How old was lebron james when he started playing basketball

Never before in the history of the National Basketball Association had so much been expected from one player—let alone an eighteen-year-old kid, as it when LeBron James entered the NBA Draft in 2003. 

By far the most-hyped and popular high-school basketball player ever, LeBron was expected to come into the NBA and be the savior to a league that had been losing popularity over the few seasons preceding James' entry into the draft. 

This eighteen-year-old high school graduate from St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio was expected to come in, dominate from day one, and become an instant superstar. 

How did LeBron meet those expectations you ask?  By surpassing each and every one laid forth by anyone. 

Many expert analysts cannot believe how well he has done, or that he has become so great, so quick.  He became the instant leader of a Cleveland Cavalier franchise that had been cellar-dwellers of the Eastern Conference for many years, and which had not made the playoffs since the days of Craig Ehlo and Michael Jordan.  

Cleveland did not make the playoffs in LeBron's rookie season, but have been there each year since, including an appearance in the 2007 NBA Finals.  A perennial MVP candidate, LeBron has finished among the top finalists for MVP in in each of the past three seasons, finishing second in 2006.  And with career averages of 27.3 points, 6.6 assists and 6.9 rebounds per game there is a pretty good chance that he will find his name being mentioned in every MVP conversation again this year.

But let's talk about this newer and more-improved version of LeBron James, the one that seemingly refuses to let his team lose whenever the game is close in the fourth quarter.  Going into the 2006-2007 season, the biggest knock on LeBron James was that he could not win, that he just didn't have that killer instinct needed to take over a game and have his team come out on top.  Even close friend Dwyane Wade called LeBron out on his ability to finish a game. 

Once again, how did LeBron respond to these critics?  Well, let's go back to Game Five of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals, LeBron scored twenty-nine of the team's final thirty points, and the final twenty-five in a row to end the game in the fourth quarter and both overtimes to lead the Cavaliers to a victory.  

And by the looks of what LeBron did last season, he really enjoyed taking that game over in Detroit.  He dominated the ends of games all season long, averaging a league-leading 9.3 points per game in the fourth quarter, including two away games in which hecklers in the stands tried throwing LeBron off his game—but instead just fueled him to go harder, resulting in losses for the home team on both occasions. 

LeBron went from someone who could not finish off a game to a man who lives and plays the game for the fourth quarter.  It is almost as if LeBron coasts through the first three quarters just to keep Cleveland close to their opponent, so that he can come out for those final twelve minutes, give everything he has and lead the Cavaliers to another victory. 

Whether it be shooting the ball from the perimeter, getting to the foul line, finding an open teammate, or throwing down one of his many thunderous dunks, LeBron knows exactly what it takes to do in order to win a game that is close down the stretch.  

Now, with another season getting ready to tip-off and number 23 still running the show in Cleveland, the Cavaliers may be ready to make another run at that elusive NBA Championship and by season's end LeBron will be hearing those familiar chants of "M-V-P! M-V-P!"

The future is now, and at twenty-three years of age he's going to be here for a while, only getting better with each added year of experience and practice.  The future is King James.

When Did LeBron James Start Playing Basketball?

It’s impossible not to admire LeBron James for his accomplishments. But once you learn about the circumstances he grew up in, it’s remarkable that he even made it to the NBA in the first place. When James first picked up a basketball, no one thought he’d become a living legend. However, it didn’t take long for people to realize he had a special gift.

When and why did LeBron James decide to play basketball?

James was born to a 16-year-old Gloria James. When he was born, reports ESPN, they lived in a house with Gloria’s mother and grandmother. But when the two elder women passed away, any sense of stability flew out of the window. Gloria was living on welfare and couldn’t afford a place for her and her son. So they moved from apartment to apartment of whichever friend or family member would have them.

James grew up in a chaotic and dangerous part of Akron, Ohio. Drugs and violence were prevalent in the area. As an 8-year-old, he missed 100 out of 162 days of school. Playing sports was as much about finding a safe outlet as it was about James already being as tall as his mother. 

The young athlete began playing football for a local team. Then, at nine years old, he picked up a basketball at the behest of his football coach, Frank Walker. The leader had noticed LeBron’s talent during a pickup game in his backyard.

Scouts became enamored with James early on

It didn’t take long for people to realize that James was something special. By the time he was 13, he was a 6-foot-tall athlete who led the Summit Lake Hornets to victories both in state and national tournaments.

Once the basketball world heard about this prodigy, they all wanted a ride on the LeBron train. At least one agency got in touch with him when he was a freshman at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. The increased attention didn’t affect James’ play on the court, however. St. Vincent-St. Mary went 53-1 in James’ first two years there. He was the first sophomore to become Ohio’s Mr. Basketball.

So many scouts and fans began attending his games that the school had to use the University of Akron’s stadium. Magazine profiles and TV cameras a normal part of life. James wasn’t the first high schooler to be covered like a pro, but he dealt with an intense amount of scrutiny.

In this era, it was still a question if top prospects would go to college or enter the NBA immediately. As fun as it is to imagine what LeBron could’ve done to amateur teams — he says he would’ve gone to Ohio State — it’s fair to say going straight to the pros worked out.

LeBron was hyped like no one else

 The best Hollywood screenwriter couldn’t write a narrative about the rise of a superstar more compelling than James. No rookie’s first NBA game was hyped as highly as James’ was. (Zion Williamson is the only player with a similar experience.) The expectations were sky-high — and James still surpassed them.

His first game was on the road against the Sacramento Kings. James played magnificently, putting up 25 points, nine assists, six rebounds, and four steals. He showed a preternatural level of poise and skill. The Cleveland Cavaliers lost the game, but this didn’t matter. The NBA had a new star. 

James continued to amaze throughout the season. He averaged 21 points, six rebounds, and six assists per game, winning the Rookie of the Year award as the third player in league history to average at least 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists per game as a rookie. And we all know what happened next. 

Many players were lazily labeled as the next Michael Jordan. James is good enough to actually earn the comparisons. And it all happened because someone took a chance on a poor kid from Akron, something James passes on to the next generation as an adult.

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. ”

You May Like

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.

  ---

  Learn more

  • 
    How to watch ncaa basketball championship without cable
  • 
    How to dribble two basketballs
  • 
    How to encourage a basketball player
  • 
    How to hesitate in basketball
  • 
    How to put up basketball hoop
  • 
    How to do a three man weave in basketball
  • 
    How to juke out a defender in basketball
  • 
    How much does basketball training cost
  • 
    How to do some cool basketball tricks
  • 
    How to become quicker for basketball
  • 
    How to make your left hand stronger in basketball