Contents
Series Foreword vii
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi
Timeline: Events in the Life of LeBron James xv
Chapter 1 Beginnings 1
Chapter 2 High School Days 13
Chapter 3 Beyond His Years 25
Chapter 4 Senior Year Basketball Circus 41
Chapter 5 The LeBron Sweepstakes 53
Chapter 6 A Rookie, Not a Beginner 69
Chapter 7 Red, White, and Blue 81
Chapter 8 Junior Year Pro 91
Chapter 9 Early Season Challenges 101
Chapter 10 On a Christmas Roll 111
Chapter 11 Stepping Up Time 121
Chapter 12 Creating Believers 131
Appendix: Career Records 143
Bibliography 145
Index 151
Photo essay follows page 80
vi
vii
Series Foreword
In response to high school and public library needs, Greenwood developed
this distinguished series of full-length biographies specifically for
student use. Prepared by field experts and professionals, these engaging
biographies are tailored for high school students who need challenging yet
accessible biographies. Ideal for secondary school assignments, the length,
format, and subject areas are designed to meet educators’ requirements
and students’ interests.
Greenwood offers an extensive selection of biographies spanning all
curriculum related subject areas including social studies, the sciences, literature
and the arts, history and politics, as well as popular culture, covering
public figures and famous personalities from all time periods and backgrounds,
both historical and contemporary, who have made an impact on
American and/or world culture. Greenwood biographies are chosen based
on comprehensive feedback from librarians and educators. Consideration
was given to both curriculum relevance and inherent interest. The result
is an intriguing mix of the well known and the unexpected, the saints and
sinners from long-ago history and contemporary pop culture. Readers will
find a wide array of subject choices from fascinating crime figures like Al
Capone to inspiring pioneers like Margaret Mead, from the greatest minds
of our time like Stephen Hawking to the most amazing success stories of
our day like J. K. Rowling.
While the emphasis is on fact, not glorification, the books are meant
to be fun to read. Each volume provides in-depth information about the
subject’s life from birth through childhood, the teen years, and adulthood.
A thorough account relates family background and education, traces
personal and professional influences, and explores struggles, accomplishments,
and contributions. A timeline highlights the most significant life
events against a historical perspective. Bibliographies supplement the reference
value of each volume.
viii SERIES FOREWORD
ix
Ac knowledgments
Thank you to the writers who came before me and studied and reported
on basketball star LeBron James’s life and career before and during his rise
to prominence.
It was especially illuminating to read books about different aspects of
James’s life by B. J. Robinson, Roger Gordon, David Lee Morgan, and
Ryan Jones and stories written about James and the Cleveland Cavaliers
in the Akron Beacon-Journal and Cleveland Plain Dealer.
The public relations staff of the Cleveland Cavaliers was very helpful,
as well.
xi
Introduction
It was two hours to game time at the Quicken Loans Arena in downtown
Cleveland on a mild November night at the beginning of the 2006–07
National Basketball Association season. The Cleveland Cavaliers were
hosting the Atlanta Hawks. A ritual unfolded in the hallway outside of
the Cavs’ dressing room.
Newspaper, radio, and television reporters gathered at a selected spot
and waited. It was the daily welcoming committee, a part of the “LeBron
Rules.” LeBron James, the young star of the Cavaliers, was so popular
and in such demand that the player and his team established a protocol
designed to prevent him from becoming verbally besieged.
If left to their own devices and inclinations, reporters would flock to
James seeking private one-on-one moments, leaving him no time for game
preparation, no time for warm-ups, no time to think. LeBron, who should
be the next president? LeBron, what should the ending of “The Sopranos”
be? LeBron, should the United States pull out of Iraq tomorrow? The
player would squirm. The sessions would deteriorate into levels of silliness
normally reserved for Saturday morning cartoons.
So the Cavaliers’ public relations crew and James created a pregame
routine to allow the player to focus on playing and yet provide suitable
access to the men and women covering his still burgeoning basketball career.
The agreed-upon solution was for James to speak with reporters before
each game for a short while as soon as he entered the building. Then it was
understood that he was off-limits for questions until after the games.
What evolved was essentially a pleasant bantering session between
James and the media. James was at ease, the reporters asked what they
wished, and for the most part there was little tension or controversy.
James was practiced at this type of encounter, often cracked jokes, and
frequently charmed his listeners. Much like a successful stand-up comic,
he often left them laughing and wanting more.
In an era when professional athletes are often seen as aloof, spoiled, and
bored with daily media attention, James presented himself as the poster
child for the cooperative superstar, the anti-grump. It was easy to forget at
the start of his fourth professional season that he was not yet 22 years old,
that he was barely more than three years removed from high school.
But in an America that manufactures new heroes with assembly-line
speed, yet expects them to be flawless and stand the test of time, LeBron
James had long ago crossed the lines from the obscure, to the familiar, to
the famous. He had shown signs of being precocious beyond his years, not
only as a highly honored basketball player, but as an individual who acted
with the kind of maturity many of his elders never attained.
In three short professional basketball years, James had been asked to
make the leap from high school phenomenon, whose secondary school
years had been spotlighted like no other in the sport’s history, to a franchise
savior for Cleveland. Beyond that his fame and skills had almost
immediately been extrapolated to serve as the new face of a National
Basketball Association that had been on a wild goose chase for another
Michael Jordan.
Level-headed beyond his years, James resolutely stuck to the notion
that he was no second coming of Michael Jordan, but rather the first coming
of LeBron James. That would have to suffice.
When he arrived in that hallway to greet gathered media before the
early-season Atlanta Hawks game, James sparkled, figuratively and literally.
His ensemble included a black velour jacket and diamond earrings in
each ear. He listened carefully to his inquisitors and paused thoughtfully
when asked a philosophical question that might have been equally appropriately
posed to an athlete nearing retirement. Yet it was also the type
of question that the most precocious of our athletes hear when they have
made their mark but are still establishing their identity.
Many years ago, Boston Red Sox baseball star Ted Williams said early
in his career that he wanted to be remembered as the best hitter who ever
lived. A similar line was attributed to the Robert Redford character in the
movie “The Natural” and was adjusted for James. He was asked if he had
given any thought to himself in such terms as related to basketball.
“I’ve always just wanted to be the best player and the best person I can
be at the end of my career,” James said in his mini-press conference. “That’s
satisfying to me. I’m happy. I don’t judge my career by saying I want to be
xii introduction
better than this person or that person at the end of my career because it’s
not possible. The only person on and off the court to satisfy is me.”1
And then LeBron James exited, stage right, to prepare himself to play
basketball and to satisfy himself—and 20,000 spectators—with his jump
shots, rebounds, and passes.
introduction xiii
note
1. LeBron James, press conference, Cleveland, Ohio, Nov. 7, 2006.
xiv
xv
Timeline: Events
in the Life of
LeBron James
30 December 1984 Born in Akron, Ohio.
1984–1994 Impoverished James moves from home to home in
Akron with single mother Gloria.
1994–1996 Moves in with Coach Frank Walker for 1½ years
and improves school work.
Summer 1996 Northeast Shooting Stars win first national Amateur
Athletic Union basketball championship, 12-
and-under.
September 1999 James and several basketball friends from the
Shooting Stars enroll at St. Vincent-St. Mary private
high school in Akron.
Emerges as a high school football star for St.
Vincent-
St. Mary playing the position of wide receiver.
December Makes high school basketball debut.
March 2000 27–0 St. Vincent-St. Mary wins Ohio State Championship.
James averages 18.7 points per game.
March 2001 St. Vincent-St. Mary wins second straight Ohio title
game. James is named state player of the year.
February 2002 Becomes the first high school athlete who is not
yet a senior to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
March St. Vincent-St. Mary loses Ohio state championship
title game. James is chosen state player of the
year for a second time.
April Named Parade magazine, USA Today, and Gatorade
high school player of the year.
June Hurts a wrist in a summer basketball game, solidifying
his resolve not to play high school football anymore
because of the risk of serious injury.
December ESPN2 televises a St. Vincent-St. Mary game nationally
with high-profile basketball commentators
Dick Vitale and Bill Walton.
James’s mother rewards his basketball and school accomplishments
with the gift of a $50,000 Hummer,
paid for with loans. The purchase leads the Ohio
High School Athletic Association to investigate,
but James is cleared in “Hummergate.”
February 2003 The Ohio High School Athletic Association rules
James ineligible for accepting sports jerseys from a
store in an incident labeled “Jerseygate,” but the
courts limit the penalty to a two-game suspension.
March St. Vincent-St. Mary wins its third Ohio state crown
in James’s four seasons. James becomes the first
player to be selected state player of the year for a
third time.
April Named Parade magazine, USA Today, and Gatorade
player of the year each for the second time.
May Announces he will turn professional and make himself
available for the NBA draft and signs a $90 million
shoe contract with Nike.
The hometown Cleveland Cavaliers win the draft
lottery and the right to make the first selection in
the annual NBA draft. The Cavs immediately announce
they will choose James.
June The Cavaliers make it official and select James with
the first overall pick in the NBA draft. He signs the
standard three-year NBA rookie contract with an
option for a fourth year for nearly $13 million.
October Makes his NBA debut with the Cavaliers and scores
25 points.
December The Cavaliers are chosen to play on national TV on
Christmas Day for the first time in 14 years.
March 2004 James scores career-high 41 points in a game.
xvi timeline
April The Cavaliers finish the regular season shy of the playoffs
with a record of 35–47, but the mark represents an
improvement of 18 games in the win column.
June Named rookie of the year after averaging 20.9 points
a game as an 18- and 19-year-old.
Summer James is a member of the American bronze-medalwinning
basketball team in the Summer Olympics
in Athens, Greece.
6 October Son LeBron James Jr. born to LeBron James and girlfriend
Savannah Brinson.
November Still 19, becomes the youngest player to score 2,000
points in an NBA career.
March 2005 Scores 56 points against the Toronto Raptors, his career
high and the most points scored by a Cavalier
player since the franchise was founded in 1970.
April Cavaliers record winning record of 42–40 for the
first time since 1998. James improves his scoring to
27.2 points a game.
December Scores 52 points in a game against the Milwaukee
Bucks.
February 2006 Named the outstanding player in the NBA All-Star
game.
April Averages 31.4 points a game and leads the Cavaliers
to a 50–32 regular-season record, the team’s best
since 1993. The Cavs reach the playoffs for the first
time since 1998 and defeat the Washington Wizards
4–2 to capture the first-round series. The Cavs lose
to Detroit, 4–2, in the second round of Eastern Conference
play.
Summer Practices and competes on the United States’ bronzemedal-
winning team in the World Championships
in China.
April 2007 The Cavaliers again win 50 games and blitz the Wizards
4–0 in the first round of the playoffs.
May The Cavaliers topple the New Jersey Nets in the second
round of the playoffs.
June The Cavaliers upset the favored Detroit Pistons, 4–2.
In the critical fifth game, James wows the nation
with one of the greatest clutch solo performances
in
timeline xvii
league annals, scoring 48 points, including his squad’s
last 25 in a row in a double overtime triumph.
The Cavaliers advance to the NBA Finals for the
first time in team history, but are swept 4–0, by the
San Antonio Spurs.
15 June Bryce Maximus James, LeBron James’s second child,
is born.
July Co-hosts the ESPYS on national TV, the Academy
Awards of sports.
August LeBron James plays for Team USA’s gold-medalwinning
squad in the FIBA Americas tournament
that qualifies the Americans for the 2008 Summer
Olympics in Beijing.
September LeBron James appears as guest host for the satirical
TV show, “Saturday Night Live.”
xviii timeline
Chapter 1
Beginnings
In a basketball era when so-called street scouts, Amateur Athletic Union
coaches, college coaches, and professional team scouts scan the globe
for talent, a prodigy jumps onto radar screens at an early age. There are
scouting services that teams subscribe to heralding the next great seventh
grader. By the time they are 12, the best players are singled out by age
group.
Some parents and coaches consider this an unhealthy practice. The
reality is that such rankings are calculated and, if a youngster is singled
out, it can either spoil him or carve a path to easy street. LeBron James
was nationally renowned by age 18, but he was nationally known by the
cognoscenti long before that.
LeBron James was born on December 30, 1984, to Gloria James, then
a 16-year-old high school student. James shares a birthday with famed
golfer Tiger Woods, who is nine years older. Ronald Reagan had just won
his second term in the White House and the cold war was winding down.
Literary scholars were curious to discover just how much George Orwell’s
glum view of society, discussed in his decades-old novel 1984, would resemble
reality. In the basketball world, the Boston Celtics-Los Angeles
Lakers (Larry Bird-Magic Johnson) NBA rivalry was in its heyday and
Boston was the reigning champion.
The first African American Miss America, Vanessa Williams, was
forced to resign after nude pictures of her appeared in Penthouse magazine.
Under Reagan’s leadership, the United States’ social mores had grown
more conservative. Social services programs for welfare and food stamps
were in effect, but politicians made hay by belittling the lower class as
LeBron Jam es
slackers who didn’t want to work and verbally attacking single parents as
irresponsible.
None of the doings in the outside world relieved the reality of the harsh
circumstances a single mother like Gloria James—raised in the same city
she now sought to raise her son in—faced.
Gloria James was only a junior when she became pregnant, but she doggedly
completed her high school diploma. She was also a single mother
every step of the way, however, and James never knew his father. Gloria
James said James’s father is named Anthony McClelland, but he split up
with her before the boy’s birth and was never a presence in his life. There
were several strikes against James’s chances of becoming a success in a
late twentieth-century inner-city, urban setting. He was poor, black, and
fatherless.
Once Gloria James gave birth to LeBron, she was at a disadvantage
both in school and society. A high percentage of unwed, teenage mothers
drop out of school and only the most single-minded reach graduation.
Gloria was determined to remain in school for her diploma, but the only
way she and her youngster could survive financially was by relying on her
mother, Freda, to house them. Freda was also a single parent then and
was not flush with cash, either. The James’s existence was tenuous, but
Gloria’s brothers and cousins contributed to LeBron’s upbringing.
Mother and son lived in Akron, Ohio, merely an hour south of where
James now plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers. When James was a baby,
Gloria and other relatives called him “Bron-Bron,” as if he was some kind
of sweet treat. In a way he was. At first, James and his mom lived on
Hickory Street, where Gloria grew up with her two brothers. Gloria James
struggled to support her only child and they endured a life of poverty
when he was a youth.
Gloria scrapped for any source of income once she left high school,
but the pressures of raising a child often interfered with attempts to hold
jobs long term. Whenever there was a choice to be made between spending
time caring for LeBron or sticking with a job, Gloria stuck by her
son. This situation became more of an issue when James was a toddler.
As a single parent, Gloria James had looked to her own mother for assistance
raising the baby. But James’s grandmother was dying of gradually
debilitating health problems, the origins of which she even kept from her
daughter, and that put more stress on the boy’s mother. Freda was Gloria’s
security blanket, the source of last resort against being forced out on the
street, and now she was gone.
Gloria worked as a retail clerk in several establishments and, because
she had a talent with numbers, did some rudimentary accounting work.
Beginnings These were the most difficult of times for James and his mother. They
moved from place to place frequently and sometimes did not know where
their next meal would be eaten. James’s mom was dating a local man
named Eddie Jackson, who served as a surrogate father for years. Even
after Gloria James and Jackson broke up, Jackson stayed in contact and
remained an important male figure in James’s life. He showed nothing but
affection to the youngster, and LeBron has always referred to him as his
most significant father figure.
James’s first exposure to basketball was as a game to occupy his time,
not as a sport. His mom bought him a kid’s hoop with a small rubber
ball for indoor play and the toddler was fascinated by it. The set was a
Christmas gift as LeBron was turning 3. James seemed to take to basketball
the way Einstein took to math, naturally and with great gusto. Even
as a preschooler James was known to smile when he put the ball through
the hoop. The object of the game seemed clear to him from the beginning.
If that toy is worthy of a joyful memory, it is tempered by the timing
of Freda’s death at age 42. The cause of death was listed as a heart attack
suffered on Christmas Eve that year. Gloria was only 19 at the time.
