G.O.A.T.--LeBron James Read online

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  Text © 2019 Bob Gurnett

  Cover photograph by Adam Pantozzi/©NBAE/Getty Images

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  ISBN 978-1-4549-3322-9

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  sterlingpublishing.com

  Cover and interior design by Heather Kelly

  Image credits are on page 128

  CONTENTS

  WHAT IS A G.O.A.T?

  1 A BOY NAMED BRON BRON

  2 HIGH SCHOOL SUPERSTAR

  3 WITNESS A GREAT START

  4 POSTSEASON LEBRON

  5 MOST VALUABLE LEBRON

  6 TAKING HIS TALENTS TO SOUTH BEACH

  7 LEBRON’S BIG THREE

  8 RETURN OF THE KING

  9 AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

  10 RECORDS AND STATS

  11 RIVALRIES

  12 WHO ELSE?

  13 WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

  GLOSSARY

  BIBLIOGRAPHY

  IMAGE CREDITS

  WHAT IS A

  G.O.A.T?

  Most people do not want to be compared to a barnyard animal, but a G.O.A.T is different. These G.O.A.T.s aren’t found in petting zoos, but you can see them on the gridiron, the hardwood, the ice, and the diamond. G.O.A.T. is an acronym that stands for Greatest Of All Time. It takes lifelong dedication, non-stop hard work, and undeniable talent just to become a professional athlete. But to become the greatest of all time, well, that’s nearly impossible. There are a handful of athletes who are widely thought to be the G.O.A.T of their sport. Swimmer Michael Phelps moves like a fish in water, but he is also the G.O.A.T. with 23 Olympic gold medals, the most of all time. Tennis player Serena Williams is the G.O.A.T. with 23 Grand Slam titles in the Open Era, more than any woman or man.

  But for some sports, a G.O.A.T is not as easy to identify and fans may disagree. If you asked five baseball lovers who the greatest baseball player of all time is, you might get five different answers. Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Barry Bonds, Cy Young, Lou Gehrig, or when it’s all said and done, maybe rising young superstar Mike Trout. The G.O.A.T can change depending on who is asked, and what their reasons, or criteria, are. Babe Ruth won seven World Series, had a .342 batting average for his career, and is still in 3rd place all time for home runs, even though he retired over 80 years ago in 1935. Willie Mays did not have the same bat as Ruth, but he is still considered the best defensive player in history. Different players, different achievements, but both still considered the greatest at what they did. Fans will disagree on who the true G.O.A.T. is, but to even be considered, a player must be one of the best to ever live.

  Basketball has its own G.O.A.T. debate. Many people think Michael Jordan, the six-time champion who never lost in the NBA Finals, is the best. Some say it’s Wilt Chamberlain, the only player to score 100 points in a game. Others still will say it is no doubt the all-time scoring leader, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, or Bill Russell, who won the most NBA championships ever.. It very well may be that the NBA’s G.O.A.T. is playing right now! At the top of his game is NBA superstar, LeBron “the King” James, basketball’s Greatest Of All Time? Let’s review the evidence to find out!

  1

  A BOY NAMED BRON BRON

  Before LeBron James ever bounced a basketball, he was a bouncing baby boy. On December 30, 1984 in Akron, Ohio, Gloria James gave birth to LeBron Raymone James. There was no way Gloria could have known that her tiny baby would grow up to be the Akron Hammer, the King, or to many, the greatest basketball player of all time.

  LeBron’s childhood was anything but regal. He came from humble and difficult beginnings. His mother moved them from apartment to apartment in the poorest areas of Akron. By age 8, LeBron and his mother had moved ten times! LeBron spent many nights sleeping on couches as they struggled to find their way. This nomadic lifestyle made it hard for LeBron James to make friends, and there just wasn’t enough money for him to play organized sports. The idea that LeBron James, one of the greatest athletes of all time, never played on a sports team until he was eight years old may be mind-blowing, but it is true! Instead, LeBron played sandlot football with neighborhood kids. And when a Pee Wee football coach offered to pay for his equipment and drive him to games, LeBron and his mother jumped at the opportunity.

