - Bank shot - Blogs

At least count other people's money.

LeBron earned $342.5 million in career, next year he is guaranteed another $44.5 million

At the moment, James has already earned $342.5 million in career. His deal with the Lakers ($153.3 million over 4 years) expires next year - he is owed another $44.5 million and will be the fourth or fifth highest paid person in the league (in the strange company of Stephen Curry, John Wall , Russell Westbrook and possibly James Harden).

James is already in first place net in NBA career earnings (ahead of Garnett (334.4 million), Kobe (323.3 million), Chris Paul (300 million) and Shaq (286. 3 million) And while he is clearly not going to stop: the Lakers can already offer him to continue for another two seasons – and this will bring James another 97 million. will enter the free agent market, but in any case, hardly anyone doubts that he will still carry his 100+ million from basketball.0005

The most unusual nuance here is that James never made contract sums his top priority. He donated a small sum when he moved to the Heat so that Miami could sign three superstars and still find worthy role players to help them. He always signed one-year agreements in Cleveland so that the local leadership would not relax too much. And he stepped down from a potential five-year, $205 million contract with the Caves to pursue a career in Los Angeles. It’s not that LeBron was anything but ascetic, but it’s just interesting that all of his formal competitors invariably got into trouble due to bloated contracts: Kobe stalled the Lakers rebuild with Operation 48 for two years, Garnett didn’t get help in Minnesota, Chris Paul was declared the "worst NBA contract" by the Rockets, and Shaq was fired by the Lakers due, among other things, to demands to give him more money.

At the same time, LeBron is one of those who advocate the abolition of the NBA maximum contracts for superstars. In his case, this is most illustrative. Not only does James add value to his partners and clubs, but he also impacts the economies of the cities he plays in: according to a study, he brought in almost $400 million to the economy of Los Angeles alone, all without impacting TV ratings, ticket prices, or merchandise sales. . So, after his return to Cleveland from Miami, the cost of the franchise doubled, and the city received almost 300 million more due to the popularity of the club.

Largely thanks to LeBron, the NBA economy also took off: James took the well-deserved first line, but not the fact that for a long time, the new generation with 50 million a year is advancing no worse than the army of the King of the Night.

LeBron made $60 million by investing in Beats by Dre & Blaze Pizza

James himself explains the new investment approach better than anyone else.

“Social media has completely changed the way athletes should look at the companies and products they advertise. It happened in the course of my career. Previously, athletes simply took on any projects and received money for advertising. A contract with a beverage manufacturer, a fast food chain, a shoe manufacturer, and so on. Now you need to think carefully and learn everything about the company. What are they? What is their marketing strategy? If I become a partner with someone, then I should not worry about promoting them to my fans through my social networks. It's a completely different look."

The new approach was best seen in his relationship with Blaze Pizza. LeBron invested in the pizza chain in 2012 (he owns 10% and paid less than $1 million for them), and in 2015 turned down a $15 million contract with McDonald's to become the official spokesman for Blaze Pizza. During this time, his company skyrocketed - by 50% in 2018 - and it turned out that James became richer by $ 30 million .

The ad integration is also different: the pizzeria doesn't use James's image in its ads, but he constantly promotes it as an integral part of his image (don't ask how this has to do with the fanaticism about the whole grain bagel).

For example, after moving to Los Angeles, James invited everyone to a pizza party and gathered thousands of people, but he never showed up.

A similar story happened with Beats by Dre. James not only advertised headphones, but also became the owner of 1% of the company's shares. For the cooperation itself, he received $ 1 million, but when Beats by Dre was sold to Apple for 3 billion, LeBron had an extra 30 million .

In 2018, LeBron founded sports nutrition company Ladder with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and in 2020 she left for $28 million.

This is not all of his investment. It is known that James now owns a stake in Tonal, which produces “smart exercise equipment” for the home, and Lyft, which rents bicycles.

James' property is valued at $80 million

Forbes found at least three of James' homes worth about $80 million.

LeBron owns a mansion in his native Akron, it is estimated at 10 million dollars.

In 2017, he bought an eight-room house in Los Angeles' exclusive Brentwood neighborhood for $23 million.