As a professional, James stands 6-foot-8 and weighs 240 pounds. Basketball
observers have long commented on the smoothness of his moves
for a man so large, and James exhibited those skills when he was a youngster
and began playing organized ball for the first time. James started playing
for local Akron kids’ teams when Michael Jordan was at the apex of
his game, leading the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles in the 1990s. Right
away, as so many other youngsters did nationwide, James tabbed Jordan as
his favorite player. In James’s case, that also meant requesting the number
23—same as Jordan—as he grew up. Some years later, when he could reflect
on his allegiance to the Bulls’ star, James said he also absorbed lessons
from watching Jordan excel on the court.
“You know how a guy can make his team so much better?” James said.
“That’s one thing I learned from watching Michael Jordan.”1
Living with Poverty
Moving from apartment to apartment when the rent came due and
Gloria could not make the payments did not help James find stability in
his early life. Once they were even evicted from a building that was condemned
and torn down. Perhaps because of these early experiences, James
did not initially do well in school and he did not make friends easily.
He quickly made his mark on the playing fields, however. For those who
recognize
James as an all-star basketball player and advertising pitch man,
LeBron Jam es
it may be surprising to discover that he first succeeded on the football
field. By the time he was 10 years old, James’s superior speed and coordination
were apparent to the other children. As a fifth grader in Pee Wee
football, James scored 19 touchdowns in six games.
The team’s coach, Frank Walker, father of Frankie Walker Jr., one of
James’s best friends, took a keen interest in James. He felt the boy had
great potential in the classroom, as well as in sporting endeavors. It was
a particularly rough time financially for Gloria James, and when Walker
offered to take her son in, care for him, and tutor him, she reluctantly allowed
the arrangement. LeBron was always her pride and joy and she had
worked feverishly to care for him properly, but they spent 18 months living
apart. Walker’s efforts helped ground James in school and advance his
standing. Despite not living with Gloria for that period when he was 10
and 11 years old, James saw his mother frequently and the bond between
them was never shaken. He was grateful to the Walkers for their unselfishness,
but James has always called his mother his best friend.
“My mom and I have always been there for each other,” James said.2
“The Walkers will never know what a difference they made in my life.”3
Besides his influence in football and academics, Frank Walker Sr. also
introduced James to basketball as a sport as it is played in playgrounds and
in gyms, not merely as an in-house baby diversionary toy.
For most of his years between ages 6 and 12 (except for the time spent
with the Walkers), LeBron James and his loving mother were nomads,
moving from house to house, depending on the kindness of family members
or neighbors. These were tough neighborhoods where violent crime
was common and poverty was ever present. There was generosity among
friends, but limits to it, and Gloria and LeBron could not stay indefinitely
with those who opened their small homes to help. Part of their
time was spent residing in Elizabeth Park, a potentially explosive area
for those looking for trouble. If he was not under the positive influence
of his mother, or if he had been another type of child by nature, James
could easily have become a statistic—either a corpse before his time, or
a jailed youth incarcerated for law breaking. He escaped both of those
fates.
“Anybody who knows about Elizabeth Park knows how bad it is,” James
said later. “You had gunshots flying and cop cars driving around there all
the time. As a young boy it was scary, but I never got into none of that
stuff. That just wasn’t me. I knew it was wrong.”4
Founded in 1825 as a shipping community on the Ohio and Erie Canal,
Akron, James’s hometown, is currently a city of about 217,000 people. It
had made its way in the world as a manufacturing town and was proud
Beginnings of its nickname, “Rubber Capital of the World.” Tires are a famous and
popular export, the wheels that make Detroit steel roll down the road.
Firestone Tire and Rubber Company was founded in 1900 and Goodyear
Tire and Rubber was founded in 1898. Goodyear’s corporate headquarters
is still located in Akron. The American Cereal Co. and Quaker Oats
also came to prominence in Akron. The firm’s advertising, showing cereal
shot from a cannon, registered in Americans’ minds.
Somewhat in the shadow of Cleveland, Ohio’s largest metropolitan
area situated less than an hour north, Akron suffered as American jobs
fled to lower-wage-paying Latin American countries in the 1970s and beyond.
Akron’s recent population reached its apex of about 290,000 in
1960, but has declined steadily since. A major feature of the city now,
however, is the Polymer Science Institute of the University of Akron.
The rust belt community is going high tech. Every American city has
something to be proud of and every American city has neighborhoods
it worries about. During LeBron’s formative years, the James family was
stuck in those hard-luck neighborhoods where not even the best of intentions
are always enough.
Every celebrity who emerges from poverty has done so through the force
of his own effort to some degree, but likely in conjunction with someone’s
helpful guiding hand. Sometimes only a gentle nudge is needed. Sometimes
a strong presence is important. Little kindnesses or wise judgments
passed on can make all of the difference. James was a first-class athlete the
first time he shot baskets at a telephone pole hoop in his neighborhood.
He was better than the other kids. When they played street football he
outplayed them on the asphalt, catching passes and running for scores.
Help ing Hands
Bruce Kelker spotted that talent as a volunteer coach for the Akron
South Rangers Pee Wee football team and signed up James. James, who
has always praised his teammates’ efforts and done his best not to overshadow
them, became pals with the other players. That’s how he met
Frankie Walker Jr. and his dad. Frank Walker Sr. was employed by the
Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority. His professional background
helped him relate to LeBron and Gloria. Theirs were the type of housing
difficulties Walker encountered on the job all the time. The triggering
event for Walker and his wife Pam to take in James for what became a yearand-
a-half stay was LeBron’s failure to return to school after Christmas
break while in fourth grade. Walker imagined the youngster heading for
a life of trouble if he didn’t catch a break.
LeBron Jam es
In a moment of candor during an early interview, James admitted that
he and his mother often worried and were “really scared about what would
happen next.”5
Suddenly, James had three families who cared about him. His mother
Gloria was in the forefront—he never doubted her love. On his adidas Pro
Model basketball shoes, James later made his feelings for his mom very
clear, for everyone to read. Etched in three lines are the words “Gloria
Marie James.” He also has “Gloria” tattooed on his biceps, mixing with
other colorful upper-body tattoos. And when he talks about his mother,
the grown-up James still peppers speech with references to her as his best
friend. The South Rangers were a family of their own, buddies whose
friendships transcended the gridiron. The Walkers, who have two children
besides Frankie Jr., provided a third caring cocoon.
A youngster toted from place to place understands best what he knows
and recognizes at the moment. In hindsight he better understands what
was going on his life as a youth. Later, the older James grasped the gift provided
by the Walkers at a vulnerable time. “It was like a new beginning
for me,” he said. “When I moved in with the Walkers, I went from missing
87 days my fourth-grade year to zero days in the fifth grade. They all may
not know how much I care about them, but I care about them a lot. I love
them.”6 But James also credits his mother for helping him regain standing
by helping him over one long weekend of work with the more than 100
homework assignments he had failed to turn in.
James does not present the image of a bitter man, but he has not forgotten
the hardships of his youth either. In one interview, James said
that when he was five years old he remembers moving seven times. “We
moved from apartment to apartment, sometimes living with friends. My
mom would always say, ‘Don’t get too comfortable because we may not be
here long.’ ”7
The Jameses were on welfare part of the time. When LeBron lived with
the Walkers, Gloria saw him on weekends and gave him the only gifts she
could afford—food stamps.
James dabbled in basketball from the time he received his favorite childhood
toy, but he had never practiced the sport and had never learned the
basics and fundamentals in an organized way. He knew the object of the
game was to make baskets and score more than the other team, but he didn’t
have the rudiments of team play installed in him until he was 10 years old.
At that time he lost a game of one-on-one to Frankie Walker Jr. The shorter
player had more savvy and knew the sport. James was discouraged, but Frank
Walker Sr. witnessed the defeat and promised to teach James how to play so
that it wouldn’t happen again.
Beginnings James was a raw talent, but he lapped up instruction greedily. If he was
shown a move once, he could mimic it. He had an actor’s ability to pick
up mannerisms and styles. The quick learning curve enhanced the natural
speed, jumping ability, and quickness already on hand. James’s earliest
coaches also noted some of his other traits that have endured through the
passage of years and the escalation of James’s basketball career from youth
leagues to the big leagues.
The player was ultra-competitive, but he acted maturely when he
lost. He always praised his teammates’ contributions—critical as time
passed and it became clear that the spotlight was always going to shine its
brightest on him. And James always displayed the ability to think ahead,
to see ahead on the court. A major attribute of a great all-around basketball
player is the ability to see the floor as a play unfolds, to anticipate
what will happen when players run down-court, and to influence the
outcome with a dribble, a pass, or a shot. That skill is regarded by most
basketball observers as a god-given gift, one that must be bestowed from
heaven more than developed on earth. The instinct so evident in the
play of a Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, or John Stockton
during succeeding eras of the NBA was part of LeBron James’s package
from the start.
Walker said that as a fifth grader, James was as much chess player as
basketball player on the court. He knew the game so well and could show
others how to approach fundamentals so easily that Walker made James
an assistant coach for the fourth graders.
Becoming the Hoops King
King James—it is a flashy nickname. When it was first applied to
LeBron
James as a teenager by friends and local newspaper reporters, it
seemed a touch premature, a tad arrogant. As if the intense attention
garnered for his play on the court did not produce enough heat-lamp intensity,
James acquired a lightning-rod nickname.
It is tough enough to live up to the hype, but if you fail with a moniker
like King James, you invite ridicule. The pressure is there all of the time
to dominate, to star, to create basketball magic. If you are unable to live
up to the expectations of the masses, the next thing you know you are
downgraded in print to mere prince, duke, or—horrors—even worse, a
commoner. Trash talkers would have a field day if James did not play up
to the name.
Yet James never shied away from either the spotlight or the focus on
becoming King James. Becoming the king of his own court, of any court,
LeBron Jam es
came naturally to him. Even if easing into the role of royalty was as smooth
as slipping into a custom-made wardrobe (something in his future), James
never looked down on his loyal subjects. Instead, he always lauded his
court. For that matter, James rarely thought of himself as the king who
was the leader of a nation. He preferred comparing himself to the lion, the
king of the jungle. That’s how he saw himself, a predator on the court, the
boss of the jungle-like survival battles in the low post where opponents
threw elbows. He prowled through the overhanging vines and the thick
trees to strike. He was that kind of lion, first and foremost. Still, there is
a popular poster of James that combines the images. James is seated on a
throne and surrounded by lions.
James’s basketball education began under Walker in kids’ ball. He was
a quick study and grew quickly, too. He made friends with other players
and they teamed to form a formidable summer Amateur Athletic Union
(AAU) team that brought glory to Akron and renown to James.
The days when basketball, or any major American sport, was considered
a seasonal hobby for high school kids are long past. If you excel at
a game, scouts and coaches at a higher level want you to concentrate
solely on that game. The once-commonplace three-sport high school
letterman is a rarity. The old football in the fall, basketball in the winter,
baseball in the spring athlete following the school calendar is an
endangered species. Now even young athletes are specialists, coaxed into
giving up a sport played just for fun to emphasize growth in a sport that
may someday earn them a college scholarship or big money in a professional
career.
Concurrently, there has been a proliferation of specialist summer camps
and teams. Players may attend a camp that offers high level instruction
and sunup-to-sundown play in the sport of their choice. They may also
compete on touring teams that play games around their home state or in
tournaments in central gathering places like Las Vegas. In no other sport
has such a pattern emerged with such intensity and influence over young
athletes as it has in basketball.
Players may be paired with other stars from their own state to form an
all-star team. They may play many more games over the summer than
are sanctioned in winter by high school governing bodies. And summer
coaches may gain more influence with the players than their high school
coaches, or even their parents, when it comes to decisions about where to
play college ball, or if they even should forsake that opportunity for the
pros.
By the time he turned 12, James was permanently reunited with his
mother in a two-bedroom apartment, and he showed signs of being a
Beginnings gifted middle school student, recording B and B+ averages. The Jameses
most difficult days were behind them. Neither could imagine the fame
and fortune about to follow so soon after long years of struggle. James no
longer missed classes (or days of school) in bunches and exhibited a newfound
discipline with homework and assignments.
Family Ties
Once Gloria James acquired the two-bedroom apartment, James’s life
became more stable. Her brothers, James’s uncles, Terry and Curt, tried to
help with his upbringing and offer some guidance. So did Eddie Jackson,
Gloria’s serious boyfriend. Although Jackson and Gloria ultimately split
up and Jackson had brushes with the law that sometimes required terms
in jail, Jackson always professed love for James, and said he would always
make himself available to offer help.
Jackson said he started dating Gloria when LeBron was about eight
months old and they were a couple until James was about three. Jackson
remained close to the family and helped with financial matters for years
afterwards.
James first competed in AAU summer basketball when he was in the
fifth grade. The squad was called the Shooting Stars, and it brought together
several high quality players under the mentorship of Coach Dru
Joyce Jr., whose own son, Dru III, better known as Little Dru, became one
of James’s closest friends. Another talented player in the group was Sian
Cotton. They became a sort of Three Musketeers, hanging out together,
playing ball together, and spending off-court time together.
Willie McGee rounded out the group after he moved from Chicago to
Akron in junior high, and the foursome became inseparable throughout
high school. Romeo Travis, who the quartet played pickup games with at
the Akron Jewish Community Center on Sunday nights, was another pal.
A volunteer coach at the Community Center was Keith Dambrot, who
had been head coach at Central Michigan University, but was temporarily
out of the college game. Dambrot played a major role in the players’
development and achievements later.
Although high school level coaching has morphed from a parent helping
out to a teacher doing it for the extra money, to coaches who are
true students of the game, few high schools could claim the services of
someone as knowledgeable and sophisticated as Dambrot. He had already
coached at a higher level, so he could make savvy judgments about the
talent standing of James and his partners. He also had the know-how to
tutor them so they could advance to play the college game.
10 LeBron Jam es
The players were not troublemakers in any way. They stayed clean,
played hard, and formed special bonds as they improved as players and
gained a reputation with their success. McGee was a latecomer. He grew
up in the Windy City, but he had an older brother who enrolled at the
University of Akron. So McGee moved to Akron for high school and at
first joined a rival summer league team. But the Shooting Stars were more
advanced than McGee’s team and even his own coach encouraged him
to switch.
When McGee became a Shooting Star, everything clicked. He was
the missing piece of the puzzle on the court and fit in just as well with
the guys off the court. From elementary school through high school, the
other Shooting Stars were together and became a force on the national
age-group basketball scene. To advance to national competition, an AAU
team must play itself out of its region and out of its state, meaning it
must keep winning. The first time James and his cohorts qualified for national
play they were entered in the 12-and-under age division in a tournament
in Orlando, Florida in 1997. Competing against 31 other teams,
the Shooting Stars captured the title. The Most Valuable Player? LeBron
James. It was a harbinger of things to come. The Orlando showing was
the first of six national championships won by the core group of Akron
players.
Some basketball observers wonder if intensity of play at a young age
is good for those just emerging from childhood. Others believe it is the
only way to go for topnotch players who want to compete against the
best. College and professional sports teams always say they grow closer
and develop tighter friendships when spending time on the road. This
was certainly true for the Shooting Stars. The road also brings its own
perils—many a team has been brought down by road-trip violations or
rule breaking. If the Shooting Stars had not been closely observed by
Coach Joyce, and if they were not inherently well behaved, they could
have found themselves in hot water.
Stardom with the Shooting Stars
What the Shooting Stars did over a six-year period was win basketball
games and have a blast. Those two things were linked.
By showing off skills on so many stages around the country, top-shelf
players become known quantities for scouting services. Players like James
stand out in competition against players their own age, and the name and
team are filed for future reference. When a team wins a national title at
Beginnings 11
any age group, it is a magnificent achievement. If it happens just once
it may be dismissed as a fluke, but when a team like the Shooting Stars
appears on the scene, especially from a place like Akron, which is not regarded
as a hotbed of hoops talent the way some much larger cities are, it
is a statement. When it is apparent from casual observation that the team
is led to championships over and over by the same star, that player takes
on mythical proportions in ratings systems. The consistency of the Shooting
Stars’ success meant that LeBron James literally grew up in front of a
wide variety of discerning hoops evaluators. It was no surprise that they
labeled him the sport’s “Next Great Thing.”