  LeBron and his mother when he was in high school

  LeBron was shy and awkward as a kid. Much taller than his peers, he would rather spend his time in the back of the classroom than in the spotlight. That began to change when he started playing organized football at eight years old. On the first play with his new team, the boy who everyone knew as “Bron Bron” ran the ball 80 yards for a touchdown. He played running back for the select East Dragons football team. The quiet kid who had been to eight different schools and spent many nights sleeping on couches was finally finding his place. LeBron’s Pee Wee coach, Bruce Kelker, even opened his home to LeBron and his mother. Young Bron Bron’s life started to gain stability. Coach Kelker was happy to offer LeBron and Gloria a home, despite the fact that he thought LeBron had stinky feet. LeBron finished that season with 17 touchdowns, each one scored with his mom running along the sideline, cheering his name. Because he moved so often, LeBron had always been the new kid at school and just wanted to blend in. It was while playing Pee Wee football that LeBron learned that he was destined to stand out.

  After football season, another coach, Frankie Walker, invited LeBron and Gloria to live with him. Since football was over, Walker wanted LeBron to try his hand at basketball. Walker matched young LeBron against his son, also named Frankie, in a game of 21. LeBron got crushed. The future NBA champion lost in an embarrassing 21–7 game. He couldn’t dribble. He couldn’t make a left-handed layup. Though he was tall, without training LeBron was not going to win against Frankie. But Coach Walker took LeBron James under his wing and taught him the fundamentals. Next time you see LeBron finish a layup with his left hand, you can thank Frankie Walker.

  By middle school, LeBron and his mom had their own place again, but LeBron would frequently spend the night at the Walkers’ home. He had become a part of their family and continued to learn basketball from Frankie well into middle school. By then, LeBron played for the Shooting Stars, an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team, a national private club for outstanding young athletes. They had already won a bunch of national championships. The Shooting Stars were an elite squad, but the highlight of LeBron’s middle school career was during a teacher-student charity game. The game was played each year, and the teachers were undefeated. LeBron made them nervous. By 8th grade, he was already six feet tall, taller than some of the teachers he was playing! The teachers may have been historically undefeated, but so was LeBron’s AAU team, the Shooting Stars. LeBron and three other teammates had been nicknamed the Fab Four. They proved to be too fast for the teachers, who were winded and wheezing early into the game. The boys quickly took a 20-point lead over the teachers. In the stands, the students were going wild, cheering for what appeared to be an exciting upset in the making. The fans watching had no idea that they were about to witness history. Late in the game, LeBron stole the ball from a teacher in the backcourt. There was nobody between him and the basket. He raced down the court. He rose up from a full sprint. He reached just over the rim and slammed t
he ball down. It was LeBron’s first dunk ever and it sent the crowd into chaos. It was not the signature, thundering dunks that NBA LeBron fans are used to, but for an 8th grader, it was an incredible feat. After the game, the teachers took down the rim and saved it as a memento. LeBron’s coaches, friends, and family knew he was something special, and with that dunk, LeBron advertised to all of Ohio that he was a superstar in the making.

  LeBron dunking in high school

  2

  HIGH SCHOOL SUPERSTAR

  LeBron won six AAU national championships in middle school. He was one of the best AAU players in history. He was ready for newer and bigger challenges. Lucky for him, it was time for him to move on to high school. In high school, all the players are bigger, faster, and more experienced. The change is hard for everyone, even LeBron. Luckily, all of the Fab Four decided to go to the same school, St. Vincent–St. Mary’s, instead of a nearby high school with a better basketball program. LeBron did not want to break up the Fab Four. He wanted to win with his friends. LeBron’s loyalty and desire to play with his friends would follow him all the way to the NBA.

