LeBron James

LeBron​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ James Sr., an American basketball player, is a member of the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In his career, he made the NBA Finals eight consecutive times from 2011 to 2018, and as a result, he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer.

Out of the ten NBA Finals appearances, he has won the NBA championship four times. Along with winning three Olympic gold medals, he has also lifted the NBA Cup in 2023 with the Lakers as a U.S. national team ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌player.

Read More: Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James Stats

LeBron James Early Life

LeBron James played basketball for St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, and was heavily touted by the national media as a future NBA superstar. A prep-to-pro, he was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers as the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft. Subsequently, he was named the 2004 NBA Rookie of the Year.

His father, Anthony McClelland, has an extensive criminal record and was not involved in his life. His mom had a hard time finding a job so she let LeBron stay with the family of Frank Walker, a local youth football coach who introduced him to basketball when he was nine years old.

LeBron James High School Career

James' freshman season at St. Vincent–Mary High School in Akron, Ohio, was outstanding for a first-year student as he averaged 21 points and 6 boards per game that year. Standing 6 feet 2 inches, LeBron would continue to grow and excel at the game further. He led the Fighting Irish basketball team to a 27-0 record, winning the Division III state title along the way. James would continue his dominance in his sophomore year, averaging 25.2 points and 7.2 rebounds as well as dishing out 5.8 assists and stealing the ball 3.8 times per game. The Fighting Irish finished the season 26-1 and were once again crowned the Division III state champions.

During his junior and senior years in school, James would continue to get better and dominate the game even more. He reached a height of 6 feet 7 inches and became even stronger, which unlocked his potential further. In his junior year, he averaged 29 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 3.3 steals per game, while in his senior year, he averaged 31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 3.4 steals per game.

After he finished a stellar high school career at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School, LeBron James did not attend college and directly entered the 2003 NBA Draft.

LeBron James Professional Career

Touted as the best high school prospect since Kobe Bryant, there was no surprise that he was the number one overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft. He made an almost immediate impact when he started playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers. At the 2006 All-Star Game, James led the East to victory with 29 points and was named the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player.

Behind final season averages of 31.4 points, 7 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game, he also finished second overall in NBA Most Valuable Player Award voting to Steve Nash. Under James's leadership, the Cavaliers qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1998. In his postseason debut, James recorded a triple-double in a winning effort versus the Washington Wizards. In Game 3 of the series, he made the first game-winning shot of his career, making another in Game 5. Cleveland would go on to defeat the Wizards before being ousted by the Detroit Pistons in the second round.

James would stay in Cleveland till 2010. Unfortunately, since he did not have enough help on the team, pushing for a Championship was becoming more and more difficult in Cleveland. As a result of which LeBron decided to move to South Beach and play for the Miami Heat making a formidable team with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. He had some of his best years in Miami winning multiple championships and MVP awards. The Heat won back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013. He was the finals MVP and MVP of the league during this time.

Having promised a championship to his beloved hometown of Cleveland, he once again signed with the Cavs in 2014. They also made a trade for Kevin Love from the Timberwolves, and with Kyrie Irving, they formed an impressive trio. The 2016 Finals is one of the best Finals series to have been played. The Cavs were down 3-1 in the series and needed to win the rest of the games to win the finals. This Cavs team was the first team in history to make a comeback from 3-1 down in the finals. LeBron would eventually leave Cleveland again in his hunt for greatness as he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers and there he would win his fourth championship in the 2020 season.

After joining the Lakers, the Ohio native teamed up with Anthony Davis, and the duo led the team to another championship run during the COVID-19 bubble in Orlando. Now, he is in his eighth season for the West Coast team and is searching for championship number five.

Awards and Achievements

LeBron James Records and Stats

LeBron James Net Worth

LeBron James has an estimated net worth of around $800 million, as of December 2025. James and his business partner, Maverick Carter, own the production company SpringHill Entertainment, whose first work was the Lions Gate documentary More Than a Game, which was released in 2009 and chronicled James's high school years. James is a shrewd investor who has invested his money in different portfolios. He owns a part of Blaze Pizza and is also a partner for a tequila brand, Lobos.

He also has shares in the Liverpool football team, which ended up being a great investment. He’s taken equity in brands like smart gym maker Tonal and ride-share giant Lyft as well. In 2020, James and Carter rolled everything into The SpringHill Company after raising $100 million from backers, including James’ investment advisor Paul Wachter, and Elisabeth Murdoch, the daughter of News Corp billionaire Rupert Murdoch. Last October, James sold a “significant minority stake” at a $725 million valuation to a handful of investors, including RedBird Capital Partners, Fenway Sports Group, Nike, and Epic Games. James is the company’s largest single shareholder, although his stake is believed not to exceed 50%.

LeBron James Houses

Akron starter home:

Less​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ than a year after the Cleveland Cavaliers made him their number one pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, he was said to have shelled out $2.1 million to acquire a property in Bath Township, which is located just a bit north-west of Akron. James later developed the area with a 30,000-square-foot mansion, investing a fortune over the years to turn the house into his ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌home.