Sometimes young talents take possession of a game and of their reputation
by inundating foes with points. They score from all over the map,
leaving fans oohing and aahing. James had that capability and put on
shows with fresh moves and scoring eruptions wherever the Shooting
Stars traveled. But he was not a ball hog. He did not force his shots as
much as take them within the flow of the game. He was such an adept
playmaker that he reveled in making passes that set up his teammates as
much as he did while scoring. This unselfishness was a trait not often seen
among superstars. Falling in love with assists as well as points when he
didn’t have to was something that endeared James to basketball purists.
They loved him even more when they talked to Coach Joyce.
What Joyce extolled in James was his work ethic, his desire to improve,
and his hunger for victory. “LeBron has those kinds of things every coach
wishes they could take credit for, but you just can’t,” Joyce said. James, he
said, always wanted to be on the court, working on his game, not running
the streets. “He never missed a practice. I mean, he always wanted to be
in the gym. He’s always wanted to learn. The thing that kind of separates
him is, everything comes so easy, and he works at it.”8
Players most dedicated to the game, whether it is basketball, baseball,
or football, demonstrate an inner drive to excel. Many times they must
overcome financial limitations that prevent them from owning the finest
equipment. Many do not have a father on hand who can play catch with
them or teach them the finer points of a sport. They do not always even
have access to a gym to practice their shooting alone. Yet such athletes
make do.
When he was still learning how to play basketball, before he was even
exposed to the Shooting Stars, James created his chances to shoot around
on Hickory Street. A milk crate was nailed to a telephone pole and for a
while that makeshift hoop—not so far removed from the style of basketball
inventor James Naismith’s peach basket—was his target.
12 LeBron Jam es
Notes
1. Mark Stewart, Star Files, LeBron James (Chicago: Raintree, 2006), p. 9.
2. Stewart, p. 6.
3. Stewart, p. 11.
4. David Lee Morgan Jr., The Rise of A Star: LeBron James (Cleveland: Gray &
Company Publishers, 2003), p. 28.
5. Ryan Jones, King James—Believe the Hype, The LeBron James Story (New
York: St. Martin’s Press, 2003), p. 22.
6. Morgan, pp. 33–34.
7. B. J. Robinson, LeBron James—King of the Court (East Cleveland: Forest Hill
Publishing, 2005), pp. 16–17.
8. Jones, p. 26.
13
Chapter 2
High School Days
By the time high school beckoned, LeBron James and his best friends
from the Shooting Stars had been playing basketball together for years.
They had toured the land, won major championships all over the United
States, and honed their chemistry through hundreds of hours of practices
and games.
The last thing that James, Joyce, Cotton, and McGee wished to do was
split up the act. They did not all live in the same school district where they
would naturally enroll. After some consultation, they decided they wanted
to stay together and play together throughout high school. That meant
they had to find a high school that would take them as a package deal.
In more innocent times, students usually attended the school where
they lived. Over time, that simple approach has changed. Street agents
help steer star players to high schools to play for a specific coach. Sometimes
a brother or cousin could come along, too. Sometimes adults overwhelmed
the player. This time the players were in charge. They wanted
to stick together and by selecting a private school with no geographical
boundaries, they could. LeBron James was the prize catch, but the others
were also first-class players who would be welcome additions to just about
any high school team.
During their Sunday night pickup games at the Akron Jewish Community
Center, the players were tutored by Keith Dambrot. Dambrot had
already been an NCAA Division I head coach and, among other jobs
in his apprenticeship, had served as an assistant coach at the University
of Akron. He had been a 32-year-old head coach at Central Michigan,
labeled an up-and-comer in the profession. But then he made a terrible
14 LeBron Jam es
mistake. In the heat of a game he unprofessionally uttered a racial epithet.
He had naively attempted to bond through language with black players
but was roasted for his choice of words. Dambrot opened a tinderbox that
brought national negative attention to him, his team, and his school. He
was at first suspended and then fired by the university. Once a shooting
star himself, Dambrot was living in Akron teaching basketball to the
Shooting Stars in his spare time. The players who absorbed his knowledge
were mostly black.
Dambrot agonized over his careless mistake and for a while it seemed he
was blacklisted, untouchable, and unhirable for any basketball coaching
job. He tried to obtain a public high school coaching job in Akron, but
was rebuffed. Finally, Dambrot’s road to resurrection began when Akron’s
St. Vincent-St. Mary High School hired him for the 1998–99 season. By
the standards of his previous career path, he was accepting a minimumwage,
bottom-of-the-totem-pole job. But to Dambrot, after five years of
working as a stockbroker, the job represented a fresh start doing the thing
he loved most—coaching basketball. It is a tribute to Dambrot, LeBron
James, and James’s friends, that leadership he provided, coupled with the
close relationships formed, provided a rehabilitation forum for Dambrot
and glory for all.
Dambrot’s coaching debut at St. Vincent brought the team to the regional
finals—without the fab four. Then Dru Joyce III, known as Little
Dru, the most involved of the four players in Dambrot’s Sunday night
basketball clinics, decided he wanted to play for the coach in high school.
If he had stayed home, Little Dru would have played for Buchtel High,
where his father was an assistant coach. In what had to be an uncomfortable
conversation, he had to inform his dad he would rather play at
another school.
“I just thought Coach Dambrot was a good coach and I could learn a lot
of stuff from him,” Little Dru said. “That all four of us could.”1
In a sense, Little Dru had made the decision for all four friends. They
were all on board. Once the players committed, Dru Joyce Jr., his father, and
Lee Cotton, Sian’s dad, hired on at St. Vincent as assistant coaches. This
type of mass commitment, with parents coming along, too, creates hard
feelings in the coaching world, and suspicion of recruitment and illegal
incentives. Gossip was rampant in Akron, but no evidence of wrongdoing
surfaced. Any illegal activity would have been suicide for Dambrot, who
was aching for a fresh start, and would have made no sense. The boys were
sincere about staying together and they found a way to make it happen.
LeBron James and his gang enrolled in the Catholic school with a student
body of about 500 in the fall of 1999. Tuition was $4,800, far from a
trifling for single mom Gloria James. But the school granted scholarships
High School Days 15
to worthy students and James by then had proved his prowess in the classroom.
St. Vincent had a sound athletic reputation, but it was assumed
that its basketball team was certain to rise in stature. Not foreseen was the
impact that a 6-foot 14-year-old LeBron James would have on the football
team’s fortunes.
Football
James was blessed with large hands. That physical attribute not only
helped him control a basketball when dribbling, it also enabled him to
pluck flying pigskins out of the air. In football parlance, he had great
hands. When he ran his receiver routes, James made acrobatic catches
and held onto the ball as if his fingers were coated with Super Glue. He
started for the St. Vincent-St. Mary Irish his freshman year and became
an all-state wide receiver as a sophomore.
Spending much time as a decoy his first season, James made a limited
impact as a freshman. As a sophomore, however, he caught 42 passes for
840 yards and 11 touchdowns. Such statistics ignite interest in college
recruiters. Although he was raw at football compared to basketball, it has
often been suggested that James would have become a college star and
might have had pro capability in that sport.
By the end of James’s sophomore year of high school, he was nationally
known for his basketball talent. Basketball observers began to fear that he
was jeopardizing a multimillion-dollar future by playing the high-risk sport
of football. Everyone knew that just one misstep, one awkward landing, or
one ferocious tackle could ruin a knee. Even Gloria was edgy. Mother and
son suffered through deprivation together. She had not known she was
raising a prodigy whose basketball skill could forever end their economic
woes. James, they were being told by basketball people in the know, had
the skill to set himself up for life. Why risk that now? She hoped her son
would forgo football after his sophomore year. In keeping with James’s
character, attitude, and outlook, however, at the last minute in the fall of
his junior year he joined the team again. Protecting LeBron the only way
she could, his mother took out an insurance policy that guarded against
career-ending injury.
James made up his own mind about football and chose to stay a kid in
an extracurricular activity rather than sideline himself and eliminate a
pursuit he enjoyed. “People can say I’m stupid,” James said. “But it’s my
decision to make and I feel it’s the right one.”2
James was better than ever that season—the key offensive weapon on the
St. Vincent football team. James missed the first game of the season because
he did not have the Ohio high school minimum number of practices under
16 LeBron Jam es
his belt, but in a 10–4 season that led to a regional title and concluded in a
state championship semifinal game, James caught 52 passes for 1,310 yards
and 15 touchdowns. Considered one of the fastest and most agile of players
in the NBA today, James exhibited those traits running downfield back
then. In a football-mad state, James had some coaches salivating, even if it
was understood that basketball was his top priority.
The Irish’s head football coach was Jay Brophy, a former member of the
Miami Dolphins. An assistant coach was Mark Murphy, one-time safety
with the Green Bay Packers. They both believed that James had the potential
to play in the National Football League if he stuck with football.
Brophy said James’s all-around competitiveness was unrivaled. “If you
challenged him in racquetball and you beat him,” Brophy said, “he’d be
a gracious loser. He’d go practice for a week, then call you for a rematch
and kick your ass.”3
Football was a bonus. In terms of an orchestra warming up its instruments,
it was the vamp-till-ready. Football was the appetizer; basketball
was the main course.
Freshman Hoops
St. Vincent-St. Mary was coming off a 16–9 basketball season when
James and his friends joined Dambrot and a roster with some carryover
talent. The Irish roster was loaded with good players, but in James
Dambrot inherited an exceptional talent. James stood 6-foot-4 for his
freshman basketball season and weighed a still slender 170 pounds. It has
often been noted that James looks much older than his years, but in pictures
taken during his first two years of high school he looks very much
the teenager still growing into manhood and into his body.
Dambrot’s basketball instincts kicked in and he almost immediately
realized that James was more than good. He told his old coaching friend
Ben Braun, now the head man at the University of California at Berkeley,
about James, summing up his glowing report by noting, “This guy is going
to be the best guy I’ve ever seen.” When Braun saw James play in person
he promptly told Dambrot James was too good to ever play in college and
that he would go directly to the NBA.4
James’s freshman year began with a game against Cuyahoga Falls. He
scored 15 points in his debut and the Irish won. In December of the 1999–
2000 season, James scored a season high of 27 points. He also recorded a
high school career low of 8 points in January of that season, the only time
in his four-year prep career that James failed to score in double digits.
James averaged more than 18 points per game as a freshman.
High School Days 17
James demonstrated his flair for spectacular shots and for making the
timely pass. Dambrot became most impressed with James’s on-court cool
and his decision making. “I knew he was really good when we got him off
the football field,” the coach said, “and he started practicing with us and
I saw how smart he was.”5
The Irish took a 20–0 record into the Ohio postseason playoffs and
worked their way to the finals. In between, a deeply affected Dambrot
lost his mother to cancer. Exhausted and distracted, he spent nights with
her in Hospice care, worrying that he wasn’t fulfilling his obligation to
his players. Emotionally on edge, the players, who also liked Dambrot’s
mother, advanced to the championship game at Ohio State University’s
Value City Arena.
This was far from a one-man team. James led St. Vincent with 25 points,
9 rebounds, and 4 assists, the type of across-the-board statistical line for
which he became famous. His buddy, Little Dru Joyce, scored 21 points
by making seven 3-point field goals. Senior center Maverick Carter, a
future college player, was actually chosen the Cleveland Plain-Dealer’s
player-of-the-year. There were kudos and trophies for all when the Irish
defeated Jamestown Greenview High, 73–55, to finish 27–0. Still a freshman,
James was selected as the playoffs’ Most Valuable Player and he was
chosen first-team all-state.
Although the press built James up as a basketball prodigy, Gloria James
kept telling reporters that LeBron was still a typical teenager and she had
to get after him to make his bed. She also told reporters how endearing it
was when he pasted up handmade Mother’s Day cards for her. King James
was all of 15 years old.
Despite the growth in attention, the clamoring for interviews, and the
comments of scouts, as James matured on the basketball court, he insisted
that he was more of a normal kid than most people thought. He told
sportswriters that he liked to hang out with his friends, watch movies, and
participate in all the regular high school activities.
James freely discussed his mother’s influence and how they had battled
through hard times together, but he never talked about girls. During high
school, while being a regular guy at school dances and pep rallies, James
did meet an Akron girl named Savannah Brinson. She became his steady.
From the beginning, Brinson maintained the lowest of low profiles,
never appearing at press conferences either in high school or during other
developments in James’s career, such as his decision to go pro, or to sign
with a shoe company. James and Brinson as a couple stayed out of the
limelight. It was as if he had compartmentalized sections of his life, one
being for fans, the other being for family.
18 LeBron Jam es
Ultimately, as years passed, and James and Brinson stayed together, she
made very brief appearances in public. Only after James became a pro was
Brinson sometimes seen in public at his side, or in the family section at
Cleveland Cavaliers games. Periodically, a photograph appears of the twosome
on a celebrity Web site, but Brinson does not show up in entertainment
publications answering 20 questions about LeBron.
Virtually the only time Brinson was in the public eye with any regularity
was when she was about to give birth to the couple’s children.
And even then, James did all the talking. The always visible James has
done a masterful job of keeping his private life private. Only once did
the James–Brinson relationship make waves. In 2007, sportswriters and
gossip reporters were surprised to hear their voice mail boxes fill up with
venom from strangers who said they should be chastising James “the
role model” for having children out of wedlock and not marrying his
sweetheart.6
It was rare public backlash against the popular athlete, although James
shrugged off the criticism. If he and Brinson had plans to wed, they kept
it to themselves. But as high schoolers none of that could be anticipated
and it all lay in the future.
Second Time Around
LeBron James had arrived. Sophomore slump? Not likely. The St.
Vincent-St. Mary Fighting Irish bench was not as deep as it had been
during James’s freshman year, but the freshmen players were now immeasurably
more mature, not only from succeeding at the state championship
level, but because they once again stayed together to play
another AAU summer ball season. Playing 27 games together at the
high school level was one thing, but the fabulous foursome had played
hundreds of games together spread over a period of years. They learned
and improved on the job.
James also got a chance to show his stuff on the road, spending a small
portion of the summer at the Slam N’ Jam camp in Oakland for a team
known as Soldiers I. Chris Dennis, operator of Akron’s most prominent
summer tournament, made it his mission to promote James. Dennis placed
James in California and then tripled his efforts to make James a known
commodity to basketball shoe manufacturers, their representatives, and
summer camp planners. Although the Nikes, adidas, and Reeboks of
the world were not yet clamoring to convince James to join their starstudded
lineups, their early exposure to him laid the foundation for a future
sneakers war.
High School Days 19
The touting of LeBron paid dividends. During the summer after his
freshman year, James was invited to participate in Howard Garfinkel’s
famous Five-Star basketball camp. The five-day event involved instruction
and pickup games and served as a showcase for up-and-coming stars.
The list of future luminaries who passed through as campers read like a
basketball all-star roster and included Michael Jordan, Stephon Marbury,
Grant Hill, Christian Laettner, and Rasheed Wallace. All of them had
been college stars and successful professionals.
James and his cohorts worked for years to put Akron basketball on the
map as they piled up age-group championships. But James did as much for
the city’s hoops reputation—and his own—as all of his contemporaries
and predecessors combined during a week in Pittsburgh. The camp was
generally divided between upperclass juniors and seniors and underclass
sophomores like James. James was so good that he split his time between
his own age group and the older players when roster spots opened as a
result of injury.
He totally dominated. When the camp ended, James was selected for
the all-star team of his own division and the older division. It was an unprecedented
achievement and it announced to the basketball world that
young LeBron was the real deal. Between his freshman year enrollment at
St. Vincent and the start of his junior year in high school, James had gone
from a player known only to the best-informed followers of high school
ball to a hometown hero revered throughout Ohio, and he had begun
registering on name recognition charts throughout the sports world.
Athlon, for years the publisher of preseason football and basketball annuals,
rated James as the top high school sophomore in the country. The
Sporting News ranked him second. There were no secrets left in the sport.
If you played in the mountains, the desert, in the snow of Alaska, on the
beaches of Hawaii, in the swamps of Mississippi, scouts found you. Similarly,
if college coaches saw your name on any kind of ranked ability list,
they were likely to become pen pals. Just in case you had any interest at all
in matriculating at their campus, they didn’t want to make the mistake of
overlooking you and make you think you would not be welcome.
Going National
James received hundreds of pieces of recruiting mail. “Dear LeBron, we
love you, come to our school. We have a spot for you at Hoboken State
Technical School, if you want it.” That was the general thrust of the mail.
