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Hannah Melton
Mr. Conrad
Expository Writing, Period 3
18 April, 2016
The Man, The Myth, The Legend
Im going to use all my tools, my God-given ability, and make the best life I can with
it. (Brainy). Its the tale as old as time, a young kid raised in the projects, no father, just his
mother raising him on her own. But this unfortunate kid has been gifted with an athletic ability
that will later attract so much attention that him and his mother will never have to struggle again.
One of the most famous cases of these turns of luck, is LeBron James. A man who would make
such a large impact on the game of basketball, he changed it forever.
Born in Akron, Ohio on December 30th, 1984 to a sixteen-year-old Gloria James and an
absent father Anthony McClelland, life started off pretty rough for James. By his fifth birthday,
Lebron and his mother had moved over six times, living from couch to couch at various friends
houses. He missed so much school that he was moved into a foster home for two years. Ironic as
it is now, James found his true love for sports after being recruited to the East Dragons
recreational football team. It immediately came to everyone's attention how much potential this
4th grader had. To prevent him from constantly moving and not being able to play, many people
offered for LeBron to stay with them in a more stable home. At one point, he began living with
one of his youth football coaches, Frankie Walker, along with his wife, and 3 kids, for several
years. In was during his time at the Walkers house that,, James found a true stabilizing
influence in his life: basketball (LeBron). While making him go to school and keep up with his
homework, Frank taught him how to dribble and how to shoot left handed layups. He signed up

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James to play for a 9-year-old team and enlisted him as an assistant coach for 8-year-olds,
believing that coaching would accelerate his basketball learning curve (ESPN). Dominating the
court since his first season, Lebron only got better from there. By 8th grade, he was already
attracting scouts by leading his AAU team to the national championship.
Many private schools in the area had their eye on the star in the making, LeBron James.
He started his freshman year at St. Vincent-St.Mary High School. His first basketball season at
the school could not have gone better. James not only lead the team to an undefeated season with
a 27-0 record, but also won the Ohio state championship. As the years progressed, so did James
stats. Sophomore year, the team continued to reign as the top team in the state with only one loss
in regular season. By his Junior season, the rising star was averaging close to 30 points per game.
The hype around this kid-athlete was so large that, his team began to play its games on college
campuses to accommodate the overflow crowds who knew they
were witnessing history (LeBron). There seemed to be no doubt in
anyones mind that James would go pro straight out of high
school. If anyone had any hesitation, the high school senior proved
himself quick with his last season stats alone. With college and
professional scouts watching his every move, James made it his
best year, averaging 31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 3.4
steals per game (LeBron). Leading St. Vincents-St.Marys to their
third championship in the four years he attended and helping them become USA Todays, high
school national champions, Lebron was undoubtedly named MVP of many all-star games and
was declared, the nations most watched high school athlete ever (LeBron) by Sporting News.

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With the worst record in the NBA for the 2002-2003 season, the Cleveland Cavaliers
received the first pick in the 2003 NBA draft which was synonymous with LeBron James. Many
worried that James would not be able to play to the level of professional players. Wearing the
same number 23 as he did for St.Vincent-St.Mary, James gave the league a great showing of the
legacy his was going to make for himself. All while staying humble, I don't want to be a cocky
rookie coming in trying to lead right off the bat(LeBron). LeBron also became the youngest
player to ever score over 40 points in a game, and months later became the youngest player to
score over 50 points. These were just few of the many records James broke in his first few
seasons as a Cavalier. James won 2 NBA Most Valuable Player awards while in Cleveland.
During his seven years as a Cav, the team made the playoffs 5 times. But fell short of a
championship every time. At the end of the 2009-2010 season, after the Cavaliers lost to the
Orlando Magic in the the Finals, LeBron became a free agent. After many weeks of every NBA
fan biting their nails, waiting for the announcement, it finally came in the form of a TV special,
The Decision on ESPN. As the
words, this is very tough, in this

fall

I'm going to take my talents to

South Beach and join the Miami
Heat. left James mouth, there were
many feelings provoked (Decision).
There was screaming, crying, and the smell of burning jerseys all throughout Cleveland that
night.
Meanwhile in Florida, fans were rushing to the nearest sports store to pick up the new
number 6 jersey with James embroidered on the back. A Dynamic trio was now in place, made

