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Basketball player Lebron Raymone James was born Dec. 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio. Lebron attended St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, where as a freshman point guard led the team to a 27-0 record and a division III state championship. In both his junior and senior year, he was selected as the USA Today High School Player of the Year, and earned MVP honors at the McDonald's All-American Game.

Lebron was the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, and before he even played a single game he landed a $95 million shoe contract with Nike. He earned Rookie of the Year honors, finishing the season with 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. Lebron is also the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple double and the youngest player to score 50 points in a game.

He was featured as himself on the hit television series "The Simpsons," and he has his own flavor of Bubblicious bubble gum called "Lebron's Lightning Lemonade." Lebron and his girlfriend Savanah Crinson have a son named Lebron James Junior. He was sent like a gift from the basketball gods upon Michael Jordan's (second) retirement from the NBA, labeled 'The Chosen One' on the cover of Sports Illustrated at the age of 17. Amazingly, LeBron James has more than lived up to the hype brought on by his otherworldly teenage skills. James combines Jordan's intensity and will to win with the court vision and charisma of Magic Johnson -- somehow without ever appearing the prima donna. A born showman, he plays to the crowd with high-flying dunk displays in warm-ups, followed by elaborate dances with teammates that go well beyond the standard chest-bumping. While demonstrating early in his career to be very much like Mike (wearing Jordan's No. 23), James shows more promise than Jordan in performing off the court. The affable LeBron enthusiastically showed off his creativity, acting instincts and dance moves as a 2007 guest host of Saturday Night Live and as co-host (with Jimmy Kimmel) of ESPN's 2007 ESPY Awards. Perhaps "King James'" easiness on stage was forged during his high-profile prep career in Akron, Ohio, where Kristopher Belman's cameras followed James' every move as a senior while making More Than a Game (2008). The documentary details the heartwarming bond James shared with four long-time classmates as they played the most nationally-televised high-school season ever. Roger Leister, All Movie Guide
He was sent like a gift from the basketball gods upon Michael Jordan's (second) retirement from the NBA, labeled 'The Chosen One' on the cover of Sports Illustrated at the age of 17. Amazingly, LeBron James has more than lived up to the hype brought on by his otherworldly teenage skills. James combines Jordan's intensity and will to win with the court vision and charisma of Magic Johnson -- somehow without ever appearing the prima donna. A born showman, he plays to the crowd with high-flying dunk displays in warm-ups, followed by elaborate dances with teammates that go well beyond the standard chest-bumping. While demonstrating early in his career to be very much like Mike (wearing Jordan's No. 23), James shows more promise than Jordan in performing off the court. The affable LeBron enthusiastically showed off his creativity, acting instincts and dance moves as a 2007 guest host of Saturday Night Live and as co-host (with Jimmy Kimmel) of ESPN's 2007 ESPY Awards. Perhaps "King James'" easiness on stage was forged during his high-profile prep career in Akron, Ohio, where Kristopher Belman's cameras followed James' every move as a senior while making More Than a Game (2008). The documentary details the heartwarming bond James shared with four long-time classmates as they played the most nationally-televised high-school season ever. Roger Leister, All Movie Guide

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