When you are a 15-year-old boy, and only recently escaped from a life
of poverty, that kind of overwhelming flattery can spin your head. And
20 LeBron Jam es
that’s even if you have no intention of ever setting foot on the campus of
an obscure school in New Mexico. The mail at least showed James that
coaches knew about him and respected what he had done. But he had two
more years to pad his resume, and in an age when high school athletes
were making the jump directly to the pro ranks, there was no guarantee
that James would be enticed into playing college basketball for a minute
even at a traditional power like North Carolina, Duke, or Indiana.
The buzz about James and the St. Vincent basketball team spread far
beyond the borders of the high school’s campus. School officials examined
the publicity evidence and made a bold business call. Instead of confining
home games to the small, on-campus gym, they rented the Rhodes Arena,
the 5,900-plus seat basketball building that hosted University of Akron
games. St. Vincent had become a regionally popular team. Spectators
wanted to see the Irish and star LeBron James in the flesh, not just read
about them in the newspapers. Fans were not going to show up on the
doorstep—at least not yet—from Florida, Texas or New York, but plenty
of high school hoops fans from Ohio were just an hour away.
Showing an understanding that they also had a special product with
James gracing the court, Dambrot and school officials scheduled six
games against teams from other states. Older fans who think back to
their own school days are surprised to hear this, but high school teams
routinely have been taking special trips, especially over holiday vacation
times like Thanksgiving and Christmas, for well over a decade. Sometimes
the games are one-time showdowns featuring two teams highly
rated by USA Today, the national newspaper that publishes high school
rankings. Sometimes the games pit private powerhouse schools that are
not subject to the same travel restrictions as public schools governed
by state boards. And sometimes a school is sought because it features
a once-in-a-lifetime player who single handedly temporarily raises the
reputation of his team.
The defining moment of James’s sophomore season came in a game
against Oak Hill of Virginia. The Irish were coming off a 27–0 season
and started the next campaign 9–0. James and his buddies were 36–0
over two seasons when they faced Oak Hill in mid-January of 2000 in
Columbus, Ohio. Oak Hill had finished 30–2 the year before and was
17–0 in the new season and ranked No. 1. Oak Hill also featured future
NBA player DeSagana Diop, a 7-foot center, and other players destined
for high-caliber NCAA Division I programs.
James, who had grown to 6-foot-6 by his sophomore season, scored
35 points in the game, but St. Vincent lost, 79–78. Technically, it was a
neutral court game, but the fans favored the Irish. In defeat, James gained
more luster. No one could question whether he was piling up statistics
High School Days 21
against middling opponents. He had played his best against the best. Future
Kentucky player Rashad Carruth, one of Oak Hill’s stars, called James
“the best I’ve ever played against.” And James said his ability to perform at
such a high level under pressure against such a fine team gave him more
confidence. “The way I played that game, it just felt like, ‘Can’t nobody
stop me,’ ” he said.7
Sometimes when a young athlete talks brashly like that he is considered
arrogant. James’s forthright, but wry delivery—coupled with the fact
that everyone recognized the statement as the truth—generally kept criticism
to a minimum when he spoke out strongly.
Despite the loss, St. Vincent was possibly better than in James’s first
year. The close foursome had become a quintet. Romeo Travis, another
accomplished player, transferred to St. Vincent and after an uneasy start
became pals with the core of the team and a major contributor.
The Oak Hill game represented St. Vincent’s only loss during the regular
season. The Irish were 19–1 when the state playoffs began and, for the
second year in a row, they blitzed the best of the rest of Ohio competition.
The Irish won, 63–53, over Casstown Miami East in the championship
game, and this time Value City Arena was sold out with about 18,000
screaming fans. The increase of nearly 5,000 fans for the title game paralleled
the increase in St. Vincent’s national profile.
James exulted when St. Vincent won again, proud of putting a second
straight Ohio title on the team’s resume.
Again showing that he was more than just a scorer, James compiled
averages of 25.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 3.8 steals per game.
James could knock ’em dead by putting the ball in the hoop, disrupting
opponents defensively, collecting the ball off the glass, or by simply finding
his open teammates who took advantage any time another team was
reckless enough to double- or triple-team him. James was the first sophomore
chosen Ohio player of the year and the first sophomore chosen as a
first-team All-American by USA Today. The Sporting News tabbed James
the national sophomore of the year.
There was no more fervent or visible LeBron James rooter in the stands
than his mother. Because she stood barely more than 5-foot-5, it is possible
that fans would not otherwise recognize her, but Gloria James regularly
wore a “LeBron’s Mom” T-shirt. Sometimes she draped his letter
jacket over it. She always appreciated it when a journalist commented on
James’s good manners.
Writer B. J. Robinson described James as more than the All-American
player on the court, but as more or less the All-American boy, too, who
worked overtime to get his teammates involved in play. “Who wouldn’t
want such a player on their team?”8
22 LeBron Jam es
Accolades poured in. James and his team had reached the summit of
the mountain in the playoffs twice. The attention, the praise, and the
evaluations of James’s talent were usually reserved for seniors. He had just
completed his sophomore year. James and the Irish had two more years
together. They were definitely planning to win four straight Ohio high
school basketball titles. None of them expected much of a change—only
more of the same and better—for their junior year.
Exit Coach Dambrot
Little remains static in the sports world. Players graduate. Players get
injured. Coaches depart. Never is one season the same as another. The
upheaval that faced St. Vincent after James’s sophomore year was unexpected.
Coach Keith Dambrot made the most of his second chance. In
his three seasons at the helm, he won about 90 percent of his games and
led the school to two consecutive championships. Long ago he had been
on the fast track in college basketball. Now Dambrot was redeemed, and
the same college basketball world that had turned him into a virtual nonperson
eight years earlier came calling. It was not a long distance call,
either. Watching St. Vincent-St. Mary progress closely from a few hills
over (and sometimes in their own building) officials at the University of
Akron in need of a new head coach dialed Dambrot’s number.
In the summer after James’s sophomore year, Dambrot announced he
was leaving St. Vincent to return to college. He said the players were
grumpy about his decision, although they later told him they understood.
Dambrot departed with the most lavish praise for James, comparing
various facets of his game with superstars Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant,
and Tracy McGrady. Dambrot knew that James was on his way to the pros
and that he would not be coaching him again unless he could fast-talk
him into attending the University of Akron for a year for old time’s sake.
The odds of that occurring were worse than the chances of breaking the
bank at a major Las Vegas casino.
Notes
1. Ryan Jones, King James: Believe the Hype—The LeBron James Story (New
York: St. Martin’s Press, 2003), p. 31.
2. David Lee Morgan Jr., The Rise of A Star—LeBron James (Cleveland: Gray &
Company Publishers, 2003), p. 84.
3. Morgan, p. 85.
4. Morgan, pp. 60–61.
High School Days 23
5. Jones, p. 35.
6. Connie Schultz, philly.com, June 19, 2007.
7. Jones, p. 55.
8. B. J. Robinson, LeBron James—King of the Court (East Cleveland: Forest Hill
Publishing, 2005), p. 34.
24
25
Chapter 3
Beyond His Years
By the time LeBron James was a junior at St. Vincent-St. Mary High
School, he was as well known to basketball aficionados as Meryl Streep
is to the Academy of Motion Picture Sciences. And in a way he had won
his own Oscar, too.
Although the phrases that have come to describe future basketball stars
such as “The Next Great Thing” or “The Next Michael Jordan” have
been almost automatically applied to young men on their way up, by the
time he celebrated his 17th birthday, James had become the most highly
publicized high school junior in history.
Michael Jordan was not MICHAEL JORDAN until he scored the winning
basket to give North Carolina an NCAA title. Kobe Bryant was
not KOBE BRYANT, or “the next Michael Jordan,” until after he moved
directly from high school to the Los Angeles Lakers and put in a couple of
hard-work seasons. James’s reputation preceded him in basketball hotbeds
before he came close to finishing high school.
Probably the most “normal” thing that happened in LeBron James’s life
during his junior year in high school was breaking a finger while playing football.
It was a relatively minor injury, but it served a major purpose. All along
his mother and other well-meaning friends lectured James about risking
serious injury while playing football for fun when by doing so he could be
throwing away a magnificent basketball career. The injury made an impression
on James, and he decided he had too much at stake to continue in the
sport. He never played organized football again after his junior season.
Given the way the rest of James’s high school days played out, it would
have been difficult to make time to play football. James had almost no
26 LeBron James
privacy; he was sought after constantly for interviews. His play was scrutinized
by coaches and scouts. Any move either he or his mother made
that would go unremarked-upon involving another athlete was critiqued.
Still, James exhibited grace under pressure. He may have felt the object
of prying eyes and the object of attention by those who had no business
with his business, but he either shrugged things off and remained affable,
or directly dealt with sports writers’ observations.
At St. Vincent, Dru Joyce II was promoted from assistant coach to take
over from Dambrot. This change involved little adjustment by James or
the other players, for Coach Dru had already been Coach Dru to them,
not only at school, but over a stretch of several summers. The showing
the Irish made in their Ohio state tournaments against Oak Hill Academy
and other big-city teams meant that the team was in more demand to play
big-name schools nationwide.
The Hype Takes Off
It is one thing to be noticed, quite another to be hyped. By his junior year,
James was a staple of sports page stories in Akron and vicinity. He had also
been written up in SLAM, a basketball magazine that approaches its subject
matter with a more hip style than mainstream media. That SLAM featured
James so early in his high school career anointed him as cutting edge.
There was still one way to trump SLAM, however. There are ways to
measure that you have really made it in the United States, and when it
comes to the sports world nothing is more impressive than being a cover
topic for Sports Illustrated. Sports Illustrated is the most respected print medium
in the sports writing field, and being featured on the cover is for
many athletes a once-in-a-career pleasure. For the older sports fan who
might never read a copy of SLAM, it is also a sign that the athlete is pretty
special. In the case of someone as young as James, it was also advance advertising.
Sports Illustrated told its few million readers that this was a fresh
face to be reckoned with.
High school athletes had periodically been exposed to the masses on
the cover of Sports Illustrated since the magazine’s debut in 1954, but all of
them were seniors. When James was introduced to America at large on the
Sports Illustrated cover for the February 18, 2002 issue, he was the first high
school junior to make it. James wore a green St. Vincent basketball jersey
with the team’s “Irish” script on the front and a headband, something
that has since become a well-known trademark. In case anybody was silly
enough to miss any allusions to Michael Jordan, further examination
of
the picture reminded them that James also wore No. 23. As if the fact that
Beyond His Years 27
James was on the cover, rather than simply being discussed in an inside
story, did not sufficiently support the idea that Sports Illustrated was going
whole-hog in predicting a brilliant future, the succinct, but direct, cover
headline made that clear. It read: “The Chosen One.”
James’s background was duly reported, but the story also quoted several
basketball experts with NBA know-how who could barely contain themselves
in analyzing James’s place in the basketball firmament. Reviewing
the piece let the previously unsuspecting reader in on a secret—if James
was available right then and there, NBA teams would fight and claw to
sign him. All of this fuss was being made over a junior in high school, and
the only reaction plausible for the sports fan that had been previously
unfamiliar with Ohio high school hoops was: Holy moley.
The Sports Illustrated splash ratcheted up the attention—and the
pressure—on James and his team. They became targets. Opposing teams
used the article as a psych measure for motivation. If they contained
James and beat the Irish, they knew they would gather extra attention.
James, Joyce, Cotton, Travis, and McGee were too good to be
threatened by most teams. In games that might be closer, however, the
extra incentive couldn’t hurt. Foes that were outclassed in basic skills
sometimes resorted to more physical play. James was faster and taller
and could out-jump most of the high school players he faced, but they
all owned elbows. They could jab him, poke him, and try to slow him
down. If physicality didn’t work, they could at least irk him verbally to
try to throw him off his game.
Gloria James sometimes grew apoplectic at what seemed to be the uncalled
for hammering of her baby. In one game against George Junior
Republic in Pittsburgh shortly after the Sports Illustrated story appeared on
newsstands, she ran out on the court yelling about the treatment of James.
James, who did not lose his cool, gently guided her back to her bleacher
seat. Incidents like that played poorly with a skeptical media that did not
know the whole story of Gloria’s life with her son, how she loved him and
how she had sacrificed for him. She was sometimes portrayed negatively
as a stage mother. Hard-nosed strategy worked that day—St. Vincent lost,
58–57, in overtime.
It would have been easy for James to blow up in such situations, but
there is no account suggesting he ever did. James never seemed particularly
bothered if opposing fans ragged on him. He maintained his equilibrium,
never mouthing off to them, or retaliating with negative gestures.
He just ignored the clamor around him.
Attention on James and St. Vincent never receded. More and more
reporters clamored for interviews. The team’s locker room became off
28 LeBron James
limits, much like for major college programs, and James greeted the media
in press conferences seated at a table rather than by his locker, a foreshadowing
of his pre-game future pattern with the Cavaliers. So many people
wanted a piece of him.
“He has no life now,” Coach Dru Joyce II said of James’s situation.
“Fame has its price. If grown men have trouble dealing with it, how do
you prepare a kid for it?”1
Coach Joyce repeatedly told reporters that James had a supernatural maturity
and a built-in sense of how to cope with the crazy level of attention.
Autograph collecting inhabited a different sphere in the sports memorabilia
subculture in the 2000s than it did in 1960s America. For decades,
obtaining autographs was an activity for young sports fans waiting outside
the gates of a stadium, darting down to the railing at a baseball park,
or shouting out a player’s name. Kids handed over notebooks, scraps of
paper, or collector cards and cherished the signed sheets they received
for a while, before they grew up, became distracted by girls, and lost them
or tossed them. No more. Autograph hunting is big business. Adults are
much more engaged. More often the signature is prized for the price it can
fetch at auction or at a sports collector’s show than for the feel-good way
it was obtained. Youngsters are raised to be discerning, to go after big stars
and save the booty for later sale, perhaps to finance their college educations.
It is rare indeed to come across the true-blue innocent collector
seeking something to be signed simply for the thrill of interacting with a
sports hero.
James had always been obliging, scrawling his autograph for anyone
who asked. But the lines hadn’t been long, nor the demands intense.
Once the Sports Illustrated cover story appeared, he was besieged. And
if James was an innocent, thinking everyone who lusted after his signature
did it because they liked him, that innocence was quickly lost. He
watched from a distance as adults sent small children with little knowledge
of who he was to obtain autographs on their magazines. He saw
through their ploys.
“Everybody comes up to me,” James said, “all these grown folks, asking
for autographs talking about it’s for their kids, next thing you know,
they’re selling it on eBay.”2
Making New Friends through Basketb all
The frenzy over James and the basketball squad challenged the school
administration. There were about 490 students who did not play basketball
and who were trying to get an education, and the members of the
Beyond His Years 29
boys’ basketball team were fighting through their extracurricular lives
to obtain a diploma, too. Demands on the team became so great and
distractions so frequent that the school banned all media from the premises
until after 3 p.m., when classes were out. The average citizen sometimes
claims that celebrities get special treatment. It is often true in ways
they do not suspect. James needed protection. He was too “special” to be
left to his own devices, for he would be mobbed by admirers and diverted
from actually being able to graduate from high school.
Doors closed to others do open to the gifted, however. In 2001, during
the summer leading up to his junior year, James was invited to attend informal
workouts at Hoops The Gym, the Chicago basketball haven where
Michael Jordan trained and legendary pickup games involving him and
other pros were conducted out of public view. At the time, Jordan was
working in the front office of the Washington Wizards. But it was apparent
to Jordan watchers that the gathering was all about getting Jordan into
shape for another shot at the NBA. Among those joining James in games
were Charles Barkley, Antoine Walker, Michael Finley, Juwan Howard,
and Penny Hardaway.
This was fast company for a high school junior. By then James was writing
a regular diary for SLAM and discussed the experience. “It was cool,”
he said. “I got to run with a lot of the other NBA guys, and I talked to
Jordan a little bit.”3
These were not the consorts of the typical high school player. Later,
there would be allegations that James must have done something illegal by
working out with those players that negated his amateur standing since he
was still talking about his favorite colleges. Those schools included Florida,
Duke, North Carolina, Michigan State, Ohio State, Cincinnati, and the
University of California. The precedent of heading right from high school
into the NBA draft had been well established, but James at least gave those
college coaches hope. Even he was startled, though, when people openly
talked of James seeking to breach NBA rules that forbade a high school
player whose class had not yet graduated from entering the league.