In 2020, James became the owner of a 1,200-square-foot Beverly Hills estate that was listed for $39 million, but the frugal basketball player got it for $36.75 million. It is known that he demolished a house built in the 1930s and built a new one for himself on this site.

LeBron became 90 million richer thanks to investments in Liverpool

And it turned out to be a very profitable investment: Fenway Sports Partners of Red Sox owner John Henry bought the club for $ 477 million in 2010, and now its value is estimated at $ 4.5 billion.

Last year, James traded his stake in Liverpool for shares in Fenway Sports Group (approximately 1%). The company now owns the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool, Fenway Park, NASCAR Roush Fenway Racing, and 80% of the New England Sports Network cable network. In 2021, Fenway Sports Group paid $900 million to get the Pittsburgh Penguins as well.

“It's amazing that the historic club is back on top and we're part of it,” said business partner and childhood friend of James Maverick Carter. "LeBron loves the fact that he's connected to another global sport."

James not only actively supports Liverpool from a distance and often visits his team's matches. His arrival at the main match of the Champions League made a well-known sensation (especially considering that LeBron's club habitually lost in the final).

Share allows James to explore the process of managing sports teams from a different perspective and gain experience for the future. Maverick Carter has said more than once that if the Caves are available, then LeBron will definitely qualify for them after the end of his career.

James' stake in the production company SpringHill is valued at $300 million

James has been dreaming of producing video content for a long time.

At first, the ideas were so-so: in 2007 he appeared on Saturday Night Live, and in 2010 he produced his own show called The Decision and made him the most hated person in the world.

Despite the setbacks, the interest didn't go anywhere: in 2015, LeBron founded the production company SpringHill Entertainment (named after the area where James grew up), which immediately received financial support from Warner Bros.

SpringHill Entertainment created The Wall for NBC, a game show that combines elements of quiz, pinball and wild binge.

SpringHill Entertainment produced documentaries More Than a Game (about LeBron's school days), I Am a Giant (about the life of football player Victor Cruz), What's My Name (about Muhammad Ali), Perfect Chaos ( about Neymar), The Carter Effect (about the influence of Vince Carter), a picture about Naomi Osaka and a dozen more documentary projects and television shows.

SpringHill Entertainment also produces sports videos, which are promoted by James himself. In parallel, an affiliated platform called Uninterrupted appeared: the show focuses on LeBron's personal life and his opinions on a variety of topics.

The most striking example is the series from the barbershop, in which James and Green appeared, as well as all of LeBron's friends.

Then More Than an Athlete comes to ESPN+. A show where LeBron and his childhood friends (they are also business partners) discuss a variety of topics and moments from life.

“The number of platforms and distribution channels is increasing now: social networks, Amazon, Netflix,” explained Maverick Carter. “People want unique content and the ability to tell quality stories, something that gets noticed. We saw it as an opportunity to tell stories about people who are like us and who think the same way we do.”

James, of course, showed himself on the screen. First, he appeared in the comedy "Girl without complexes" and collected a lot of positive reviews. And then he released the second version of "Space Jam", which was not entirely successful, but became a bright part of the universal image of James.

A biography about LeBron's early life and a remake of the comedy The House Party are scheduled for July.

In 2020, all three of LeBron James' companies - the marketing agency Robot Company, Uninterrupted and SpringHill Entertainment - merged into a single entity called SpringHill. Last year, it was valued at $725 million, and just then James sold about half of the stake to a wide variety of investors (from Fenway Sports Group to Nike) .

LeBron received 500 million from various advertisers; his lifetime contract with Nike is allegedly worth $1 billion0077

When James entered the league, Reebok, Adidas and Nike competed for him. It was in this sequence that the meetings with their representatives were scheduled.

It is clear that James idolized Michael Jordan and often performed in Tracy McGrady sneakers, but everything was not so simple: for example, at the game of the best students of the country in 2003, he scored 27 points in red and white Reebok “L23J” sneakers.

Meeting with Reebok ended in drama. The company was on the rise (Iverson was their main client at the time) and promised James absolute attention due to their unwillingness to scatter on other athletes. But boss Paul Fireman wanted to settle the matter with one blow—he invited James, his mother, Maverick Carter, and an agent into his office and handed them a check for $10 million. They could have taken him right then with the condition that they would cancel meetings with competitors. James' mother burst into tears and wanted to accept the offer, but LeBron himself did not flinch.

