Sports Legend-LeBron James

Posted: January 4th, 2023

Sports Legend-LeBron James

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Sports Legend-LeBron James

Introduction

LeBron James is among the most renowned athletes in the world today, who is mostly considered as the best basketball player of all time. LeBron’s mother, Gloria Marie James, was a single parent, who gave birth to her soon  on December 30, 1984 in Akron, Ohio. The woman gave birth to him at the age of 16 and moved from place to place as she struggled to find stable employment. Anthony McClelland, the father, was missing in his son’s life due to his criminal past. The mother decided to have her child live with a local football coach as she was worried about his upbringing. Frank Walker, thus, became his mentor and introduced the boy to the game when the latter was just nine. Even before he could get to the sixth grade, James was already a promising player in a basketball team. He went to a white-dominated high school and became a national star, who received a lot of attention from the media (Fourney & Brown, 2018). He was chosen to be part of the USA Today All-USA in his sophomore year. In 2003, James was picked by his hometown team, Cleveland Cavaliers, during the National Basketball Association (NBA). It is just a short profile about his life and accomplishment as he has dominated in his teenage time. Although people know him as a great player, this paper dwells on the man’s life journey to understand why he has become a legend. LeBron is a global sensation in the sport’s history, who is reported to be a household name, if not the most talented basketball player in history.

Why LeBron James is a Legend

In 2003, LeBron was enlisted first overall in the NBA draft. Fresh out of high school, he started playing for the Cleveland Cavalier, which he was had been doing from 2003 to 2010. The young man then made a diversion to join Miami Heat, in the years 2010-2014, before detouring back to his home team, where he played until 2017. James has been playing for Los Angeles Lakers since 2018 to date. Among his honors, LeBron has won two gold medals in the Olympic Games along withfour awards as the NBA’s most valuable player, and has accrued two NBA championships for two consecutive years (2012 and 2013) (Nagelhout & Sharp, 2016). James prevented a number of teams from ever reaching the finals. Among them were Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Celtics, Indiana Pacers, and Toronto Raptors, all of which changed coaches after they failed to beat the star in the matches (Mocarski, & Billings, 2013, p. 24). The NBA superstar has also accumulated four Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards in NBA finals, has played in 15 NBA All-Star Games, and holds an NBA scoring title. LeBron is the most paid basket baller internationally and the best scorer for his home team of all time.

LeBron is not afraid to speak about national issues; hence, he has influenced his teams to make their opinions clear about social subjects. The superstar takes a dominant position on national policy and actively lets his outlooks on pressing national and political matters heard. He is known for publicly calling people who do not act ‘right.’ LeBron has contributed significantly to making the NBA become a league of socially involved professionals in the U.S. (Lamb, 2016, p. 16). His fans and colleagues love him for what he continues to do. The man is also known as the pioneer of the contemporary basketball player liberation, starting with his most criticized decision to join Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade, famously known as the Big Three. Today, players can choose where and who they want to play with, even if it means pushing their way through a trade.

One of the influences that LeBron has had is defending the black community. Being one of the most famous athletes worldwide, the superstar is an example of a contemporary activist. He grew up under pressure from societal expectations for being an African American person (Mocarski & Billings, 2013, p. 8). He understands that the system does not always offer justice for his race, so he has supported the Black Lives Matter Movement. James has been an influential critic of the kind of brutality displayed by the police against people of color, mostly advocating for accountability on the legislation (Mocarski & Billings, 2013, p. 19). In addition, the superstar has never shunned away from tackling racism. As a celebrity, LeBron has used his position to speak about change in cases involving black lives, among them Michael Brown’s and Trayvon Martin shooting cases, Eric Garner’s death, Donald Sterling’s racist statement, and the Darfur war in Sudan. While he has attracted media criticism and has been framed in the context of societal controversies, the athlete is not prefixed to use his voice and position to address prejudices. His status and determination have also earned him licensing deals with companies such as Nike, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, and Samsung.

Athletes are known for their involvement in philanthropic matters, but LeBron took that to heights with his James Family Foundation, which is constantly involved in the Ohio community events. He commits a percentage of his earnings in guaranteeing the children in his community enroll in initiatives and programs that will help them develop in holistic and kinder backgrounds(Nichols, 2018). His foundation started by creating charity initiatives, where he opt for giving free bikes to learners who succeeded in school. Since the beginning, the foundation has grown more extensively than the player ever imagined. His first achievement there was introducing a program that enabled high academic performers to receive free tuition at Akron University. All in all, LeBron’s major accomplishment is the I Promise School, which he established in 2018 for at-risk children in his community. 

Reason for Choosing LeBron James

As a basketball fan, I can say that James LeBron is my favorite player of all time, who is worth of looking up to. The first aspect one notices about this person is how passionate he is about the game. The man loves basketball and has understood it from a young age. Staring with his high school year, he has shown his exceptional skills, coupled with his jumping ability and excellent speed. Today, the man is a well-rounded player and an outstanding shooter, whose capacity to defend is noticeable (Nagelhout & Sharp, 2016). For many years, LeBron has demonstrated his pre-eminence in the game, even when faced with challenging situations. He is a philanthropist, a successful team player, and a strong family man, who has recently entered the entertainment industry as a television personality.

Conclusion

From the above discussion, it becomes clear that James LeBron is a legend. Raised by a single mother who had no home to give to her son, he was accommodated by a football coach, who helped him excel in his junior school years. By the time he was finishing his high school freshman years, James had already become a national star. In his sophomore years, it was evident that he would join the NBA. Even though the young man faced many challenges at home, attracting media attention, he chose to focus on the game and became a global sensation in the history of sports. LeBron, who now plays for Lakers, has made profound changes in NBA. He has empowered players in all sports to speak out on social issues and created channels to expand his brand and build his reputation. The man has also turned his foundation into inspirational projects that will live to influence his community even after he retires.  

References

Fourney, S., & Brown, T. (2018). More than a game: Fulfilling expectations and inscriptions in the career of LeBron James. Western Journal of Black Studies, 42(3/4), 97-112.

Lamb, C. (Ed.). (2016). From Jack Johnson to LeBron James: Sports, media, and the color Line. Lincoln: U of Nebraska Press.

Mocarski, R., & Billings, A. (2013). Manufacturing a Messiah: How Nike and LeBron James co-constructed the legend of King James. Communication & Sport, 2(1), 3-23. doi: 10.1177/2167479513481456

Nagelhout, R., & Sharp, A. W. (2016). LeBron James: Basketball’s King. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Publishing LLC.

Nichols. R. (2018). LeBron James opens up on his new school, the Lakers and life’s challenges. Eyewitness News. Retrieved from https://abc7.com/sports/lebron-james-opens-up-on-his-new-school-the-lakers-and-lifes-challenges/3850593/