The coming out parties in different forums such as practicing with pros
were shelved in time for James to play basketball his junior year. Stories
about LeBron James were no longer rudimentary, explaining that there
was this guy in Akron who could be something terrific. Analysis had progressed
far beyond that, raising the issue of just which former NBA star
James compared most favorably with. Was it Magic Johnson? Was it Kobe
Bryant? Was it Tracy McGrady, the Houston Rockets star? James never
exhibited a swelled head over being named in such fine company, but he
did say he was pleased to be mentioned.
30 LeBron James
“I work so hard to be noticed as the next Kobe or T-Mac,” James said.
“And I’m going to keep working hard so that one day they say, ‘This player
reminds me of LeBron James.’ ”4
Junior Year Adventures
On one level it was deemed ludicrous for LeBron James to be listed as a
professional basketball prospect before finishing high school. On another
level it seemed the perfect progression along the road of basketball insanity
where elementary schoolchildren and junior high players were being
ranked.
The National Basketball Association used to forbid teams from drafting
any player whose college class had not graduated. It was a way to
keep peace with the NCAA, the governing body of college sports. Similarly,
other professional sports leagues had their long-established practices
in the distribution of young talent. The closest parallel to the NBA was
the National Football League, which also had rules in place banning the
drafting of players while they were still in college.
Over time, however, the basketball rules loosened. Using the argument
that the United States is a free country and that players should be allowed
to pursue their vocation without restriction, basketball players challenged
the rules in courts.
Spencer Haywood, an immensely talented 6-foot-8 sophomore forward
at the University of Detroit, felt he was good enough to play in the NBA
immediately and should not have to wait until his college class graduated.
Haywood took the league to court in 1970 and the legal judgment led to
exceptions in the NBA policy.
The NBA created a “hardship” clause that enabled financially challenged
players who were not finished with college to declare for the draft.
Eventually, all such limitations were tossed out and players coming directly
out of high school became free to declare their interest and eligibility
for professional ball. That rule was in effect as James was completing
high school. A subsequent regulation, however, was approved through
the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement between players and owners,
raising the minimum age for new players to 20.
No player had ever attempted to try to turn professional in the NBA
before his high school class graduated—it was already frowned upon in
many quarters that 18-year-olds were draft eligible. Experts said, however,
that LeBron James was so good by his junior year he was capable
Beyond His Years 31
of playing
in the league immediately. Boston Celtics general manager
Danny Ainge, quoted in the Sports Illustrated article, suggested there were
only a handful
of active NBA players that he wouldn’t trade for James
right then and there. James and his mother put the kibosh on any wild
rumors he might come out. To reach an exalted status to even be discussed
in such a context meant James produced a spectacular junior year
of basketball achievement.
Go ing Pro Extra Early?
One thing that seemed to be overlooked by those making clinical analyses
of whether James had the goods to go pro as a 17-year-old was his
personality. Yes, he took basketball seriously and felt his future lay in the
game. But part of him also wanted to stay a kid for as long as he could. “I
love high school,” he said. “You can go back to college, but you can’t go
back to high school.”5
Once again, St. Vincent-St. Mary would play home games at the University
of Akron’s gym. It was the only practical solution, as there was
more demand than ever from the casual fan not affiliated with the school
hoping to capture a glimpse of James and his cohorts on the court. There
were also more teams than ever from other parts of the country interested
in match-ups for the 2001–02 season. The Fighting Irish had become one
of the teams USA Today considered in its national rankings. At the beginning
of James’s junior year, the Irish were rated No. 6 nationally by the
national newspaper.
St. Vincent won the first game of James’s third varsity season by a score
of 81–40 over Avon Lake, another Ohio school, and that was after only
one full week’s worth of practice with the entire team present since the
football season ran deep into the playoffs. St. Vincent plunged into serious
competition in its second basketball game, facing USA Today’s No.
5 ranked team, Germantown Academy of Pennsylvania, and winning
70–64. James made an impression with 38 points.
This was the Irish’s first season under Dru Joyce II, but there really
wasn’t much adjustment period for the new coach. Joyce was thrust into
the white hot spotlight. More and more media members wanted a piece of
LeBron James and more and more fans expected mythical performances.
There was a danger between the written hype and the verbal descriptions
that James was coming to be seen as superhuman. Joyce sensed this, perhaps
as quickly as James.
32 LeBron James
It was after the Germantown victory that Joyce thoughtfully said out
loud what only a few close James observers had whispered—the public
was demanding more and more from LeBron shows.
St. Vincent had become a national touring team as much as an Ohio
team. The Irish mopped up on Buckeye state opposition and survived
tense challenges from other top teams across the country for a 6–0 start
before competing in a Christmas tournament in Delaware.
James routinely scored 25 or 30 points in a game without forcing shots.
St. Vincent had balance and other talented players. Although everyone
knew James was the superstar, he was always generous on the court. A superb
passer, he collected assists by feeding his teammates. In close games,
when foes were better than advertised, or good enough to keep the score
close, the Irish naturally looked to James to lead them and score the decisive
points. He had the gift of being able to turn up his play a notch and
make something happen when his team was threatened. Frank Lupica,
the coach of the Walsh Jesuit Warriors Ohio team, said all James’s teammates
had to do was “dial 1–800-LeBron” and he rode to the rescue.6
Some top high school scorers never develop a complete floor game.
What distinguished James was that he innately possessed the all-around
instincts of a more experienced player. He knew that sometimes circumstances
meant he could help his team with passes instead of shots.
St. Vincent-St. Mary beat teams from New Jersey, Michigan, Kentucky,
Missouri, and Ohio. Wherever the schedule led the Irish, they came, they
saw, they conquered. The Irish, however, did lose by a single point to
Amityville High School from Long Island, in the Delaware Slam Dunk to
the Beach Tournament, even though James scored 39 points while suffering
from an illness.
Every once in a while, an interview was given by some NBA expert
who couldn’t stop gushing over James’s potential, occasionally casually
throwing in that James would be the first choice in the entire pro draft if
he left high school. James reiterated that he wasn’t going anywhere except
St. Vincent-St. Mary the next year. The 2002 NBA draft came and
went and Yao Ming, the 7-foot-6 Chinese phenom, was the No. 1 player
selected. Ming turned out to be a fine choice for the Houston Rockets as
he blossomed into an all-star center and helped the league develop new
marketing opportunities in the world’s most populous country.
NBA observers (usually anonymously) could make fantastic comments
about James and not blush because of the combination of his physical and
mental maturity. Not only did James seem poised in interviews, not only
did he seem to have fun on the court while playing unselfishly, but he had
grown to 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds. He was a teenager in a man’s body and
Beyond His Years 33
all evidence indicated he knew how to use his size. Even James, though,
was mindful of the millions of eyes of the world on him that left him little
escape from public inspection. In one interview with a sports Web site,
James was quoted as saying, “Sometimes it feels like I have the whole
world on my shoulders. I know I’m under a microscope with everything
I do.”7
James couldn’t afford a misstep. He had a solid support system between
his mother, coaches, teammates, and other friends. They wanted to protect
him from the glare of publicity at the same time they wanted him to
enjoy the liberating ride. By the nature of his expanding reputation and
occasions like the off-season workout in Chicago, basketball stars took
an interest in James. Antoine Walker, who had been an All-American at
Kentucky and an all-star in the NBA with the Boston Celtics before he
eventually won a world championship ring with the Miami Heat, was on
James’s speed-dial, just to offer life advice. Walker hoped to impart some
of the wisdom he had gained in the sport to smooth the young man’s
entry into the big time. James had always been fundamentally sound on
the court. People like Walker were attempting to ensure that he remained
fundamentally sound off the court.
In February of James’s junior year, St. Vincent journeyed to Trenton,
New Jersey, for another tournament. Waiting was old nemesis Oak Hill
Academy of Virginia. Not only was Oak Hill as powerful as ever, the team
featured another soon-to-be household name—Carmelo Anthony. It was
a wild game, a shootout par excellence between two phenomenal young
players. Anthony, who attended college for one season and led Syracuse
to the NCAA title as a freshman, before turning pro with the Denver
Nuggets, scored 34 points. James scored 36 points, but Oak Hill prevailed,
76–66.8
The game partially overlapped the nearby NBA All-Star game, which
was being held in Philadelphia, and the release of the famous Sports Illustrated
issue. Kobe Bryant, the Lakers star who had gone from high school
to the pros, asked what it would have been like if his picture appeared
on the cover of Sports Illustrated when he was a junior. “As a junior?” he
repeated. “I never would have gone to class.”9 Bryant noted he was joking,
but it was an indicator of the temptation for an athlete to become swellheaded.
James never showed that tendency. He went to class and there are
no accounts of fellow students referring to him as too big for his britches,
regardless of how large they were.
The schedule was more difficult and demands on the group of high
school players more intense, but St. Vincent-St. Mary lost three games
during the regular season of James’s junior year. The Irish were still
34 LeBron James
undefeated
in Ohio and ranked No. 1 in the state going into the state
tournament. St. Vincent was a two-time consecutive state champion and
expected to win a third straight time.
James seemed philosophical in admitting that not everybody was rooting
for the Irish. “Everybody wants to see the giants fall, I guess.”10 It
was unclear how that opinion jibed with the belief that thousands upon
thousands of fans turned out around the country to see James do fabulous
things on the basketball court. But that is how he saw it.
The Irish won their regional opener by 60 points. In the second
game, rather recklessly if a team was trying not to motivate James and
Company, Hoban came out for warm-ups wearing “The Chosen One”
T-shirts, making fun of James’s Sports Illustrated cover. St. Vincent won
by 39 points. The Irish won its quarterfinal game by 5 points and its
semifinal by 29 points. The same decisive results were posted in the
regional final and in the state tournament, leaving St. Vincent one win
from a three-peat.
Upset at St ate
James, always confident, but usually more circumspect, mimicked
Joe Namath who had issued his bold prediction that the New York Jets
would knock off the favored Baltimore Colts to win Super Bowl III. Like
Namath, James promised victory.
In a stunning upset, despite James’s 32 points, the Irish lost to Roger
Bacon of Cincinnati, 71–63, a team that had played them closely during
the regular season. When the game ended in disappointment, James graciously
proclaimed his respect and admiration for Roger Bacon’s achievement.
He did not hide from questions and he did not sulk.
“I’m a little bit upset with myself because I guaranteed a victory,” James
said. He said the loss would motivate him more for his senior year when
he hoped to be the top player in America and see St. Vincent ranked
Number 1 nationally as well.11
For the first time in their high school careers, the globetrotting Irish
lost to an Ohio team; and for the first time in their high school careers,
LeBron James, Dru Joyce III, Romeo Travis, and the others ended a season
without a new state championship banner to hang in their gym.
Later, James blamed himself for the loss. “That was on me as a leader,”
he said.12 It was a mature response, but the final loss in a 23–4 season was
probably more attributable to overall team fatigue and the pressure on the
team to always be up for every fan and opponent. And then there was the
Beyond His Years 35
simple fact that in team sports competition, the end is not scripted like a
Broadway play, and the underdog sometimes does win.
More Excitement
LeBron James may only have been entering his senior year in high
school at St. Vincent-St. Mary, but he had already entered the world of
celebrityhood. That curious American status wrenches a person’s life from
his own grasp and propels him into the realm of public property. It can
be a joy ride at best, but it can be humbling and gossipy at worst. Anyone
anointed by the hype machine as worthy of celebrity attention is going to
have to accept the bad if he appreciates the good. There is a bizarreness
associated with being unable to walk down the street unrecognized. It is
unnatural to be mobbed at all times, to be begged for autographs or just “a
moment of your time” incessantly. Often escaping into a cocoon of friends
and relatives, such an adored person can become removed from reality.
Such an admired person can become so important in his own mind that
he acts selfishly not out of malice, but because his world has shrunk.
Many Americans will do just about anything to be viewed as celebrities,
if only for a moment. That wish explains the popularity of so many
reality television shows. Most Americans believe that any tradeoff in loss
of privacy would be worth the fawning of the multitudes. Many celebrities
have been too immature to handle the role, however. It takes a grounded
person to skate through the firestorm of attention, to make it all work for
him rather than let it overwhelm him. The pressures are intense on anyone,
but especially on someone as young as LeBron James when his name
was promoted to a place of honor in the basketball and sports world.
After problems early in his public school career when he and mother
Gloria were moving from home to home, James became a solid student.
He also sought normalcy in high school when he was walking the halls
or removed from basketball. He attended school dances, he dressed up
for pajama day, and he described school hours at St. Vincent between
8 a.m. and 3 p.m. as his “comfort zone.” “A lot of people say high school
was hard, but for me it was easy,” James said. “When you have friends and
people there with you that you love, it makes it a lot easier.”13 The school
administrators who were accused of exploiting James because they moved
games to the Akron arena and allowed some of his games to be televised
worked hard to protect James from intrusions during school hours.
As he embarked on another summer tour showing off his skills for basketball
fans around the country, James faced a number of risks. He could
let his celebrity stature change him and take over his life, removing him
36 LeBron James
figuratively, if not literally, from his teammates. He could be carelessly
wooed by dollar-bill waving agents into accepting cash payments and losing
the rest of his high school eligibility. Or on a rough-and-tumble play
on the court, James could be injured and perhaps jeopardize his entire
basketball future.
There is no evidence that James ever let his growing fame change his
personality or serve as a wedge between him and his teammates. There
is no evidence he succumbed to any type of illegal financial inducements
bestowed on him because of his basketball talent (although there was
some dispute about this). But during an early off-season game in Chicago,
bad luck did arrive for James in the way of unanticipated injury.
Fame Fo llows on the Ro ad
In early June the summer after his junior year in high school, James and
his guys, representing the Shooting Stars, were entered in the Mac Irvin
Summer Basketball Classic in Chicago. James was back in a basketball
milieu. NBA scouts were on hand taking notes and several pros, from
Eddy Curry to Shawn Marion, dropped by to investigate the doings. The
Shooting Stars opened with a 68–64 victory over Team Minnesota and
James pleased the crowd of about 1,000 spectators by scoring 17 points
and passing for 10 assists. He posed for pictures and also signed autographs
on T-shirts, dollar bills, and a woman’s pink gym shoes.
The Shooting Stars’ second tournament game began about 90 minutes
later in a match-up against The Rising Stars (of north suburban Chicago).
After a play at the defensive end, James was fed a pass for a fast break. One
thing that provoked gasps from fans was the sight of James in the open
court, dribbling at full speed with either no defenders or one defender
between him and the basket. On this play, planning a thundering dunk,
James leapt from the foul line. About 15 feet from the hoop, one player
on defense held his ground. James flew high, but the defender stood still.
The two collided and James flipped and landed on his back, hitting the
hardwood forcefully.
James did not rise quickly. He rolled onto his stomach and his face
displayed agony. The gym at Julian High School hushed as teammates ran
to his aid. James was led off of the court and soon was taken to a hospital
a short distance away by a fire department emergency technician. Later
after James was transferred to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, a nurse
told reporters that James had suffered a broken left wrist. At the time,
11 minutes and 19 seconds remained in a game that the Ohio club was
winning, 53–22. After James was escorted from the premises, play was
Beyond His Years 37
not resumed, the Chicago team coach said, because some fans were making
threatening statements to the player whose accidental defensive stop
knocked down James.14
James’s left arm was in a cast and his summer basketball season was over
just as it was starting. Doctors predicted he would be unable to play ball
for between six and eight weeks. Although he had already decided not to
play football, the basketball injury was a reminder of the type of risk he
would have run in that sport. As everyone told him, there was too much
at stake in basketball to bother with football anymore except for watching
it on TV and listening to John Madden.
If James was off the summer circuit playing for the Shooting Stars, he
never sank below the radar in the basketball world. Fans did not see him
in games and sports-page readers may not have paid any attention to details
of off-the-court games swirling around James, but there were James
developments. Although he couldn’t play basketball anymore during the
summer before his senior year, the injury was not expected to have longterm
effects. James was just as hot a commodity for the future as he had
been. Although James had followed protocol and taken the ACT test
required for college-bound students in Ohio, by then everyone knew that
James was less likely to become a Tar Heel than a Celtic.
