Anyone who knows basketball has a pretty good idea who LeBron James is. With his name being synonymous with the sport, he is the embodiment of discipline and hard work. A good NBA player knows how to use his talent to elevate his career. As for James, he knew from the start that his legacy would transcend even outside basketball.
Arguably the game’s greatest of all time (GOAT), he remains the top pick of sports enthusiasts. LeBron is the kind of athlete who can play positionless basketball. This means he can assume any role in the team.
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Fortunately for his team, they found success with it. Consistency. Pure Determination. Never Say Die Attitude. LeBron has them all.
Now that rumors of his retirement circulate in the sports world let’s have a look at his prolific career.
Humble Beginnings
LeBron established his dominance at an early age. He began playing basketball in the fifth grade. Later on, he joined the Northeast Ohio Shooting Stars in the Amateur Athletic Union.
With him in the lead, his team reveled in success at the national level. This was alongside friends Willie McGee, Sian Cotton, and Dru Joyce III. They would go on to attend St. Vincent — St. Mary High School together.
In his freshman year, the team became the first high school boys’ Ohio team to finish the season undefeated. He had a repeat performance in his second year, leading the team to a 26-1 record. James also helped the team win back-to-back division titles.
With his monster performance, James started getting noticed all the more. In his junior year, he made it on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Making him the first high school underclassman to do so. This was only the start of the long list of accolades he would yet acquire.
For his senior year, James again proved his worth by helping the team win their 3rd division title in four years.
NBA Dominance
Being the first overall pick in the 2003 draft, James went on to play for his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. He set a record for the most points by a prep-to-pro player in a debut performance in his first NBA game. Eventually, he won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in the same year.
Seven years with the team gave him a chance to lead the Cavaliers to several playoff appearances. They even won the Eastern Conference Championship in 2007. However, they could not get past Coach Pop’s San Antonio Spurs.
James decided to go to the Miami Heat in 2010. His friends Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh also joined the team. The trio became the Heat’s “new big three” and a part of the NBA’s first player-created super team.
The 2011-2012 season gave him his first-ever championship. They were able to secure back-to-back NBA Championships in the next season. After his fourth year with Heat, he decided to cut his contract short and return to the Cavaliers.
A month after his return to the Cavaliers, the management acquired two more stars to help LeBron. Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love, Thus, LeBron James now made up Cleveland’s new big three.
The 2015-2016 season saw James’s third chip. Cleveland’s championship win was also their first one in 52 years. At the end of the 2017-2018 season, James bid Cleveland farewell for the second time. After giving glory to his home team, LeBron went on to play for the Los Angeles Lakers.
James would have a rocky first season with the Lakers. However, in the next season, the L.A. Lakers management brought head coach Frank Vogel on board. They also acquired big man Anthony Davis from the Pelicans. These helped the team win a championship in the NBA Bubble.
Breaker of Records
Since entering the league in 2003, James has racked up quite a collection of awards and honors. Some of the most notable ones are:
The list goes on and on for LeBron. With his help, the popularity of the NBA extends throughout other scenes. You can even find NBA-themed games on this Swedish casino website. Definitely, it made him the face of the NBA for most fans and players alike.
NBA’s GOAT
In spite of others’ opinions, LeBron James is a once-in-a-lifetime athlete catch. He carefully built his empire by being versatile, particularly at the peak of his career. In fact, he is now a huge celebrity and a savvy businessman.
Yet, he stayed true to his advocacies. This sealed his place as one of the most respectable players who ever graced the court. His career-long relevance and countless achievements made a strong case for him to be a top GOAT contender. Indeed, that is one hard act to follow.
