LeBron James

LeBron Raymone James was born on December 30, 1984, at Summa Health Akron Campus in Akron, Ohio, to 16-year-old Gloria Marie James. His father, Anthony McClelland, who had an extensive criminal record including arson and theft, was not involved in James's life. During James's childhood, the family often struggled, moving between apartments in the more run‑down neighborhoods of Akron while Gloria sought steady employment. Realizing that her son would benefit from a more stable environment, she allowed him to live with the family of Frank Walker, a local youth football coach who introduced James to basketball when he was nine.

James began playing organized basketball in the fifth grade. He later competed in Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball for the Northeast Ohio Shooting Stars. The team achieved success locally and nationally, led by James and his friends Sian Cotton, Dru Joyce III, and Willie McGee. The group called themselves the "Fab Four" and agreed that they would attend high school together. In a decision that generated local controversy, they enrolled at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School, a private Catholic school with a predominantly white student body.

As a 6-foot-2-inch (1.88 m) tall freshman, James averaged 18 points and 6 rebounds per game for the St. Vincent–St. Mary varsity basketball team. The team, known as The Fighting Irish, went 27–0 en route to the Division III state title, making them the only boys high school team in Ohio to finish the season undefeated. As a sophomore, James averaged 25.2 points and 7.2 rebounds, along with 5.8 assists and 3.8 steals per game. For some home games during the season, St. Vincent–St. Mary played at the University of Akron's 5,492-seat Rhodes Arena to satisfy ticket demand from alumni and fans, as well as college and NBA scouts who wanted to see James play. The Fighting Irish finished the season 26–1 and repeated as state champions. For his outstanding play, James was named Ohio Mr. Basketball and selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team, becoming the first sophomore to achieve either.

In 2001, during the summer before his junior year, James was the subject of a feature article in Slam magazine. Writer Ryan Jones lauded the 16-year-old James, who had grown to 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m), as "[possibly] the best high school basketball player in America right now". During the season, James also appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, becoming the first high school basketball underclassman to do so. With averages of 29 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 3.3 steals per game, he was again named Ohio Mr. Basketball and selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team, and became the first junior to be named male basketball Gatorade National Player of the Year. St. Vincent–St. Mary finished the year with a 23–4 record, ending their season with a loss in the Division II championship game. Following the loss, James unsuccessfully petitioned for a change to the NBA's draft eligibility rules in an attempt to enter the 2002 NBA draft. During this time, he used marijuana, which he said was to help cope with the stress that resulted from the constant media attention he was receiving.

During his senior year, James and the Fighting Irish played against several nationally ranked teams, including Oak Hill Academy on December 12, 2002. The game was nationally televised on ESPN2. Time Warner Cable, looking to capitalize on James's popularity, offered St. Vincent–St. …

The Cleveland Cavaliers selected James as the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft. James chose jersey number 23 in honor of Michael Jordan. In his first regular season game, James scored 25 points in a 106–92 loss to the Sacramento Kings, setting an NBA record for the most points scored by a prep-to-pro player in his debut performance. At the conclusion of the 2003–04 season, James became the first Cavalier to receive the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. and only the third player in league history to average at least 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists per game as a rookie.

In the 2004–05 season, James earned his first NBA All-Star Game selection, contributing 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in a winning effort for the Eastern Conference. Teams took note of his rapid development, and Denver Nuggets coach George Karl told Sports Illustrated: "It's weird talking about a 20-year-old kid being a great player, but he is a great player ... He's the exception to almost every rule." On March 20, James scored 56 points against the Toronto Raptors, setting Cleveland's new single-game points record. At the end of the season, James was named to his first All-NBA Team. The Cavaliers again failed to make the playoffs, finishing the season 42–40. During the 2006 offseason, James signed a three-year, $60 million contract extension with the Cavaliers, with the option for a fourth year.

At the 2006 All-Star Game, James led the Eastern Conference to victory with 29 points and was named the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP). He finished second in overall NBA MVP Award voting, behind Steve Nash. Under James's leadership, the Cavaliers qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1998. In his postseason debut, James recorded a triple-double in a win over the Washington Wizards. In Game 3, he made the first game-winning basket of his career, and another in Game 5. Cleveland defeated the Wizards before losing to the Detroit Pistons in the second round.