Instead of playing basketball, James received full-court lobbying treatment
from Nike and adidas, both basketball shoe companies seeking the
inside track to sign him up for millions of dollars once he was no longer
an amateur. James had been scheduled to play at the adidas summer camp,
but once he got hurt, he decided to attend both the adidas and Nike summer
camps in person—in street clothes. It was one of those wisdom-of-
Solomon decisions designed to avoid showing favoritism.
That was a good idea in theory, but for once James miscalculated media
and public reaction when he agreed to appear for a press conference at
the adidas camp. He arrived an hour late, wearing an adidas headband
and Nike wrist bands (so good so far), but also displaying a “King James”
T-shirt. The combination of tardiness and the T-shirt did not make a good
first impression on media members who did not know James and were
predisposed to think of him as arrogant or spoiled. When James and his
mom checked into the hotel, the King James T-shirt awaited him. James
flippantly commented that it was in his room, and added, “God gave it
to me.”15 No one at the press conference would have disputed a James
statement that he had God-given talent, but some took offense to this
so-called God-given gift.
“The reviews were brutal,” early James biographer Ryan Jones wrote.16
James has always been honest and his answers to certain questions were
38 LeBron James
read differently by those who had never heard him talk before. “The shoe
companies flew him back and forth across the country, the media put
demands on his time and made money off his fame,” Jones wrote, “potential
agents whispered promises and introduced him to their star clients—
and through it all, LeBron James was supposed to act like the same poor,
anonymous kid from Akron, grateful for the attention and content to go
quietly back to that same small apartment every night.”17
If James was bruised by the brief media onslaught, he did not show it
much. By the middle of August, the cast came off his wrist. It had healed
as quickly as possible. So James immediately returned to the court to test
the bone’s strength. There was nothing scheduled for the Shooting Stars,
but James was invited to a Michael Jordan kids’ basketball camp in Santa
Barbara as a counselor. James’s old St. Vincent teammate Maverick Carter,
who had played one season for Western Michigan and then transferred to
the University of Akron and had become an even closer friend, was there,
too. Gradually, Carter evolved into James’s man Friday, a buffer separating
him from pushy fans, a helpmate who could watch James’s back. Carter
later said that James was as popular in some ways as Jordan at the camp.
“He signed more autographs than Mike,” Carter said.18
Sometimes forgotten was the fact that James had come from nothing,
that only a few years before he became the basketball world’s darling, he
and Gloria had shuffled from house to house trying to escape poverty. But
James never forgot. Even though he was not raking in cash yet since he
was still a high school player, whenever he could he participated in charitable
activities. Near the end of his junior year, James arrived at school
toting a bag of various types of basketball shoes and sweat clothes. Conducting
a trivia contest in the cafeteria at lunchtime, James gave all of the
goodies to his schoolmates.
Famo us Everywhere
In late summer, just before the beginning of senior year, James and
his mother organized another kind of LeBron giveaway. Approximately
600 youngsters at the Akron Community Service Center and the Urban
League were presented with James’s autograph, a message on the importance
of education, LeBron bookmarks, plus backpacks, folders, and notebooks.
The shoe companies paid for everything. The bookmarks have
taken on a bit of fame in James lore, not because of the item, but because
of what he had imprinted on them for the kids. He wrote, “My achievements
in basketball have made me famous, but if I didn’t do the work in
the classroom, you would never know who I am.”19 Many athletes say that
Beyond His Years 39
children should have role models and heroes besides sports figures. James,
who had a 3.0 grade point average on a scale of 4.0, embraced the idea of
being a role model from an early age. Even as a 17-year-old he understood
that some kids were going to look up to him regardless of what other
adults or athletes advised.
After James’s truncated summer because of the broken wrist, and without
football to occupy him in the fall, James was anxious for basketball
to begin. Early in the school year, St. Vincent-St. Mary made basketball
news without James’s involvement, even though the developments were
totally built around him. The school announced that once again home
games would be played at the University of Akron’s Rhodes Arena. No
surprise there. It was reported that the high school took in $268,735 in
gate receipts from the Ohio games during James’s junior year. In addition,
the school received as much as $10,000 in appearance fees for competing
in those tournaments around the nation.20
Senior year was definitely going to be a frequent-flyer season for James
and his friends. The Fighting Irish were scheduled to play in Los Angeles,
Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New Jersey, and North Carolina. There were
six teams on the schedule ranked in USA Today’s top 25, including No. 1
Mater Dei of California. St. Vincent-St. Mary was ranked No. 10 and
James, Joyce, Cotton, McGee, and Travis wanted the chance to prove
themselves and move up to the top ranking. They had the chance to
see the country and play many of the nation’s best high school teams.
If newspaper columnists thought this was exploitation of James and his
teammates, the players loved the idea of how much fun travel would be.
Some clamored about St. Vincent “greed.” Some games at Rhodes Arena
cost $50 for selected tickets. And 10 St. Vincent Ohio games were to be
shown throughout the region on pay cable TV.
St. Vincent school officials defended the moves by saying more local
fans wanted to see LeBron James play high school basketball than even
the move to the larger Akron arena could accommodate. And the players
deserved to test themselves against the best competition available at
their level of play. Just try convincing 17-year-old high school basketball
players that regularly showcasing their talents on TV was a bad thing!
Not es
1. David Lee Morgan, Jr., The Rise of A Star—LeBron James (Cleveland: Gray &
Company Publishers, 2003), p. 90.
2. Morgan, p. 89.
3. Ryan Jones, King James: Believe the Hype—The LeBron James Story (New York:
St. Martin’s Press, 2003), p. 87.
40 LeBron James
4. B. J. Robinson, LeBron James—King of the Court (East Cleveland: Forest
Hill Publishing, 2005), p. 50.
5. Robinson, p. 49.
6. Robinson, p. 58.
7. Robinson, p. 56.
8. Robinson, p. 66.
9. Jones, p. 112.
10. Morgan, p. 92.
11. Jones, p. 115.
12. Morgan, p. 96.
13. Barry Temkin, Chicago Tribune, June 9, 2002.
14. Temkin, June 9, 2002.
15. Robinson, p. 82.
16. Jones, p. 138.
17. Jones, p. 140.
18. Jones, p. 140.
19. Robinson, pp. 83–84.
20. Morgan, p. 100.
41
Chapter 4
Senior Year
Basketball Circus
There are many ways to measure success. Some people add up dollars.
Some people figure fame tells all. Some people rate status symbols, like
how many big toys a guy can fit into his driveway, from a fancy car to a
boat. And then there are smaller measurements that resonate in the telling
if not in the bank account. James could claim something that possibly
no other high school athlete in history could—there was a LeBron James
bobble-head doll for basketball fans. James said having a bobble-head of
his likeness made him very proud.1
The schedule, the pay TV (at $7.95 per game), the high ticket prices,
the bobble-head doll, all heralded a wild and frantic senior year for James.
But not even he could have guessed how crazy things would get.
As the start of the 2002–03 Ohio high school basketball season approached,
St. Vincent came under attack from an unexpected source. Clair
Muscaro, the commissioner of the Ohio High School Athletic Association,
the governing body that oversees all high school sports in the state,
was annoyed by the Fighting Irish’s ambitious schedule. He did not like the
idea of Ohio high school players gallivanting around the country playing
teams from other states in front of big arena crowds. He suggested maybe
the school was overdoing things. Muscaro was a powerful man, not someone
to cross if a school wanted to stay eligible for playoffs, or to make sure
its players were eligible.
“I felt (LeBron) was exploited through all the travel out of state and
across the country,” Muscaro said. “It’s not what we are about. It should be
about hopping in the yellow school bus and going 30 to 45 miles to play
42 LeBron Jam es
in a gym and then coming home again. It should not be about flying and
limousines and promoters making money.”2
Muscaro’s stern comments proved inflammatory among those who felt
they were in the midst of the time of their lives lapping up heretofore
unheard of opportunities for a small private school in Akron. But his comments
appealed to high school sports purists who felt things had gotten out
of hand with James and other teams in other sports. Sports had lost their
proper place in the curriculum, they felt, and some applauded Muscaro. On
the other side of the argument were people who felt Muscaro was hopelessly
out of date, that what St. Vincent-St. Mary was doing was simply
taking advantage of invitations to participate in high-profile events open
to high schools who were good enough. This was the modern way of doing
things and it wasn’t fair to hold back James or St. Vincent. There was an
undercurrent of belief that Muscaro was also the front man for coaches,
players, and parents affiliated with other Ohio schools that were jealous of
the praise and attention lavished on James and St. Vincent, that he was
the mouthpiece for the under-the-surface complainers about James’s stature.
Whispered about, but left unsaid in public, was whether race was an
issue. Would suspicions have been raised if James was white?
Muscaro’s first volley incited a war of words with St. Vincent Coach
Dru Joyce II, who defended the school and his players vociferously. “Clair
cannot look me in the eye and tell me to my face that I exploited LeBron
James or my players,” Joyce said.3
Joyce knew how much sweat and work went into molding this team.
He was there from the beginning, when the same youngsters won agegroup
titles. He knew these guys better than anyone else, and it was no
stretch or fib for him to point out that although they might be having fun
as they toured the country, they were mostly motivated by the chance
to become a national high school champion. Besides, from a technical
standpoint, unless St. Vincent broke rules, Muscaro and his association
shouldn’t have a beef with them.
Certainly, any old-fashioned high school fan could not identify with the
royal treatment received by James and his teammates as they moved about
the country. By the time they reached Los Angeles to play Mater Dei, the
Fighting Irish were ranked No. 1 in the nation. They were transported
by limousine. The game was scheduled for 14,000-seat Pauley Pavilion,
home of storied UCLA. The team dined at Lawry’s prime rib restaurant in
Beverly Hills. It would not be hard to ask, how much is too much? And it
was not out of line for an official like Muscaro to examine reports of such
a trip and wonder if such fancy treatment was appropriate for high school
boys. But were any high school association rules broken? Not to anyone’s
knowledge.
Senio r Year Bas ketball Circus 43
Still, there were valid questions. LeBron James was in the right place at
the right time, with the right school, and the right talent. It was almost as
if high school basketball had been waiting for a messiah to come along and
make the final breakthrough to the national mainstream stage. Although
it was suggested that James was packaged by his coach and school, such a
thing cannot be simply arranged. The player at the vortex of the issue and
in the forefront of the promotion must be the real deal or he will quickly
be exposed. James was not a natural self-promoter. He was thrust into
the role and grew practiced at dealing with the media and in accepting
the platitudes and his exciting opportunities. Although cynics abounded,
James managed to keep up with his school work and post good grades. As
James’s reputation as a top-notch player spread, and as the opinion that
he was someone who could become the next great NBA player became
ingrained in public consciousness, the demand to see him play exploded.
Early in the summer, before he broke his wrist, James had participated
in a workout with the Cleveland Cavaliers at the invitation of Coach
John Lucas. Although James showed well and established players raved
about him, this was against the rules. The NBA had a rule against working
out players who were not draft eligible. Lucas compounded his error
by telling the Cleveland Plain Dealer, “We got to have him.”4 NBA Commissioner
David Stern fined Lucas $150,000 and suspended him for the
first two games of the league season when it began in November. No one
could blame the Cavaliers for wanting a close-up look at James, but cynical
Cavs fans figured this was just another screw-up by a team that seemed
to lead the league in bad luck and costly mistakes.
Was James wrong for accepting an invitation to test himself against the
local pros? It was only a workout and he did nothing wrong in the eyes of
high school authorities. It was Lucas who was smacked with the penalty
because he was supposed to know NBA rules.
There was a natural progression in the attention on James. First, St. Vincent
games sold out the tiny home game at the school. Then St. Vincent
games sold out the larger University of Akron arena. Then St. Vincent
games sold out major city arenas around the country. There was more demand
than supply. More fans than could readily drive to a LeBron James
game in person wanted to see LeBron James play right now, not wait until
he turned pro. That’s how it came to pass that St. Vincent-St. Mary’s third
game against Oak Hill Academy in late 2002 was televised by ESPN2.
Big-Time National TV
The game was scheduled for December 12, 2002, at the Cleveland State
University Convocation Center. Scouts from 10 NBA teams attended,
44 LeBron Jam es
presumably to watch championship caliber basketball and to take notes
about up-and-coming talent on the two teams. If LeBron James had been
sunning himself on a beach in Florida, however, none of them would have
come. The network’s choice of announcers advertised that the event was
of major import in the basketball world. Dick Vitale, the prominent voice
of college basketball, teamed with Bill Walton, the former college and
pro star who analyzed NBA ball. The Fighting Irish had lost twice to the
Virginia school in recent years and really felt this time it was their turn to
post the victory.
And that’s how it played out. James scored 31 points to lead the Irish to
the revenge win, 65–45. He seasoned his performance with the occasional
spectacular dunk that made fans spill their popcorn, but kept his cool
and his statements low key when asked about his starring role. The selfeffacing
comments struck the right tone. James might showboat with a
fancy shot once in a while for fun, but the buying public really did think it
was all about James putting on a show. That’s why they spent their money.
Quite a few did plunk down some bucks to watch, too, including 11,523
in the building and another 1.77 million on television.
Vitale, who has spent a quarter of a century as the colorful commentator
on college ball and who long ago coached in the NBA and in college,
was pumped for his thoughts as a man who has seen every player of stature
for so long. “The curiosity is overwhelming,” the enthusiastic Vitale said.
“It’s a runaway train because of the hype, but he’s even better than I expected,
and I expected a lot.”5
In other words, if you asked the most authoritative voice in college
basketball if LeBron James could play, he was going to tell you to buy
season tickets to your favorite NBA team because James was never going
to spend a minute in college. Ironically, although he was only turning 18
two weeks after the Oak Hill game, James looked much older. Pictures
of James as a freshman and sophomore, before his body filled out with
muscle, before he attained his full height, and before his face lost some
of its softness, make him look like an overgrown kid. By his senior year,
James had matured in every way, and he resembled a college senior going
on 22. This appearance was appropriate, though, as his game was at least
four years ahead of his age in quality.
For better or worse, the spotlight never shone brighter on any high
school athlete than on LeBron James. “It is hard to remain just a kid,
though, when you are acclaimed as the No. 1 high school basketball
player in the nation and deemed to be so gifted you might have been the
No. 1 pick in last June’s draft had you only finished high school and been
therefore old enough to enter it,” wrote Chicago Tribune high school sports
Senio r Year Bas ketball Circus 45
columnist Barry Temkin at about the time James geared up for his national
television debut. “And so it is that the life of LeBron James, high school
basketball player, has become a maelstrom of activity unprecedented in
high school sports.”6
According to Temkin’s perusal of eBay, the Internet auction site, at the
moment he wrote his story, there were more than 200 LeBron James items
up for bid, including an autographed basketball that had passed $300 in
bidding. There was a better than even chance that James did not even
remember where he signed the ball or for whom.
At about the same time, St. Vincent-St. Mary officials were shaking
their heads over the extent to which James had become a phenomenon.
Given that no high school athlete had been the subject of so much whitehot
focus, it was a mere formality to state that they had never been through
this type of attention blitz. “I know he’s that good, but I’m still amazed at
the amount of attention focused on one high school basketball player,”
said Dave Rathz, the school headmaster. “We were not ready for this. We
have been overwhelmed and surprised every step of the way.”7
Each time St. Vincent took the court to play basketball under the big
top (and the tops were pretty big in major city arenas), it was almost as if
the circus had come to town. The atmosphere was expectant—show me a
good time—as the audience asked for thrills more than victories. Arenas
and gyms were crammed with fans on hand to see the spectacular, not
necessarily to see St. Vincent win a well-played game. In many places,
outside of their desire to have James show his stuff, the fans might not be
rooting for either team.
“James has taken the hype to a new level,” Temkin wrote, “perhaps
because he is viewed as that player who finally may become ‘the next
Michael Jordan’ and partly because of the unrelenting media spotlight
that has trained its sights on him. Whether James is better than the phenoms
that came before him is yet to be seen. But he certainly has benefited
from being at the right moment in time, with technology and the
Internet fueling his mystique.”8
Sports have become such a national mania that a player like James
could be celebrated into mythical status before finishing high school. But
the same hype machine and scouting of youngsters extends to other sports,
as well. Baseball players are no longer discovered on sandlots, but spend
all of their youth competing in summer leagues beyond Little League and
attending instructional camps. James made the leap into national consciousness
more readily because basketball is not only a wildly popular
game at several levels of competition, but because games can so readily be
affected by a single player. With only five men on the court at once, the
46 LeBron Jam es
contribution of one superstar is far more likely to make an impact than in
other team sports.