Brentwood Residence:

James​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ incorporated this Brentwood property into his portfolio by buying a $23.5 million spec mansion in late 2017, just before he decided to play for the LA Lakers the following year. The pad features eight bedrooms and eleven bathrooms, and it is decked out with luxury must-haves like a wine cellar, theater, a cigar room with air-purifying tech, and an onyx bar.

In keeping with the rest of the house, the sportsman also has a super-modern gym for keeping fit during the off-season. Designed with an indoor-outdoor vibe, the gym is right next to a spa with a steam room, shower, sauna, and massage ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌room.

Beverly Hills Compound:

The Lakers player made waves in 2020, only months into the pandemic, when he paid $36.8 million for a large, 13,000-square-foot Beverly Hills property.

House Three Thirty:

In​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ December 2020, James’s LeBron James Family Foundation took over the nightclub and event space that used to be called Tangier in Akron, Ohio. They wanted to build a place to share with the community and a separate event venue for families of James’s I Promise School and the community at large. The place is now called House Three ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌Thirty.

LeBron James Parents

LeBron James' parents are Gloria James and Anthony McClelland. He isn't very close to his father, Anthony McClelland, who was not a part of his life growing up. He was in and out of prison. This is one of the reasons he takes his mom's surname, Gloria James, as his surname.

LeBron James Wife

LeBron James is married to his high school sweetheart, Savannah James (formerly Brinson). She was born on August 27th, 1986, and is an American philanthropist, businessperson, entrepreneur, and designer. Savannah James has also been quite active in charitable opportunities, and the couple does a lot of philanthropic work through their charity, the 'LeBron James Family Foundation'.

Savannah and LeBron James met at a very young age while they were both in high school, albeit in rival schools. She was a sophomore while LeBron was a junior. As per her story, LeBron had asked his friend for her number but instead, she took LeBron's number but didn't call him immediately. Sometime later, she recalled she had his number and decided to pursue the interest.

The Lakers forward then invited her to one of his games and then they hung out with friends at Applebee's restaurant afterward. A couple of weeks later, the pair had their first solo date and things started moving along. The beautiful couple would then go on to marry in 2013 after being together for more than a decade.

LeBron James Kids

LeBron and Savannah James have three children together: two sons named LeBron James Jr. (who is affectionately called Bronny) and Bryce Maximus James, and one daughter named Zhuri Nova James. James is a family man who spends quality time with them. Both of his sons are highly skilled basketball players and aim to follow in the footsteps of their legendary father in the NBA.

After playing one season at USC, Bronny James entered the 2024 NBA Draft and was selected by the Lakers with the 55th overall pick. Bronny James is now LeBron James' teammate at the Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron and Bronny have become the first father-son teammates in NBA history.

As for James' younger son, Bryce James is also considered to be a very good basketball player. In fact, he might even be more talented than his brother and therefore should have a great shot at making it in the NBA. At 17 years of age, Bryce is currently a senior in high school and is attending Sierra Canyon High School, California, where he plays primarily as the shooting guard on their basketball team.

James' daughter, Zhuri, was born in 2014 and is currently 11 years old. Even at this small age, she seems to incline fashion. She also has a YouTube channel called 'All Things Zhuri', where she has posted a few videos related to recipes, DIY, activities, pranks, and more.

How many rings does LeBron James have?

LeBron James has a total of four rings to his name from his 22-year career thus far.

Drafted by his home city of Cleveland in the 2003 NBA Draft, the former Cavaliers forward wanted nothing more than to bring a championship to his hometown. Unfortunately, after seven years of toiling, he was unable to do so and thus joined the Miami Heat, pairing up with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. In four years at South Beach, he won his first two rings with the franchise in 2012 and 2013 before returning to the Cavs once again.

In another 4 years with Cleveland, he joined Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, with whom he would reach another 4 NBA Finals. However, this time of the NBA was dominated by the Golden State Warriors, resulting in just the one ring for James in 2016. The Ohio native's fourth ring came with the Los Angeles Lakers when they won the 2020 NBA title during the COVID-19 bubble.

LeBron James Olympic Medals

Apart from a stellar NBA career thus far, LeBron James has had a formidable outing for the United States men's national basketball team as well. He has been part of four Summer Olympic teams for Team USA in 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2024. From his four stints on the Olympic team, LeBron has managed to come away with four medals, including 3 Gold and 1 Bronze.

In the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, James had just concluded his rookie season in the NBA and was coming off an NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He had limited game time as he came off the bench. Unfortunately, Team USA suffered a shock loss in the semi-finals and ended up winning only the Bronze medal.

The 2008, 2012, and 2024 stories were different as those three times James would be the starter and Team USA sent their best possible teams to the Olympics in a bid to regain their Gold medals. The ploy worked perfectly, and with superstars on the team such as Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Dwayne Wade, James Harden, and many more, Team USA would go on to clinch the Gold in 2008 Beijing, 2012 London, and 2024 Paris.

LeBron James Shoes

LeBron James is the brand ambassador for Nike, and he has signed a lifetime contract with the company worth $1 billion. James got his very first pair of shoes with Nike the same year he was drafted, which was in 2003. The first-ever edition was the Nike Air Zoom Generation. Today, LeBron James' shoes have a very special place in the market for Nike, and the latest release is the 'Nike LeBron 22', which was released on November 1, 2024.

READ MORE: LeBron James Olympic medals