The Cavaliers finished the 2006–07 season with 50 wins and entered the playoffs as the second seed in the Eastern Conference. In the first two rounds, James led the team to wins over the Wizards and New Jersey Nets, earning them a matchup with the Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals. In Game 5, James logged 48 points with nine rebounds and seven assists in a 109–107 double-overtime win. …

As a 19-year-old rookie, James made his debut for the United States national team at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, although he spent most of the event on the bench. Team USA finished with a bronze medal, becoming the first U.S. basketball team to return home without a gold medal since the NBA started allowing active players to participate in the Olympics. James felt he was not given "a fair opportunity to play".

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. The team finished the tournament with an 8–1 record, winning another bronze medal. During this time, James was known for his disrespectful attitude toward the national team's staff, coaches and players. While assembling the 2008 Olympic squad, Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo and coach Mike Krzyzewski told James he could only play if he improved his attitude, and James complied. Colangelo said that James matured significantly as both a player and a person as a result of the ultimatum.

At the FIBA Americas Championship 2007, James put up 31 points against Argentina in the championship game, the most ever by an American in an Olympic qualifier. Team USA went 10–0, winning the championship and qualifying for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, where they went undefeated and won the gold medal.

James did not play at the 2010 FIBA World Championship but became the leader of Team USA ahead of the 2012 Olympics in London. 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. Team USA won the gold medal, again defeating Spain in the final game. James contributed 19 points in the victory, becoming the all-time leading scorer in U.S. men's basketball history. He became the second player, alongside Michael Jordan, to win an NBA MVP award, NBA championship, NBA Finals MVP, and Olympic gold medal in the same year.

After a 12-year hiatus from the Olympics, James joined the 2024 Olympic squad in Paris as team captain at 39 years old. He was one of two Team USA flag-bearers for the opening ceremony of the games, becoming the first male basketball player to receive the honor. …

James married his high school girlfriend, Savannah Brinson (born August 27, 1986), on September 14, 2013, in San Diego, California. They have two sons, Bronny and Bryce, and a daughter, Zhuri. Bronny was drafted by the Lakers in June 2024 and played his first game with his father that October. In 2017, Cavaliers team chaplain Jerry Birch described James as a Christian. James has referred to God as "the man above".

James owns a 30,000 square foot (2,787 m) mansion in Akron, Ohio, that he custom-built in 2003 at a cost of $2.1 million. During his stint with the Heat, James lived in Coconut Grove, where he bought a $9 million three-story mansion overlooking Biscayne Bay. In November 2015, he bought a 9,350 square-foot (869 m) East Coast-style mansion in Brentwood, Los Angeles, for $21 million. He purchased another home in Brentwood in December 2017 for $23 million. In September 2020, he bought a third home in Los Angeles, this one in Beverly Hills, for $36.75 million.

James's closest friends in the NBA are Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and his former Heat teammate Dwyane Wade. The four have been referred to as the "banana boat crew". During an excursion to the Bahamas, James rescued Anthony after he was carried away from their boat by a current. Anthony credited James with saving his life.

In September 2023, new client names from the Biogenesis scandal were released, including that of Ernest "Randy" Mims, a longtime friend and business manager of James, and David Alexander, a well-known trainer of prominent athletes who co-owned a cold-pressed juice and smoothie business with Savannah and also served as her personal trainer. The DEA determined that there "was never any indication that LeBron James did anything wrong."

According to James's business partner Maverick Carter, James was in the habit of spending $1.5 million per year on his body, as reported by Men's Health in 2021. This figure included paying for personal chefs and trainers as well as recovery therapies such as cryotherapy and hyperbaric chambers. In a March 2025 interview, James denied that he spends up to $1 million per year on his health. He told ESPN in 2018 that he drinks wine every night, believing it to be good for his heart. He also has a fondness for sweets, especially chocolate chip cookies. …