LeBron James

LeBron Raymone James Sr. (born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who plays for Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and has won four NBA championships from 10 NBA Finals appearances, including eight consecutive appearances between 2011 and 2018. He has won three Olympic gold medals as a member of the U.S. national team, and is widely considered to be one of the greatest basketball players of all time and one of the greatest athletes in modern history.

In addition to ranking fourth in NBA career assists and sixth in NBA career steals, James holds several individual honors, including four NBA MVP awards, four Finals MVP awards, the Rookie of the Year award, three All-Star Game MVP awards, the inaugural NBA Cup MVP, and the Olympics MVP in the 2024 Summer Olympics. A record 22-time All-Star and 21-time All-NBA selection (including a record 13 First Team selections), he has also made six All-Defensive Teams. The oldest active player in the NBA, he holds records for the most seasons played with 23, the most games played, the most minutes played, and the most field goals made in league history.

Born and raised in Akron, Ohio, James gained national attention at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School and was heavily touted as a future NBA superstar for his all-around scoring, passing, athleticism and playmaking abilities. A prep-to-pro, the Cleveland Cavaliers selected James with the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft. He won Rookie of the Year and quickly established himself as one of the league's premier players, leading Cleveland to its first NBA Finals appearance in 2007 and winning the scoring title in 2008. After winning back-to-back MVPs in 2009 and 2010, he joined the Miami Heat as a free agent in 2010, a controversial move announced in the television special The Decision.

With the Heat, James won his first two NBA championships in 2012 and 2013, earning MVP and Finals MVP honors both years. After four seasons in Miami, he returned to Cleveland in 2014, leading the Cavaliers to their first-ever championship in 2016, ending the Cleveland sports curse. He signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, winning another title in 2020 and becoming the first player to win Finals MVP with three different teams. Off the court, James has earned further wealth and fame from numerous endorsement contracts. He is the first player in NBA history to accumulate $1 billion in earnings as an active player. James has been listed by Forbes as one of the world's ten highest-paid athletes fifteen times. In 2011, 2014 and 2017, he was selected for the Forbes 30 under 30 list in the Sports, Entertainment and All Star categories, and subsequently in the Forbes 30 under 30 Hall of Fame in 2022. He was among Time's 100 most influential people in the world in 2005, 2013, 2017, and 2019—the most selections for a professional athlete.