Adidas have confused themselves. The company picked up the perfect approach - they positioned Muhammad Ali as an ideal and promised LeBron that he could push the boundaries of an ordinary athlete and not only dribble, but also discuss important social issues. But at the last moment, they panicked: Adidas wanted to offer the newcomer a contract for 100 million, but at the last moment they began to doubt that it was worth it, and eventually called the amount of 75 million.

Nike outperformed the competition in both presentation quality (which included references to past greats and lots of little details like LeBron's favorite cereal) and total ( 90 for seven years, plus a 10 million bonus for signing ). The collaboration, of course, turned out to be fruitful: LeBron's sneakers are the most popular among current NBA basketball players, although they are inferior in sales to Jordan's.

In 2015, James signed a lifetime contract with Nike for an undisclosed sum. Maverick Carter claims she is over $ billion.

Already in the original agreement there was a clause according to which James received a bonus if he played for a big market team. So Nike didn't hesitate when LeBron announced that he had signed a deal with the Lakers - the company hung a huge image of a player scoring from above next to the Staples Center.

Naturally, it is because of his relationship with Nike that LeBron has to put up with relentless criticism from the camp of hypocritical Republicans: they do not like that he interferes in the affairs of his own country, and therefore they reproach him for not resisting what is happening in China.

LeBron's agency represents players with billion dollar contracts

LeBron first met Rich Paul when he was still in high school. A significant meeting took place at the Akron airport - Paul was selling sports jerseys from the trunk and attracted the attention of James in the Warren Moon uniform that he was wearing at that moment. LeBron's team was flying to Atlanta and Paul gave him his supplier's contact and promised to give him a discount.

Since then, they have become inseparable.

As a schoolboy, Paul raised about 15,000 a month trading T-shirts. He planned to develop the business further, but received an offer from LeBron - 50 thousand just for being around.

In 2006, LeBron broke up with Aaron Goodwin and made Leon Rose an agent, and Paul became his assistant and comprehended all the intricacies of this role - in 2012 he created his own company and became the official representative of James.

Despite all the controversy, after the "Decision" Paul maintained a good relationship with Dan Gilbert and did everything to organize LeBron's solemn return to Cleveland.

Using LeBron as a rooftop, Rich Paul is trying to build the most powerful agency in the league and succeeds. He not only regularly twists the arms of the owners (see: Tristan Thompson, J. R. Smith, Kentavius ​​Caldwell-Pope, Nerlens Noel), but from almost nothing he has assembled an impressive clip of Ben Simmons, John Wall and Anthony Davis.

After Rich Paul changed the rules of the game in the NBA, or rather, showed that he did not care about any rules (arranged a series with Simmons forever not playing, moved Anthony Davis to Los Angeles, who had two years left in the contract, knocked out a bunch of money for Horton-Tucker, is now launching ducks so that Chicago will give the maximum to Zach Lavin), LeBron and his friends have already been called crime bosses. And for a businessman, this is probably the highest rating.

LeBron has earned around $1.2 billion in his career and has over 100 million social media followers

Forbes estimates that James has earned $1.2 billion (before tax) in his career, making him the number one player The NBA, which managed to do this before leaving the sport of . For example, in 2021, he became 122.1 million richer in a year (in addition to Nike and Blaze Pizza, he advertises Coca-Cola, Kia, Intel), and almost three times more off-site than on it.

James has repeatedly said that becoming a billionaire is the most important goal in his life. In many ways, this was why he moved to the Lakers: for the first time in his career, he found himself in a big market club, got even more opportunities for self-promotion, stepped up projects related to Hollywood, and starred as the main star in a big movie.

Billionaire Warren Buffett, who knows LeBron personally, noted that he has a mindset focused on making money.

LeBron himself admitted that he is the most stingy player in the NBA and, for example, used the Pandora streaming service with ads for a long time (although you can remove it for only $ 5 a month). Which, however, did not stop him from laying out 40 million to finance a school in Akron.

Naturally, James' main asset at the moment is his popularity. Nearly all of his documentaries like The Shop and Uninterrupted continue the reality show where James and his family live on social media all the time.


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