LeBron James was neither the brashest nor the shyest of basketball players.
He was confident in his abilities because he had proven himself repeatedly.
He had been told innumerable times how great he was and how great
he would be. Some athletes wilt under pressure and some cringe in the
floodlights. By the middle of his senior year, James had clearly grown into
his celebrity status. Rather than be cowed by all of the adult activity that
might have swallowed him up, James remained calm, but he also made the
most of his fame. He took the easy-going approach of “What’s not to like?”
If James was in the spotlight, so was his team. The USA Today ratings
said St. Vincent-St. Mary was the top-rated team in the land, not LeBron
James.
Hummergate
Every high school kid wants wheels. He wants to be able to drive his
own car. He wants to be the one in his group who can give the rides.
He wants the freedom that sitting behind the steering wheel symbolizes.
LeBron James was no different than the typical teenager in that way. Sure
he wanted his own car and if he was going by the sobriquet “King James”
it should be a suitable chariot.
For most of his life, James and his mother Gloria would not have been
able to afford any kind of car. Not even a $400 junker. But given the hype,
the attention, and the focus on his basketball talents, it somehow would
be a letdown for James to tool around Akron on the city bus. On the other
hand, NCAA investigators are trained to look for such flagrant signs of
moola changing hands that indicate a young player is being inappropriately
enriched. Often the smoking gun shows up as a fancy vehicle seemingly
out of the price range of the player’s family. Although James would
likely never be subject to NCAA scrutiny since he was unlikely to play for
an NCAA institution, high falutin’ styling cars had become tip-offs to the
cynical that something shady was up.
It was understood that within months, after he completed his senior
year of basketball, James was going to be a millionaire, signed to a multiyear
contract by some lucky NBA team that would pick him in the June
draft and that some basketball shoe company would reward James with
additional millions.
Still, it raised eyebrows and piqued curiosity when LeBron James’s 18th
birthday present at the end of December 2002 turned out to be a $50,000
platinum-colored Hummer H2 with chrome rims. It was a show vehicle,
for certain. For those who considered James too good to be true, this was
Senio r Year Bas ketball Circus 47
an “aha” moment. If James and his mom were so poor, how could they
afford a fancy vehicle?
The Hummer was something worthy of being seen in. If people didn’t
recognize the guy at the wheel before, they definitely did as soon as the
gift became the object of media attention. The story, as told by James and
his mother, was that she wanted to get him something special and was
able to take out a bank loan for the purchase price. It was lost on no one
that, probably only two years before, her financial circumstances would
have precluded Gloria taking out any type of substantial loan. This could
be termed rags to riches, literally. If the simplest story the Jameses told was
the whole truth, then Gloria was putting up her son’s basketball ability as
collateral. And the bank most assuredly saw it as a good risk.
“Hummergate” would not rest there. Once again the Ohio High School
Athletic Association showed interest, wondering if James’s amateur standing
was compromised. Did some professional agent buy it for him? If so,
his high school career could be ended abruptly by an ineligibility ruling.
“The thing I’m concerned about was that it was a gift from the outside,”
said Commissioner Clair Muscaro. “When our association sees something
like that it throws up a red flag.”9
St. Vincent-St. Mary officials agreed to investigate and report to the association.
Whether or not the gift was an innocent gesture made possible
by Gloria’s newly appreciated status as LeBron’s mom, it was in some ways
an inadvisable purchase, certain to provoke inquiries. James, who by this
time in his high school career was a seasoned interviewee by the media
and believed he had been through every type of inquisition, dreamed up
his own casual response to the controversy. At a Rhodes Arena game
against an Ohio team as the questions unfolded, James appeared on the
floor and raced a toy Hummer around the court using hand-held controls.
The real Hummer, he joked, while laughing.
The James Hummer caper was front-page news in the Cleveland Plain-
Dealer. That put pressure on the Ohio association to look into the matter,
whether or not Muscaro was disposed to do so—though he seemed perfectly
willing to play the heavy. The better part of a month went by, taking
the season to the end of January, before it was announced that no rules
violations were found. There was no proof that James was given a valuable
present by anyone other than his mother. It was just another chapter in
the ongoing soap opera of Life with LeBron.
Playing th e Best in th e U.S.
Between fending off rumors about his life and going to class, James
played some basketball. The Fighting Irish seemed to be as good as USA
48 LeBron Jam es
Today advertised, whipping past opponents with ease, whether they
were from Ohio or other parts of the country. The Irish crushed Detroit
Redford, 76–41, in Cleveland (30 points for LeBron), and mashed Mentor
High, 92–56, in Akron. That was the night James played with his remote
controlled Hummer on the gym floor. Then he toyed with the opposition,
scoring a high-school career high 50 points. In Greensboro, North
Carolina, St. Vincent overpowered RJ Reynolds High School, 85–56.
Back in Ohio, the Irish thumped Walsh Jesuit, 98–46, in their final home
game in Akron, and bested Buchtel, 82–71.
The more famous an athlete, actor, or other celebrity becomes, the more
likely his movements are compared to those of Elvis Presley and the Beatles
when they were in their primes. It has become part of the lexicon to
say that someone is being accorded “rock star” treatment. In other words,
every move made is subject to being overrun by mobs. Those who make
big money and are concerned for their safety hire bodyguards. James was
still a high school basketball player without an income, but as time passed
he needed help to squeeze through crowds.
Darrell Hill was chief of security at the apartment building where the
Jameses lived. Sometimes he even traveled on the road with St. Vincent.
Tellingly, as an indicator of just how big James had become, media were
often camped outside his front door. To help James elude the onslaught,
Hill sometimes abetted a subterfuge, placing James body doubles in the
Hummer and driving it out to the street. The car left and so would the
reporters. Then James was free to go as he pleased.10
Jerseygate
Soon routine stakeouts of James’s home were the least of his worries.
At the end of January 2003, James, who was partial to the type of athletic
“throwback” jerseys popular among sports fans, joined some friends on
a visit to Next Urban Gear and Music, a Cleveland store. Throwback
jerseys depict former uniform styles of professional sports teams and sometimes
feature the name of a famous retired or deceased player on them.
The trend is to make old-fashioned stuff seem fresh. James had been in the
store before, and being sports fans themselves, the operators recognized
him. They cut a deal with James. In exchange for some autographs, they
traded him some jerseys. It sounded fair to James and he consummated
the agreement.
The arrangement quickly became public and once again the Ohio High
School Athletic Association opened an investigation into James’s behavior,
declaring that if he had accepted something of value for free, he could
be suspended for the rest of the season. James was given a replica jersey of
Senio r Year Bas ketball Circus 49
former Chicago Bear Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers and former
NBA star Wes Unseld valued at a combined $845. Within one day the
association ruled that James was guilty of violating its rules, and he could
never play again for St. Vincent. The association also demanded that St.
Vincent forfeit its win over Buchtel because the infraction occurred before
that game.
“In talking with the store’s personnel, I was able to confirm that on
January 25 the merchant gave clothing directly to James at no cost,”
Muscaro said. “This is a direct violation of the OHSAA bylaws on amateurism
because, in fact, LeBron did capitalize on athletic fame by receiving
these gifts.”11 There was no report indicating the merchants returned
the autographs, and if so, Muscaro’s thoughts represented a dramatic misreading
of the sports memorabilia market. It’s probable in the presentday
marketplace that James autographs are now more valuable than the
jerseys.
The incident confirmed just how much James was under public scrutiny
and how his behavior had better be on par with a choirboy’s if he was
to avoid criticism. There were always morality police on guard. In this
instance, James displayed unsophisticated judgment, and he paid a price.
James returned the jerseys and issued a public apology. Fred Nance, a
well-known community lawyer, appealed the case for the Jameses while
St. Vincent kept James on the sidelines for its next game against Canton
McKinley, another Ohio school. Outside the school, one protester wearing
a paper bag over his head held a sign reading, “Free LeBron.”
With James in street clothes acting as a cheerleader in the first missed
game of his high school career, the Irish outlasted their foe, 63–62. Athletes
and sports writers railed against the James season-long suspension.
One basketball agent suggested it was like trying Al Capone for income
tax invasion. Some writers suggested James was being persecuted by the
envious.
Summit County Court took up the case and issued a temporary ruling
that allowed James to play again. The Court upheld forfeiture of the
Buchtel game and determined justice would best be served by a two-game
James suspension, the missed game against Canton McKinley, plus one. It
was somewhat of a Solomonesque ruling, not absolving James of wrongdoing,
but sentencing him to time served, while overruling the state association’s
broad punishment decree.
An oth er Title
Once James was out of the courtroom and back on the court, he
shone brighter than ever. His first game following the newly christened
50 LeBron Jam es
“Jerseygate” affair was actually played in New Jersey. The Irish faced Los
Angeles Westchester in the Prime Time Shoot Out in Trenton, New
Jersey. A fired-up James, wanting to show that he was back operating on
all cylinders, pumped in 52 points, his new career high, as St. Vincent
won, 78–52. Before the state tournament Coach Dru Joyce II scheduled
an extra game against Akron Firestone to fulfill the last of James’s suspension
requirements. James did not play, but his high school No. 23
jersey was retired at the game. Before the state tournament the court
issued a final ruling allowing James to play and indicating James and
St. Vincent had been punished sufficiently by the Ohio association.
Burned in the finals the year before, St. Vincent was on a mission to
win its third state title during the four years of the LeBron era. The Irish
opened with an 84–30 victory over Kenmore, won their fourth straight
district championship, and worked their way to the state final once again.
The Irish were focused, hustled on defense, and deferred to James on offense
while playing Kettering Alter at a slowdown pace. It was not a game
for the highlight films, but St. Vincent prevailed, 40–36. James scored 25
of the winning team’s total.
The result of the game mattered far more than the ugliness of play, and
the days surrounding the March 22, 2003, championship contest were
significant for LeBron James in many ways. He had ascended to such stature
in his sport that, as his high school career wound down, the Naismith
Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, requested one of his
game jerseys. One day it would be a throwback jersey itself. Ohio school
athletic officials voted James the boys’ high school basketball player of
the year for the third time. It was an unprecedented accomplishment.
And despite all of the ups and downs with the forfeit, Hummergate, and
Jerseygate, USA Today declared St. Vincent-St. Mary the No. 1 high
school team in the nation.
LeBron James’s high school basketball career—for that matter, his
life—already had been a longer journey, with strange interludes of both
magnificence and disappointment. It was easy to forget he was still just
18 years old. But no one forgot for a moment that he was on a path that
would likely lead to great riches and great sporting achievements. James
sounded reflective when reviewing his high school experience.
“I think of my career as a roller coaster,” he said. “There’s been ups,
there’s been downs, there’s been double loops.” When asked what was
next, James laughed and said, “What’s next is . . . party tonight!”12
Four years of high school were in the books. The country could calm
down, except for the fans who couldn’t wait to see LeBron James on a
basketball court playing for a professional team.
Senio r Year Bas ketball Circus 51
Notes
1. Mark Stewart, Star Files—LeBron James (Chicago: Raintree Publishing,
2006), p. 20.
2. David Lee Morgan Jr., The Rise of A Star—LeBron James (Cleveland: Gray &
Company Publishers, 2003), pp. 99–100.
3. Morgan, p. 100.
4. Ryan Jones, Believe the Hype—The LeBron James Story (New York: St.
Martin’s Press, 2003), p. 130.
5. B. J. Robinson, LeBron James—King of the Court (East Cleveland: Forest
Hill Publishing, 2005), p. 92.
6. Barry Temkin, Chicago Tribune, December 6, 2002.
7. Temkin, December 6, 2002.
8. Temkin, December 6, 2002.
9. Robinson, p. 107.
10. Jones, pp. 168–169.
11. Robinson, p. 111.
12. Robinson, pp. 120–121.
52
53
Chapter 5
The LeBron Sweepst akes
By the spring of 2003, it was apparent that the worst (or no better than
second worst) team in the NBA was the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron
James’s hometown team and, at 40 miles away, the team closest to his
home of Akron. The Cavaliers finished their 82-game season with a record
of 17 wins and 65 losses. That record equaled the Denver Nuggets
for futility.
Descriptions of the Cavaliers’ competency ranged from “horrible” to
“terrible” to “hopeless.” If you wanted to watch bad basketball, you journeyed
to Ohio and purchased always-plentiful tickets to Cavs games. It
was more painful than putting up with a toothache. It is easier for a team
to get well in professional basketball, however, than it is in other professional
sports because only five men can play at once. A single important
draft pick amounts to 20 percent of the starting lineup. In football, there
are 22 starters, counting offense and defense. In baseball, it often takes
several years for a first-round draft pick to mature into an on-field talent.
Although the situation in the National Hockey League has been changing
lately, historically, first-rounders need a couple of years of seasoning to
make it.
For decades, the NBA had a clear-cut rule—the team that finished
with the league’s worst record during the regular season had the overall
first pick in the next draft. Over time, however, league officials grew
suspicious of the effort being put into the season’s final games by bottom
feeders with nothing to lose in the standings, but everything to
lose by suddenly playing themselves out of the top draft pick. Therefore
the league instituted a draft lottery. All of the teams weak enough to
54 LeBron James
miss out on the playoffs were lumped together. Gradually, the procedure
evolved into a system with ping-pong balls. The team with the
worst record had its name written on the largest number of ping-pong
balls, giving it the best odds to gain the best reward. There were 1,000
balls and the team with the worst record was awarded 250, a 25 percent
chance of gaining the top pick. Because Cleveland and Denver tied,
they each were given 225 balls (a 22.5 percent chance of obtaining the
first selection). But some mediocre team that missed the playoffs by a
hair and had its name written on many fewer ping-pong balls could still
win the top prize.
In some years, a franchise-saving player may not be available and it
might not make much of a difference if a team drafted first, second, or
third. The 2003 draft was not one of those years. The presence of James’s
old competitive friend Carmelo Anthony, who entered the draft after playing
one season for Syracuse, notwithstanding, it was obvious that LeBron
James was the consensus No. 1 pick, the player who could alter a team’s
destiny. It was coincidental that nearby Cleveland was the team most deserving
of the first pick. James had national basketball fame by the end of
his high school career, but he was very much a household name in the
Cleveland-Akron area. Not only did James, who averaged 31.6 points, 9.6
rebounds, and 4.6 assists his senior year, possess the type of talent that
could quickly turn around the team’s fortunes on the court (with a little
help from his friends), but he had the charisma and name recognition to
produce major box office rewards instantly.
Although James occasionally floated names of colleges on an everchanging
list, hardly anyone believed that James intended to play college
basketball. The controversial, seemingly nit-picking officious acts that
dogged him because he drove around in his mother’s flashy birthday present
and the hassles that followed over Jerseygate virtually sealed the deal.
If that was the situation in high school, what type of battle would it be
to retain eligibility in college with the NCAA breathing down his neck
all of the time? It was also apparent that a basketball shoe company was
prepared to pay James millions of dollars as fast as a wire transfer could be
accomplished after he announced he was turning pro. The money was too
great to bypass.
If anyone needed a hint on the direction James intended to take, no
road map was necessary. Under NCAA rules, James could play in only two
summer all-star games after his senior year if he intended to be eligible
for college play. Before the end of the school year, James announced that
he planned to play in three all-star games that summer. He could always
change his mind. He could always back out of one game. But playing in
The LeBron Sweepsta kes 55
all three indicated to those in the know that James was going to be in the
NBA, not under the jurisdiction of the NCAA, the next fall.
Baby Needs New Shoes
Escalation in the shoe wars followed. James was coveted by Nike,
R
eebok, and adidas, all key players in the basketball shoe marketplace.
Those major companies wanted James’s name on a long-term contract
to endorse their shoes. For years the companies made deals with famous
pro players; Michael Jordan’s association with Nike was the most prominent
and lucrative. They also made deals with college coaches to outfit
their teams. The biggest market was tapping the wallets of the average
Joe, the average player who wanted to wear the best shoe for his game,
or who wanted to make the loudest fashion statement in his neighborhood.
