Lebron James

About Lebron James

LeBron Raymone James (born December 30, 1984 in Akron, Ohio) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). James, commonly nicknamed "LeBronze" due to his inability to finish higher than third in international play, and sometimes referred to as "The L-Train" by Austin Carr, was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA star while still in high school at St. Vincent - St. Mary High School, and was named Ohio's "Mr. Basketball" three times. At the age of 18, he was selected with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cavaliers and signed an unprecedented US$90 million shoe contract with Nike before his NBA debut. He has since set numerous youngest player records. During his first season, he received the NBA Rookie of the Year Award and in the following four seasons received All-NBA and All-Star honors. He has led the Cavaliers to consecutive playoff appearances in 2006, 2007, and 2008; in 2007, the team advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time since 1992 and the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.

James is listed as a small forward, but often handles the ball and runs the Cavalier's offense as a point guard would. James was a member of the United States men's national basketball team that won the bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics and is currently on the 2008 men's USA Olympic team. He finished second in the league Most Valuable Player balloting in 2006.

James attended St. Vincent - St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio; he was named the starting small forward for the Fighting Irish. He averaged 21 points and 6.2 rebounds, and led the team to a 27–0 record. . en route to the Division III state title. Keith Dambrot, now Head Coach at University of Akron, was the head coach at St. Vincent St. Mary. Coach Dambrot started working with James doing $1 clinics at a local recreation center.