LeBron James went from Akron apartments to the NBA's all-time scoring summit
Born to a 16-year-old mother who moved him between run-down Akron apartments, LeBron James found stability with a youth football coach's family, who also handed him his first basketball at nine. He became the NBA's all-time leading scorer and the first player to earn a billion dollars while still playing.
James was born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio, to Gloria James, then 16; his father was absent. With money tight and homes changing often, Gloria let him move in with Frank Walker, who coached youth football nearby and first put a basketball in his hands. He began organised play in fifth grade and starred in amateur ball with friends Sian Cotton, Dru Joyce III and Willie McGee. Calling themselves the Fab Four, they vowed to attend high school together and chose St. Vincent–St. Mary, a mostly white private Catholic school, stirring local controversy.
He was an instant sensation. As a freshman he helped the team go 27–0 and win a state title. The next year he averaged 25.2 points and demand for tickets pushed some home games into the University of Akron's 5,492-seat arena. The team repeated as champions, and he became the first sophomore named Ohio Mr. Basketball and a USA Today first-team All-American.
Cleveland drafted him first overall straight out of high school in 2003. He won Rookie of the Year, led the Cavaliers to their first Finals in 2007, and took back-to-back MVP awards in 2009 and 2010 before announcing his move to Miami in a much-criticised TV special, The Decision. Titles followed in 2012 and 2013. Returning home in 2014, he delivered Cleveland's first championship in 2016, ending the city's long sports drought, then won again with the Lakers in 2020, becoming the first Finals MVP with three franchises.
His résumé keeps growing: four championships from ten Finals trips, including eight straight from 2011 to 2018, four MVPs, three Olympic golds, a record 22 All-Star selections, and the most seasons, games and minutes in league history. Time has named him among its 100 most influential people four times, more than any other pro athlete.
Source: LeBron James