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up of, Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. The was a lot of pressure for the Heat to
perform in this first year, they ended the season with a 58-24 record but fell short in game 6 of
the Finals to the Dallas Mavericks. When next season came around, the big 3 and the rest of the
team had something to prove. With a 46-20 record, the Heat took the position of NBA champions
over the Thunder and a young Kevin Durant in game 5. Next year in arguably James best season
with the Heat, he became the youngest player in history to score 20,000 career points, they also
claimed the second best winning streak in NBA history, taking home 27 wins in a row. As the
old saying goes, all good things come to an end after a blazing hot winning streak, the Heat got
turned off in Chicago (Yan). This did not turn off the intensity of the teams play though. In one
of the most exciting Final series in years, after beating the San Antonio Spurs in game 7, LeBron
and the Heat took home their second championship back-to-back. It was projected that the Heat
led by the Big Three could very well remain the champions of the NBA for another year. Facing
the Spurs in the Finals yet again, the Heat fell short in just 5 games. It just so happen after the
loss, the coveted number 6 was a free agent again.
After much thought, James decided he would leave Miami to return to the homeland,
Cleveland. In his first season back in The Land, it was only fitting that the number 23 made a
return as well. For the 2014-2015 season, James did
not disappoint his born-again fans. The Cavaliers
went to the finals but could not overcome the
unstoppable Steph Curry and the Golden State
Warriors. Currently James and Kyrie Irving, along
with the rest of the Cavs are preparing for the second round of playoffs. Cleveland ended the
season with the best record in the Eastern Conference.

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On top of being one of the greatest of basketball players in history, he is also one of the
greatest marketers the sports world has ever seen. His presence alone makes money,the return of
the ''king,'' as James is known, will add $500 million a year to [Clevelands] economy
(Applebaum). In December of 2015, James signed a lifetime deal with Nike. This is unheard of,
even for the man who paved the way for the company's success, Michael Jordan. Number 23
signed with Nike while he was still in high school, one of the firsts on a very long list of
endorsements. It is estimated that James,endorsements pay out $44 million a year(Shoots).
While also making much more money from playing and investments, Lebron comes out as one
of the richest athletes in the world. Yet another thing that sets him apart from other basketball
players, or athletes in general, is just how involved

in

marketing he is. James has made it very known that

he hopes to achieve a net worth of 1 billion
dollars,a goal that so far only one athlete is
believed to have achieved--Michael
Jordan(Shoots).
The money in their bank accounts is not the only thing LeBron James and Michael Jordan
are compared to each other on. Michael Jordan being undoubtedly the best player in the history
of the league, the constant argument is; will Lebron surpass him? Fans will argue this until their
voice gives out. What is comes down to is,James couldve dominated during Jordans time, and
Jordan couldve dominated the current NBA landscape(How). The debate has changed the way
players are looked at. Its rarely ever just praising a single player anymore without comparing
them to to another, whether active or retired.

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To wrap it up, LeBron James overcame an extreme amount of adversity with the help of
some great people. Early on in his basketball career he was already making a difference in the
entire sports world, No other high school athlete had received that much attention. Straight from
high school to the league, everyone still had their eye on the rising king to be. Through his
phenomenal play, media attention, and marketing skills, LeBron James has become one of the
most known athletes in the world. No matter who we compare him to, the impact James has
made on the game in undeniable. LeBron James is making history and we are all witnesses.

Works Cited

Appelbaum, Binyamin. "The LeBron Stimulus." The New York Times Magazine 9 Nov.
2014: 18(L). Student Resources in Context. Web. 8 Apr. 2016.

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"How to Properly Argue Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James Moving Forward." Sporting
News. 2015. Web. 02 May 2016.

"LeBron James." Newsmakers. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 2007. Student Resources in Context.
Web. 8 Apr. 2016.

"LeBron James' Decision: The Transcript." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Web. 08 Apr.
2016.

"LeBron James Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore. Web. 02 May 2016.

"LeBron shoots for billionaire status." CNN Wire 9 Dec. 2015. Student Resources in
Context. Web. 8 Apr. 2016.

Yan, Holly "Miami Heat's 27-game Winning Streak over." CNN. Cable News Network.
Web. 02 May

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