How many years 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

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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At school, the future basketball star combined two sports ⁠—basketball and American football. His height (182 centimeters at 14 years old) and large hands were an advantage not only on the basketball court - LeBron played football as a receiver. James was so good in both sports that he was predicted to have a career in football at the collegiate level, and then a transition to the professionals. As a result, having injured his finger in one of the games, LeBron left the more traumatic football and focused on basketball. In the school league, LeBron showed great performance, and both the media and scouts became interested in him. Interest in the young star was so high that the team had to rent a new hall to accommodate everyone who wanted to watch the games of the young talent live. LeBron was followed by a line of varsity teams.

As a result, LeBron's popularity by the end of high school was so high that he skipped the college stage of his career and went straight to the pros. The 18-year-old basketball player in the 2003 NBA draft was selected with the first overall number by the Cleveland Cavaliers, in which James played seven seasons. In 2007, the forward led the club to the first NBA Finals. During his time with the Cavaliers, LeBron became the highest scoring player in team history. In 2010, LeBron became a free agent and left the team for four seasons. During this time, LeBron managed to become the NBA champion twice, receive the title of the most valuable player of the finals and the regular series. After the return of James in 2015, the Cavaliers immediately reached the League final, but again lost it. In 2016, LeBron led the team to the championship. Together with him, the players of the Russian national team became the owners of the coveted ring Timofey Mozgov and Alexander Kaun . Since 2018, LeBron has been playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, with which he won the Larry O'Brien Cup for the fourth time - in 2020.

LeBron is an Olympian. The basketball player played for the US team at three Olympic Games - in Athens, Beijing and London, where he won two golds and one bronze. Among the titles of LeBron, there is not only the title of the world champion - LeBron participated in the world championship only in 2006 and, together with the national team, won bronze. In 2012, LeBron became the NBA MVP, won the NBA championship, was named the NBA Finals MVP and won the Olympic gold medal. Previously, only 9 were able to achieve such achievements in a year0025 Michael Jordan .

In July 2021, LeBron announced that he was ending his career in the national team. This decision was prompted by the criticism of the fans, who were dissatisfied with the position of the basketball player to miss the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Also among the reasons, he named the physical form, which must be protected.

“I don't need much. Glamor and that's all ⁠— don't interest me. I'm just happy to have basketball in my life.”

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LeBron James - biography, personal life, photo, news, height, weight, movie, sneakers, statistics, age 2022

Biography

Four-time NBA champion LeBron James is rightfully considered one of the greatest American athletes. The basketball legend was the second after Michael Jordan to record a triple-double at the All-Star Game. In addition, LeBron is not without artistry and is known as an exemplary husband and caring father.

Childhood and youth

The athlete was born in December 1984 in the "rubber capital of the world", as the city of Akron, Ohio is called for the location of the headquarters of companies that produce tires and material.

The mother of the future celebrity, Gloria James, gave birth to a child at the age of 16, put her on her feet and gave her a surname. With the biological father, Anthony McClelland, James does not keep in touch. According to rumors, Anthony is a famous streetball player and no less famous swindler who spent a third of his life in prison.

The athlete had a warm relationship with his mother, although Gloria brought a lot of confusion into her son's life. From the age of 5, LeBron traveled from one corner of America to another, not stopping anywhere for a long time. The family moved 6-7 times a year, changing cities and apartments. When the boy went to school, it greatly interfered with his studies. And James did not have time to make friends in a new place.

In the 4th grade, a student missed half of his studies because of his mother, who violated the peace and spent a week under arrest. James was simply ashamed to go to class and listen to mocking comments from his peers. Gloria's behavior made LeBron blush more than once, because her mother regularly hooligans, quarreled with sellers and employers, and showed contempt of court.

Later, when LeBron James' sports star rose, Gloria showed a wild temperament as a cheerleader. At matches, the woman dealt with everyone who expressed dissatisfaction with her son's game, for which she received the nickname Mother Iverson, double two.