  In their first year, all of the Fab Four made the varsity team, but LeBron was the only one to start. He was the first freshman starter for the St. Vincent–St. Mary Fighting Irish in years. Even Michael Jordan didn’t make his varsity team until he was a junior. In basketball, a starter plays at the beginning of the game and they usually get more minutes than players who are come in off the bench. Most teams start their very best players. Even though LeBron was a starting guard on the varsity basketball team, he was still a shy, nervous 14-year-old. However, he had sprouted to six foot four and 170 pounds! Only one year out of middle school, and he was already as big as a lot of the seniors!

  BASKETBALL STATISTICS

  Many sports fans love statistics. They help fans understand who does what on the basketball court. The basic stats you will see most are points scored, rebounds, and assists. Rebounds are when a player grabs a ball after a missed shot. Assists are when a player passes the ball to a teammate in a way that sets them up to score. In the NBA, statisticians sit on the sideline and track these numbers and others. During the game a scorekeeper makes a box score from these stats. That box score shows all statistics from the game. Every rebound, every assist, every point scored. All those numbers are accounted for. Let’s break down what goes into a box score and what those statistics mean.

  STARTERS/BENCH—The players who started the game will be listed first with the players who came off the bench under them.

  MIN—Minutes played.

  FGA—Field Goals Attempted. This is how many shots the player took.

  FGM—Field Goals Made. How many shots the player made.

  3PT—How many 3 pointers the player made.

  FTA—Free Throws Attempted.

  FTM—Free Throws Made.

  OREB—Offensive Rebounds. How many times a player rebounded the ball from their team’s missed shot.

  DREB—Defensive Rebounds. How many times a player rebounded the ball from the other team’s missed shot.

  REB—Rebounds.

  AST—Assists. How many times a player passes the ball to a teammate in a way that sets them up to score.

  STL—Steals. How many times a player takes the ball for the other team usually by taking it from them or intercepting a pass.

  BLK—Blocks. How many times a player hits a ball shot by the other team, causing it to miss.

  TO—Turnovers. How many times a player loses the ball to the other team, either by bad pass or penalty.

  PF—Personal fouls. How many times a player hits or bumps another player in a way that is illegal. In the NBA, a player is ejected on the 6th PF.

  +/-—Plus/Minus. This number shows the scoring difference while a player is on the court. Positive numbers mean their team outscored the other team by that many points, a negative means they were outscored.

  PTS—Points.

  At the bottom of the box score, all columns are added up to show the totals for the team.

  In LeBron’s first high school game on December 3rd, 1999, he scored 15 points and pulled down 8 rebounds in a blowout win over Cuyahoga Falls. For any player, this was a great game, but for a 14-year-old freshman playing his first game on a varsity team, it was unheard of. He was years younger than many of his opponents, yet he used his size, explosiveness, and smart play to overpower the older Cuyahoga Falls players . . . and he was only getting started! The very next day, he went up against Cleveland Central Catholic and scored 21 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. The average senior scores fewer than ten points a game. LeBron was blowing that away as a 14-year-old freshman.

  LeBron’s skills were on display for the whole season. His team breezed past all their opponents. LeBron’s averages of 18 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists were impressive. It helped the St. Vincent–St. Mary team go undefeated in LeBron’s first season. For comparison, NBA legend, Kobe Bryant was a hyped freshman on a varsity team. He was also a starter, as well as the son of an NBA player. He averaged 18 points, just like LeBron, but Kobe had fewer rebounds and assists. Kobe led his team in scoring, but the team was lousy. They finished the season 4–20. LeBron led his team in scoring, rebounds, and assists, plus, LeBron’s team never lost a game.

  Next up, the undefeated Fighting Irish headed to the playoffs. LeBron continued to use his skills to dominate his opponents. His coaches were impressed by his ability to play the game unselfishly. He played like a much older and wiser basketball player. He used his accurate passing to create easy scoring chances, which made everyone around him better. Most high school seniors get fewer than a few assists a game. LeBron averaged almost 5 assists in the playoffs as a freshman. No one had ever seen a freshman with such a complete game.

