
LeBron James (30 December 1984-) was an American basketball small forward who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2003 to 2010, the Miami Heat from 2010 to 2014, and for the Cavaliers after 2014. James was a three-time NBA champion and four-time MVP as of December 2017, and he rivalled Michael Jordan for the title "Greatest of All Time" (GOAT) in basketball.
Biography[]
LeBron James was born in Akron, Ohio on 30 December 1984, the son of a 16-year-old single mother. He played basketball at the predominantely white Catholic school, St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, and he was considered to be the United States' best high school basketball player during his junior year; many claimed that he was destined to be an NBA superstar. He also played football, and he even played for Notre Dame's "Fighting Irish" team. In 2003, he was recruited by the Cleveland Cavaliers, the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft. He led the "Cavs" to the franchise's first NBA Finals appearance in 2007, only to lose to the San Antonio Spurs. In 2010, he left the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat in a highly controversial move, and a television special called "The Decision" was aired to show his decision on what team he would choose to play for. He played for the Heat for four years, only to return to the Cavaliers to play with recently-acquired player Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, forming a star trio. From 2014 to 2016, James ended the 52-year Cleveland sports curse, but he was criticized in his role for firing coach David Blatt. The 2016-2017 season was marred by injuries and unexpected losses for the Cavaliers, but the 2017-2018 season was more successful; James reached at least 10 points for the 800th game in a row, joining Michael Jordan as the only basketball players to reach that straek. He was also the youngest player to reach 29,000 career points in the NBA.
James became involved with politics as the result of his acquired fame; he became one of the wealthiest NBA players due to his sponsorships. James took stances on controversial issues such as the War in Darfur and racism, calling out President Donald Trump for his lack of condemnation of white nationalist groups taking part in the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in August 2017. In June 2008, he donated to Democratic Party presidential nominee Barack Obama's presidential campaign, and he publicly endorsed the Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election.