James' basketball talent was discovered by his high school football coach. Frankie Walker, seeing the considerable potential of the boy, took the fourth grader to his house. So Frankie suspended the indefatigable Gloria from city to city for a year and a half.

In the 5th grade James attended all school lessons thanks to Frankie. And most importantly, basketball appeared in LeBron's biography. The coach taught the young athlete the rules of the game and throwing the ball with his left hand (LeBron James is left-handed).

In addition to the coach, LeBron received a male upbringing from Eddie Jackson, his stepfather, with whom the guy had a warm relationship. The stepfather, like the mother, was not a law-abiding citizen: he spent 6 years behind bars for fraud with credit cards and drug trafficking. But James was brought up by Jackson from the age of 2, and at 17 he received the first car from Eddie as a birthday present - the Ford Explorer.

Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron burst into the world of big sport quickly. After the 8th grade, the basketball player turned out to be a finalist for the American Championship among schoolchildren. Due to smoking marijuana, which James "relieved stress", the guy almost flew out of the team, but managed to stop. The second test turned out to be no less dangerous: on the playground, an iron structure with a ring collapsed on a schoolboy. Thankfully, the injuries were not serious.

Having heard about the talented basketball player, the legendary Kobe Bryant, nicknamed the Black Mamba, came to see the young star from Los Angeles. Convinced of the veracity of the rumors, Bryant invited LeBron James to train with the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA team.

The ability of the young athlete was so highly appreciated that the club deliberately violated the rules according to which the player must be 18 years old. For this, the owners of the Cleveland Cavaliers paid a fine of 150,000, but it was worth it.

In 2003, the NBA draft was the most stellar in the new millennium: the team brought together the best basketball players, whose names were pronounced with reverence by fans.

In Cleveland, rookie James immediately became number one, although he did not graduate from high school. The risks and expenses that the coach and the club's managers took paid off: LeBron pulled out the lagging team, having managed to adapt in less than six months.

The Cleveland Cavaliers soon made it into the top 10 teams in the Basketball Association, which LeBron James credited for. In 2008, Christopher Belman made a documentary that tells the story of LeBron and other successful colleagues.

Miami Heat

In 2010, James decided to move with Toronto Raptors player Chris Bosh to the Miami Heat, where friend and teammate Dwyane Wade was already working. But the fans regarded the move as a betrayal and even took to protest marches with flash mobs, on which they burned T-shirts with the number 23. LeBron was forced to explain that the act was not treacherous treason, but a desire to take the NBA championship.

Soon the fans were convinced that the favorite was right: in the 2011/2012 season, for the first time in his career, LeBron James achieved the NBA champion title, the player was included in the US Dream Team.

By the end of 2012, the athlete took all possible awards. LeBron James is the youngest basketball player in the world to break 20,000 points. The event took place in January 2013.

Return to Cleveland

In July 2014, LeBron signed a two-year, $42.1 million deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers, reserving the right to terminate the contract after one season. A year later, the player informed management of his intention to become an unrestricted free agent. A month later, James signed a new agreement with the Cleveland in the amount of $ 46.9million

Cleveland fans forgave LeBron old grievances after great results. In June 2016, the athlete helped the team win the first ever championship. James managed to pull the victory over to the side of the club, despite the fact that the rivals managed to get ahead quite well at the beginning of the meeting.

In early December 2017, James was named Player of the Week in the NBA Eastern Conference. The forward helped the Cleveland Cavaliers win in 4 games, collecting a double-double in each. According to teammate Channing Fry, LeBron was in great shape. Fry claimed that normally a colleague gave 60%, but that season he used 80% of the opportunities, while appearing at ease.

Los Angeles Lakers

James signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018. Although this time the fans took the departure from Cleveland more calmly, the emotions from the move of the idol remained mixed. LeBron's agent explained that when moving to the Miami Heat, the basketball player thought about the championship, returning to his native club - about fulfilling his promise, and in 2018, the titled athlete finally decided to think about his desires and acted as he saw fit.