  His coach, Keith Dambrot, called LeBron the perfect teammate. Dambrot loved how LeBron always got his teammates involved. He cared about more than scoring. LeBron went out of his way to pass the ball so his teammates could score too. Dambrot thought that sort of play showed incredible maturity for someone so young. His assistant coach, Steve Culp, felt the same way. Culp was sure LeBron could have put up 50 or more points a night if he wanted to, but LeBron did not care if he put up huge points in a loss. He was always concerned with winning. He knew the best way to win was to make his teammates better.

  When LeBron wasn’t making his teammates better with perfect passes, he used his height and weight to overpower smaller players and gathered valuable rebounds. In one game, LeBron scored double digits in both rebounds and points (17 points, 11 rebounds). His first double-double! He enjoyed it so much, he managed his second double-double three games later in the semi-finals, scoring 19 points and 11 rebounds!

  St. Vincent–St. Mary earned the right to play Jamestown’s Greenview High School for the Ohio Division III championship. The game was the biggest of LeBron’s life. They played at Value City Arena at Ohio State University in front of over 13,000 fans! That is more fans than the Cavaliers averaged the 2003 season. The gym was sold out. The spotlight didn’t bother LeBron. He ended the game with 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. Behind his huge performance, they won 73–55. The St. Vincent–St. Mary Fighting Irish finished the season 27–0. They were crowned Ohio’s state champions, and LeBron was voted the playoffs’ Most Valuable Player—an award no freshman had ever won before! It was his school’s first championship since 1984, and it was all thanks to LeBron James. Instead of soaking up the spotlight, LeBron gave his MVP trophy to his friend and team captain, Maverick Carter. Maverick was the only senior on the team, and LeBron wanted him to have the award. Once again, he put a teammate before himself.

  MAVERICK CARTER

  Maverick Carter and LeBron were teammates at St. Vincent–St. Mary. They are still teammates today, just not on the basketball court. Maverick is LeBron’s business manager. He played basketball in college, but discovered his real passion while interning at Nike. He said the important thing he learned there is that marketing was a
ll about telling stories. Nike “tells stories better than anyone in Hollywood.” He wanted to help tell LeBron’s story. When asked why he only represented LeBron, he said it was because LeBron is unique, one of a kind. Maverick manages LeBron’s image, for better or for worse. He was the mastermind behind the Decision TV special. The special was considered a disaster for LeBron’s public image. Many saw it as a selfish move and thought LeBron was turning his back on his teammates, fans, and hometown. On the flip side, Maverick pulled the strings to get LeBron in his first movie, Trainwreck, and manages LeBron’s stake in European soccer club, F.C. Liverpool. Most recently, Maverick negotiated LeBron’s sneaker deal with Nike. The deal is the largest in history. The actual dollar amount is secret, but when asked if it was a billion dollars, Maverick just pointed to the sky and said, “Higher.”

  The journalists at the game went nuts for LeBron. The media couldn’t believe that the 6 foot 4 LeBron was only a 9th grader. Former Ohio state basketball star, Jay Burson, was impressed with how well LeBron knew what to do on the court in any situation. He was so calm and collected yet still aggressive. All the journalists agreed that his potential was limitless.

  LeBron’s own coach knew what kind of player LeBron could be. He knew most coaches would never get a chance to coach a player so talented. The rest of the country was starting to wake up to what everyone at St. Vincent–St. Mary already knew: LeBron was a once-in-a-generation player.

  At the start of the 2000 season, LeBron wasted no time establishing himself as a force of nature. He opened the season with 23 points and in the very next game he scored 34 points and had 6 rebounds, 5 assists. It was his first time scoring over 30, and he would do it six more times that season. In one of those games, against Benedictine, LeBron had his first FORTY-point game. He shot 20 times and made 16 of those shots! It’s hard enough to shoot that well in a gym, unguarded. But LeBron was doing it with everyone trying their hardest to make him miss. He was putting up amazing personal numbers, but he was excited about one thing only: the team started the season 9–0. LeBron had played 36 high school games without losing. He was unstoppable. But all streaks must end.