Within LeBron James' story are lessons that echo from the years when he and his mother struggled to survive. He faced his share of naysayers and skeptics, but he silenced all doubters with his stellar rookie performance during his first NBA season. Despite his new wealth and fame, the lessons he learned as a young player keep him focused and grounded.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the #1 bestselling author of The Dynasty and Tiger Woods—the “definitive…fantastic” (Sports Illustrated) biography of basketball superstar LeBron James, based on three years of exhaustive research and more than 250 interviews. LeBron James is the greatest basketball player of the twenty-first century, and he’s in the conversation with Michael Jordan as the greatest of all time. The reigning king of the game and the first active NBA player to become a billionaire, LeBron wears the crown like he was born with it. Yet his ascent has been anything but effortless and predetermined—the truth is vastly more interesting than that. What makes LeBron’s story so compelling is how he won his destiny despite overwhelmingly long odds, in a drama worthy of a Dickens novel. As a child, he was a scared and lonely little boy living a nomadic existence in Akron, Ohio. His mother, who had LeBron when she was sixteen, would sometimes leave him on his own. Destitute and fatherless, he missed close to one hundred days of school in the fourth grade. Desperate, his mother placed him with a family that gave him stability and put a basketball in his hands. “An absorbing chronicle of talent, character, pluck, and luck” (Wall Street Journal) LeBron tells the full, riveting saga of how a child adrift found the will to become a titan. Jeff Benedict, the most celebrated sports biographer of our time, paints a vivid picture of LeBron’s epic origin story, showing the gradual rise of a star who, surrounded by a tight-knit group of teenage friends and adult mentors, accelerated into a speeding comet during high school. Today LeBron produces Hollywood films and television shows, has a social media presence that includes more than one hundred million followers, engages in political activism, takes outspoken stances on racism and social injustice, and transforms lives through his visionary philanthropy. He went from a lost boy in Akron to a beloved hero who uses his fortune to educate underprivileged children and lift up needy families—and brought home Cleveland’s first NBA championship. But LeBron is more than just the origin story of a GOAT or a recap of his multi-championship, multi-MVP, gold medal–decorated career on the court. Benedict delves into LeBron’s relationship with fame and power: how he has cultivated it, harnessed it, suffered from it, and leveraged it. In these pages, we watch his evolution from a player who avoided politics and was widely criticized for not joining his teammates in protesting China’s role in the Darfur genocide to becoming an athlete who partnered with President Obama; campaigned for Hillary Clinton; became an advocate against gun violence, racism, and voter suppression; and openly clashed with President Trump, empowering other athletes to speak out against social injustice. To capture LeBron’s extraordinary life, Benedict conducted hundreds of interviews with the people who were involved with LeBron at different stages of his life. He also obtained thousands of pages of primary source documents and mined hundreds of hours of video footage. Destined to be the authoritative account of LeBron’s life, LeBron is a “masterful…propulsive” (Los Angeles Times) and unprecedented portrait of one of the world’s most captivating figures.

Learn about the life of the basketball superstar.

Whether you know him as King James or The Chosen One, LeBron James is one of the most famous N.B.A. players of all time. His nicknames, acquired early during his high school career, spoke of future greatness. James entered the N.B.A. at 18 years old with the Cleveland Cavaliers, launching a career that would see James excel. The first major upset came when James began to make career changes as a free agent. He lost a large number of fans, but the manner in which he addressed his choices made him who he is today: one of the best basketball players in the nation. Readers follow James's journey from the Cavaliers to the Miami Heat to the Lakers, and will examine the reporting of his career with the help of media literacy terms and questions.

Presents the life and accomplishments of LeBron James, the high school basketball player whom Sports Illustrated called 'The Chosen One' for his athletic talent, and who went on to become Rookie of the Year during his first NBA season.

LeBron James is a professional basketball player who currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. He was born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio. James was raised by his mother who struggled to raise him as a single parent in poverty. He started playing basketball at a young age and quickly developed a love for the game. During his high school career, James was considered one of the best players in the country and was heavily scouted by college and NBA coaches. James was selected as the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He quickly established himself as a dominant player in the league, winning the Rookie of the Year award in his first season. James spent the first seven years of his career with the Cavaliers, leading them to the NBA Finals in 2007 but ultimately falling short. In 2010, James left Cleveland to join the Miami Heat, where he won two NBA championships in his four years there. He returned to Cleveland in 2014 and brought the city their first NBA championship in 2016 after a historic comeback in the Finals. James has been named the NBA MVP four times and is regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. In this book we discuss topics such as: Introduction: Definition of LeBron James, Brief history, Importance in Sports Early Life: Childhood, Background, Family High School Career: Career highlights, Accomplishments, Accolades College Education (if applicable): College life experience, Career highlights, Accomplishments Professional Career: NBA Draft 2003, Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers 2.0, Los Angeles Lakers Accomplishments and Honors: NBA Championships, MVP Awards, All-Star Game Awards, Olympic Medals Off-court Life and Philanthropy: Business Ventures, Endorsements, Philanthropy Controversies and Criticisms: The Decision, Relationship with Sports Media, Criticisms on Game, Legal Issues Legacy and Impact: Impact on Basketball, Role Model for Young Athletes, Influence on Pop Culture Conclusion: Overall Summary of LeBron James' Life and Career and Impressions and Insights. Quizzes are provided at the end of each section.

LeBron James: NBA Champion examines the life and career of a player who's been in the spotlight since he was in middle school and rose out of poverty to become an NBA champion, Olympic gold medalist, and world-famous philanthropist. Features include a timeline, a glossary, further readings, websites, source notes, and an index. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Essential Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

Who is the greatest basketball player of all time?Thisstunning book, filled to the brim with color photographs and information, makes the case that it’s KING JAMES! G.O.A.T. is an acronym that stands for Greatest Of All Time—and it takes lifelong dedication, nonstop hard work, and undeniable, unbelievable talent even to be considered for that honor. And if you asked five basketball lovers, "Who is the greatest player of all time?" you might get five different answers. But this fun book, written just for young fans, makes the case for current NBA superstar LeBron James. It backs up that choice with plenty of statistics, engaging quotes, and entertaining sidebars. You can be sure it will spark lively discussions among sports-crazy kids.

Profiles the former NBA Rookie of the Year who won a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics.

For an elite athlete, the professional sports championship, also known as the brass ring of immortality, often dangle beyond their grasp. The longer you go without one, the more attention you will receive in the public focusing on what you haven’t accomplished rather than what you already had. LeBron James completely understands this very cruel irony. For 8 frustrating seasons, he was considered a king without a crown in the NBA. But finally, in his 9th year, he placed the championship stamp on his unprecedented career and officially became a part of the greatest basketball player in the NBA. This is the life, reign and success story of LeBron James.