In season 2018/2019James showed an excellent game, but in a match against the Golden State Warriors, he suffered a groin injury. Because of what happened, LeBron had to miss 17 games. Without a celebrity, the Lakers failed and could not continue to fight in the playoffs.

But the next season, together with the team, James won, reaching the champion title for the 3rd time. In 2020, the Los Angeles Lakers club did not hesitate to extend the contract with LeBron for 2 years.

Team USA

James was first called up to the US team in 2004. At the Athens Olympics, the American team won bronze instead of the usual gold. LeBron was indignant, claiming that the failure was due to the fact that he was not given the opportunity to express himself in all its glory. The athlete's reaction was then considered disrespectful.

Before making the basketball player on the Olympic team in 2008, James was forced to work on his behavior and learn to control his emotions. LeBron listened. At the Olympics, the Americans beat the Spaniards and won 1st place. Success repeated 4 years later.

LeBron James is the second person to win a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, the Finals MVP and an NBA championship in a single season. Previously, only Michael Jordan managed to conquer such a peak.

Movies

LeBron, nicknamed King James, is good at basketball and on the set. A tall and muscular athlete (with a height of 206 cm, weight reaches 113 kg) is loved by photo and movie cameras. The celebrity has repeatedly appeared in commercials for companies such as Coca-Cola and McDonald's.

The charismatic gambler has acted in films more than once. LeBron's filmography includes series and feature films. True, as a rule, James appears before the audience in the image of himself. So it was in the 2015 Hollywood comedy Girl Without Complexes. The picture turned out well. Box office was 4x over budget, grossing $140 million.

James is also good in front of cameramen filming real meetings. Videos of LeBron demonstrating dunks and other tricks are gaining record numbers of views. The sports statistics of the legend are amazing. But the basketball player played and continues to play the main role not on the floor or on the set, but in the circle of relatives.

Personal life

James' personal life is a success. In high school, the athlete met his future wife Savannah Brinson. The school romance did not end even after James and Savannah left the walls of the educational institution.

A long relationship between a basketball player and a chosen one led to the engagement. The couple got married in September 2013 in San Diego. The ceremony was witnessed by 200 guests.

By the time of the celebration, Savannah and LeBron had already grown up two sons. The firstborn, LeBron James Jr., was born in 2004, and Bryce Maximus appeared 3 years later. Both guys are playing basketball now. In November 2014, the wife gave the athlete a daughter, Zhuri.

LeBron devotes a lot of time to communicating with loved ones. Once upon a time, family taco dinners even inspired the father of three to create the Taco Tuesday trademark. The phrase James used to describe the stories with gatherings that he posted on his Instagram account. True, the brand was refused registration, as the expression was considered common.

LeBron James now

The athlete's wealth continues to grow. In January 2021, Forbes named LeBron the highest paid player in the NBA for the 7th time. According to the publication, James's income for the season will be $ 96.5 million, of which only a third is salary, the rest is income from advertising and other sources of income.

At the same time, on June 4, 2021, an unpleasant event occurred for the Lakers. After losing to the Phoenix Suns, the team had to leave the fight and give up the title of NBA champions.

But LeBron flashed on the screen. In July, with the participation of a basketball player, the premiere of the comedy family film "Space Jam: The New Generation" was announced. Although James once again portrayed himself, this time the athlete is a key character.

Awards

• 2002 - Mr. Basketball USA
• 2003 - NASMIT A prize to the best player of the year among high school students
• 2004 - beginner of the Year of NBA
• 2006 - the most valuable player of the match of all stars of NBA
• 2009, 2010, 2013 - BET Award for Sportsman of the Year
• 2010, 2012, 2013 - NBA Most Valuable Player
• 2012 - USA Basketball Sportsman of the Year
• 2012, 2013, 2016 - NBA Finals Most Valuable Player
• 2012, 2016 Sports Illustrated Athlete of the Year
• 2013 Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Athlete
• 2013 Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year
• 2014 Teen Choice Award Best athlete"
• 2017 - J.

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