Lebron James - Why he is King James
Lebron James - unquestionably one of the top 10 players in the history of the NBA
In his first nationally-televised game on December 12, 2002, LeBron James shows out with 31 points
In our continuing series on NBA greats, Roger Cumberbatch details the career of ‘King’ James.
Some athletes become great, and others have greatness thrust upon them. When your nickname is the “King”, greatness is expected of you. Lebron James was destined to be great ever since he was in high school.
Can you name another high school athlete who was having their games broadcast on national television? Peyton Manning, Sydney Crosby, Kobe, and Michael Jordan, never have had their playing careers tracked and followed with such scrutiny at such a young age. It is safe to say that Lebron has met and surpassed the expectations of him.
Rising to the occasion and performing in the moments when his teams have needed him, are among the many reasons why Lebron James is one of the Greatest Players In NBA History.
Lebron James - The Early Days
Lebron James grew up in tough surroundings, his mother Gloria struggled to make ends meet, going from job to job, and was dragging James from apartment to apartment along the way. Lebron’s father was non-existent in his life due to a rather serious criminal record, Gloria was left to raise this young man in a very bad area of Akron, Ohio.
James’ mother realised that in order for her son to have any kind of a future, she would have to send him somewhere safe. At the age of 9, Lebron moved in with the family of a local football coach. The coach introduced James to basketball, and the rest as they say, is history.
High School
Fast-forwarding to high school, Lebron’s greatness was clear even as a freshman at St. Vincent-St. Mary High school. James averaged 21 points, and 6 rebounds per game for the Fighting Irish. Lebron would lead the Irish to 3 division titles in 4 years.
In addition to having games broadcast nationally on ESPN2, and filling the 5000 seat gymnasium to capacity, Lebron’s aura attracted cable giant, Time-Warner, who offered local residents subscriptions for watching all of the Fighting Irish’s games on pay-per-view.
Turning Pro - Lebron arrives in the NBA
Lebron entered the 2003-2004 NBA Draft to nobody’s surprise as the number one overall pick. James was selected by his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, in an impressive draft class that featured; Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, all of who were picked after Lebron.
Ending his rookie campaign averaging 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists, James was the easy choice for the 2003 NBA Rookie of The Year award, the first Cavaliers player ever to win the award.
Lebron’s bright future was clearly ahead of him and he was well on the path to greatness, but he still had a long way to go.
Cleveland finished that season with a 35-47 record, missing the playoffs, with the only positive being the 18-game improvement in wins over the previous season.
As a sophomore in the NBA, James erupted for a 56 point game, and increased his scoring average to 27 points per game.
Despite the great individual success of Lebron, the Cavs still watched the playoffs from the outside looking in, even though they finished with an above average regular season record of 42-40.
Year 3 of Lebron in the NBA marked the return of the Cavaliers to the postseason for the first time since 1988. Cleveland faced off against the Washington Wizards and won the series in 5 games, before being eliminated in the next series by the Detroit Pistons.
James averaged 31.4 points, 7 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game in the regular season, and he was named the 2006 NBA All-Star Game MVP.
Although his scoring average decreased in 2007, Lebron guided the previously hapless Cavs to an NBA Finals appearance against the San Antonio Spurs.
James was limited to only 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game in the series, as the Spurs made James a jump-shooter, something that he was not very good at.
Lebron would have more individual success and accolades over the next 3 seasons, but he failed to lift his team to another championship appearance, being eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals, then in the second round. James' last game as a Cavaliers player, he scored 27 points, had 19 rebounds, 10 assists for an ordinarily impressive triple-double. Lebron also had 9 turnovers and left for Miami in the offseason.
“The Decision”
James made his announcement of his signing with the Miami Heat via television.
The signing, dubbed “The Decision”, sparked controversy league-wide, mostly in Lebron’s hometown of Cleveland. Posters and jerseys with James’ likeness were burned, fans cried and rioted, all in an effort to express their disappointment with his choice to leave.
But that was his choice. He was a free-agent, and he joined Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh in Miami, and would go on to win 2 NBA championships as a member of the Heat.
I’m Coming Home
June 25, 2014, Cleveland’s prodigal son had returned. Lebron came back to his hometown Cavs, and would lead them to an NBA championship in 2016.
In that NBA Finals versus the Golden State Warriors, James had a spectacular chase-down block, and led the Cavs from being down 3-1 in the best of seven games series, to win it all in 7.
Lifting the Larry O’Brien trophy in 2016; erased “The Decision”, the early-round exits from the playoffs, and the one failed NBA Finals appearance in which they were swept 4-0 by San Antonio.
Going to Cali - LeBron and The Lakers
After the Cavs dealt with a myriad of injuries, Lebron’s second tour with Cleveland came to an end in 2018. James left his hometown to play for the 2nd most successful franchises in NBA history (Boston is #1), the Los Angeles Lakers.
Buzzer-Beater
The legacy of Lebron’s greatness has yet to fully unfold. Now as a member of the Lakers, all that remains is finding out where LeBron James ranks on the list, not if he belongs on the list of the Greatest Players In NBA History.