Typically, the shoes were manufactured overseas with cheap labor
and sold for $100 to $200 to the American consumer. That combination
produced huge profit margins. Jordan was retired and the shoe companies
sought the next Jordan, the player whose name would be flashed in the
brightest lights and whose performance, personality, and charisma linked
him to the have-to-have-them trendy teenage shoe buyer. It didn’t really
matter to a shoe company what team LeBron James played for (although
they would have been thrilled if he landed in New York or Los Angeles)
because they were sure his name and game transcended location.
The companies wooed LeBron and Gloria in a variety of ways. Adidas
actually put up subtle billboards around Akron (if such an action can be
termed subtle) containing low-key messages urging James to choose that
company. Consumer advocate Ralph Nader, angered by the shoe companies’
dependence on overseas low-paid workers, lobbied James to join him
in a global fight for justice.1 That would have been a biting-the-handthat-
feeds-him approach for James, as he was not even under contract to
a shoe company at the time.
In his spare time, in-between visiting shoe company headquarters and
taking meetings with shoe company executives, James played in three
(count ’em, three) high school all-star games. He competed in the
M
cDonald’s All-American game in Cleveland, the Roundball Classic in
Chicago, and the Jordan Brand Capital Classic in Washington, D.C. James
had not announced his plans to declare himself eligible for the NBA draft
as the May 12 deadline loomed, but by participating in all three contests,
he had all but officially announced his intentions in another manner.
James’s high school career was over. He would never have a college career.
The 18-year-old Ohio star was going pro.
56 LeBron James
James was constantly asked about his professional preferences, as if he
could close his eyes, point his index finger at a map and choose a city
to play in. He was careful to respect all the contenders and joked that it
would be nice if the NBA put a franchise in the Bahamas.
Other big-name athletes have not been above orchestrating trades to
cities where they preferred to play from cities where they had no desire to
put down roots. Denver Broncos football Hall of Fame quarterback John
Elway refused to report to the Baltimore Colts. Current quarterback Eli
Manning told the San Diego Chargers not to draft him because he didn’t
want to play in the California city. He was traded to the New York Giants.
When Chinese center Yao Ming entered the draft, his country’s officials
threatened to hold him back if he was not drafted by a team in a city that
seemed right for him.
In time for the NBA May 12 deadline and in time for the May 22 lottery
distribution of picks, James made his commitment to go pro. He held
a press conference at St. Vincent-St. Mary, standing in front of a podium
and in front of a backdrop cloth with the words “LeBronJames.com” plastered
all over it. There was now a James Web site with all the news that
was fit to print about the hoops star available 24 hours a day.
He was not alone, either. James signed with agent Aaron Goodwin to
represent him not only with his first NBA contract, but in sifting through
and choosing the proper endorsements offering the best deal, shoe contract
and beyond. Goodwin was a lower key agent with a less flamboyant
reputation than some other agents for NBA players, but he had enough of
a stable of good players to make an impression on James and his mother.
Among Goodwin’s other hoops clients were Gary Payton, a likely future
Hall of Famer, and Jamal Crawford. Goodwin said he quietly spent a year
lobbying James and his mother, all of the wooing going on out of the
spotlight.
LeBron James had spent four years tantalizing basketball coaches, fans,
and scouts, showing off his precocious play for St. Vincent and eventually
making news wherever he traveled. But with Goodwin in his corner,
James was about to drop a bombshell. Peace ended the shoe wars, a winner
had been declared. James was going Nike, the powerful Oregon-based
company that already owned about 39 percent of the sports shoe market
according to an industry source, Sporting Goods Intelligence.
That Nike had beaten out adidas and Reebok was not earth shattering.
But the price was boggling. The player who had never spent a minute on
a college court and didn’t even know which professional team he would
be affiliated with signed a seven-year, $90-million deal with Nike that
included a $10 million signing bonus. The poor little boy who had been
The LeBron Sweepsta kes 57
shunted from home to home with his mom as a youth was now a rich
man. For nearly a year there had been newspaper speculation that LeBron
James’s signature on a shoe contract might be worth $20 million or so.
Riches beyond most people’s comprehension, for certain, but that proved
to be a gross underestimate, practically pocket change in comparison to
the reality. James might be able to afford to buy the Hummer factory before
he ever played a minute of NBA ball.
James was joined in sponsorship partnership not only with Nike, but
with his long-time basketball hero Jordan, and Tiger Woods, the best
golfer on the planet. That wasn’t all. As an aside, James signed a contract
with Upper Deck, one of the sports card manufacturers that made basketball
cards, for $1 million.
James had not yet graduated from high school, and on the day the Nike
agreement was announced he did not skip school. He drove to classes in
his Hummer and for one more day tried to be a normal high school student.
Later that day, the NBA conducted its draft lottery. There were 13 teams
in the lottery, the bottom segment of the league. Lottery day is peculiar. It
is televised, as are so many off-the-field professional sports moments these
days. Unlike the draft, when general managers and team presidents confer
on hotlines and handle the serious business of improving their franchises,
team officials take a lighter approach to lottery proceedings. Because the
outcome depends on chance, there is nothing they can do to affect it. In
recent years it has become trendy to send someone to represent the franchise
that is lower on the masthead than general manager or president.
Sometimes it is a player. Sometimes it is a former player. Sometimes it is a
broadcaster. It is a treat, a reward of sorts, to let that person be the face of
the franchise nationally, if only for a day.
Staying Home for the NBA
Similarly, NBA Commissioner David Stern did not do the heavy lifting
when it came time to assign the teams their draft spots. Then-deputy
Commissioner Russ Granik opened envelope after envelope in reverse
order, with the 13th selector first.
The winner of the right to pick first was . . . the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Some basketball observers had been saying that Carmelo Anthony might
be the first pick in the draft over James, but the Cavaliers didn’t care if
President Grover Cleveland was available, they were committed to James
all the way. A team that had fallen on tough times saw the light at the end
of the tunnel and that tunnel was lit by a miner’s headlamp mounted on
the headband of LeBron James.
58 LeBron James
The Cavaliers’ Good, Bad, and Ugly
The Cleveland Cavaliers were born out of optimism as an NBA expansion
team in 1970 and had reached a level of desperation harkening back
to their inept rookie year by 2003. When the Cavs entered the league
for the 1970–71 season the majority of their players were castoffs from
established teams, players who were made available for free by the older
teams. The NBA followed the same basic guidelines other professional
leagues follow when welcoming a new team into the brotherhood—the
league gouged the Cavs for exorbitant entry fees and permitted the club
to choose 10th, 11th, and 12th men who had been sitting on benches for
the Seattles, Portlands, and New Yorks.
Major league baseball, the National Football League, and the National
Hockey League operate in much the same manner. The theory is that new
owners are so thrilled to be accepted into the exclusive league club that
they will accept pretty much any onerous conditions placed on them that
ensures their new team will not become a winner any time soon. Simultaneously,
the new owners are taught that they cannot expect any favors
from their fellow owners. This general type of procedure has been followed
over and over again in all four leagues for decades. The established owners
and leagues hold all of the cards and have the right to grant approval or
the power to deny admission to owners of new teams. So the new owners
always take what is dished out, grateful to be allowed into the league, but
knowing it will be a long haul to build a winning team. As a backdrop to
the owner muscle flexing, it is generally understood that the fans in a new
city will be so happy to have a team to call their own that they will turn
out and fill the arena anyway, even though the team is a loser.
The Bad News Cavs
The Cavaliers made their debut in the NBA during the 1970–71 season
under coach Bill Fitch, who soon enough upon escaping from Ohio won a
world title as coach of the Boston Celtics. The Cavs finished with 15 wins
and 67 losses, a winning percentage of just more than 18 percent. The
truest indicator of just how bad the Cavs were compared to the rest of the
league was the team’s road record. Playing on opposing courts, Cleveland
was 2–37. That really meant that whenever the Cavs traveled there was
a much better chance that room service would be delivered in a timely
manner than they would win a game. No one was surprised.
More than 30 years later, when the Cavaliers again descended to become
just about the worst team in the league, they finished with 17 wins
The LeBron Sweepsta kes 59
and 65 losses, a winning percentage of just more than 20 percent. Cynical
observers suggested that nothing had ever changed, but that was too
simplistic a viewpoint. A lot had happened in the Cavaliers’ world, even
if the team came full circle with disastrous on-court results.
Fitch, a hard-nosed, frequently sarcastic, but funny leader, was determined
to make something out of the shaky Cavs’ roster. He was a sports
lifer, considered to be knowledgeable by NBA administrators, but grumpy
by some of his players. Fitch guided the Cavaliers through their first nine
seasons in the league, a long tenure for a coach starting out with an expansion
franchise. Cavs ownership showed patience as Fitch built. A high
point came during the 1975–76 season, when Cleveland finished first in
its division with a 49–33 record, made the playoffs, and won a series—
each for the first time.
Between the departure of Bill Fitch and the ascension of LeBron James,
the Cavaliers employed a creditable cast of winning coaches. Among
them was the old point guard genius Lenny Wilkens, who eventually became
the winningest coach in league history and one of only three men
enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and a coach. Besides
Wilkens, whose 1991–92 team finished a club best 57–25 (for the second
time), Mike Fratello turned in noteworthy work from the bench, although
the future TV commentator sometimes made as big a splash with his wardrobe,
his suits repeatedly making him a candidate for the tongue-in-cheek
league best dressed award. George Karl claimed a seat on the bench for a
couple of years, but he had not yet made his breakthrough as an esteemed
coach.
Of the 17 men who have held the title of Cleveland Cavaliers head
coach from Bill Fitch to current occupant Mike Brown, only Wilkens
and Fratello departed with winning records. Except for a few highlight
seasons and games, the Cavaliers became synonymous with losing. When
the Cavaliers were at their best in the 1990s, they couldn’t get past the
Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls in their own division.
Until downtown renovation and refurbishment took hold, complete
with the addition of a new baseball park, football stadium, and major indoor
arena for winter sports, Cleveland itself wallowed in an era of selfdoubt.
The city was the butt of jokes, ranging from statements that there
was nothing to do there, to the long past civic embarrassment (impossible
to forget or live down) tied to the time when the Cuyahoga River
caught on fire in Cleveland because it was so polluted. Bordering Lake
Erie, the city was also insulted by such pithy phrases as “The Mistake on
the Lake.” And none of that even took into account the horrible psychic
blow delivered by the football Cleveland Browns, the real soul of the city,
60 LeBron James
and the local pro team with the grandest heritage, when it packed up its
helmets, shoulder pads, and yard markers and fled to Baltimore to become
the Ravens. The populace was infuriated and team owner Arthur Modell
was hung in effigy.
From a highly regarded sports community, Cleveland had devolved
into the city cited by national broadcasters as the town that had gone the
longest in crowning a champion in any major sport. When was that? the
question went. The answer was, long, long ago, in what seemed to be a
galaxy far, far away. There was no NHL hockey in Cleveland, so that was
out. The Cavaliers had never won a title, so that was out. The Browns,
who were replaced by an expansion team also called the Browns, last won
the NFL championship in 1964. And the Indians, the oldest team in the
mix, last captured the World Series in 1948. Except for the Chicago Cubs,
the Indians were the Major League team that had waited the longest for
a title.
Around the league, fans either felt sorry for the Cavaliers because they
never accomplished much as a team or didn’t think much about them
at all, simply relegating them to the bottom of the heap each year as a
team that would not make the playoffs. The Cavaliers would have put a
sexier model on the floor if they had a superstar whose achievements transcended
wins and losses, but despite having high draft picks frequently
because of the poor or mediocre record, the Cavaliers seemed unable to
select a player who made fans’ pulse rates race on a consistent basis.
During Cleveland’s inaugural season, 7-foot center Walt Wesley, a nice
player, as the phrase is often used, but no star, poured in 50 points in a
February game against the old Cincinnati Royals. That stood as the Cavs’
single game scoring record for 34 years, until LeBron James cracked it.
Wesley had been acquired from the Bulls in the expansion draft.
Among other players who had excelled in college or who had made notable
contributions to their NBA teams, but were now expendable because
their skills were eroding with age, were Len Chappell, Don Ohl,
and Johnny Egan. Guard Butch Beard was a solid player with Atlanta
and Bobby Smith, who was nicknamed “Bingo” and came over from the
old San Diego Rockets, was a valuable pickup. Smith was the gem of the
expansion draft. He played 10 seasons with Cleveland and eventually had
his No. 7 jersey retired by the team. The first player ever drafted by the
franchise was forward John Johnson, who came out of Iowa.
The theory about how fans would come out to watch poor performance
just for the thrill of being able to identify with a professional team never
took hold in Cleveland. The novelty of professional basketball in a town
featuring the best players in the world (at least on other teams passing
The LeBron Sweepsta kes 61
through) was something that wore off quickly—like after opening day.
Or perhaps before the opener. The Cavs’ home gym was the ancient Cleveland
Arena, a Depression-era facility that seated 11,000 for basketball.
The Cavaliers opened for business on October 28, 1970, in a game against
San Diego. The Cavs lost 110–99. If ever a game should be a sellout, the
first home game in the history of a franchise would be it. The Cavaliers did
not even come close. The game attracted 6,144 fans. It didn’t help any that
Cleveland immediately established just where it fit in the NBA firmament
by losing its first 11 games and 14 of its first 15. Not once during the first
season did Cleveland sell out at home. The largest crowd was 8,429, and
the average for 41 games was 3,518 fans. In today’s NBA, such attendance
numbers would provoke emergency meetings of the board of governors despairing
over what was to become of the team. There would be suggestions
that the Cavaliers be moved to Oklahoma City or Mexico City.2
Some Cheery Cavs Times
Things did improve after the first season and although the Cavs spent
four dismal seasons playing in the Cleveland Arena, attendance jumped,
with the occasional sellout. Team owners realized almost instantly that
the dusty old arena was no place to sell a spanking new product, but it
took until the 1974–75 season for Cleveland to move into a new building.
The Richfield Coliseum, located in the Cleveland suburbs, never received
rave reviews from architectural critics and there were complaints about it
being located in the middle of nowhere, about 20 miles from downtown,
but the place was serviceable. At capacity, the Richfield site could hold
20,000 people and once in a great while that many showed up.
Over time, the team beefed up with some popular and accomplished
players. The first big-name rookie addition joining the Cavs in their second
season was Austin Carr, the fabulous scorer from Notre Dame who
was famous as an All-American and as a player who helped end one of
UCLA’s tremendous college winning streaks. Carr, a 6-foot-4 guard, averaged
21.2 points per game as a rookie and became a status player. Not only
was he talented, but other teams feared his game and local fans believed in
him. Although Carr played very well for Cleveland for a few years, a knee
injury slowed him down and eventually curtailed his career.
The injury occurred in 1974 and that served as foreshadowing. It
seemed whenever something good happened for the Cavaliers, something
bad happened to the Cavaliers as a counterbalance. Much like Carr, North
Carolina center Brad Daugherty shone, then petered out prematurely because
of injury. The 7-footer was a five-time all-star for Cleveland and
62 LeBron James
was the cornerstone of the lineup in the early 1990s, but was forced to
retire because of chronic back problems.
Mark Price, the former Georgia Tech playmaker, was one of the best
free-throw shooters in NBA history and the four-time All-Star graced the
Cavaliers’ roster for nine years, although he also suffered a debilitating
knee injury. Power forward Larry Nance was an all-star and forward Craig
Ehlo was a super substitute. But sometimes it seemed that years passed
without any Cavalier highlight to cheer about. Exciting moments were
tarnished by painful memories, particularly the injuries to popular players,
but also in selected games.
The all-time Cavalier “ouch” moment in a big game was delivered with
hammer-like ruthlessness by Michael Jordan. It was 1989, during the playoffs
capping the Cavaliers’ then-best-ever 57–25 regular-season. Meeting
in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Cavs and Bulls
were tied with two victories apiece. The winner of the next game—a Cavs
home game in Richfield—on May 7, would capture the best-of-five series.
In a tight game, with the clock running down, Cleveland, which had an
eight-point lead earlier in the fourth quarter, took the lead with three
seconds to go. Jordan, who scored 44 points, got the ball just where he
wanted to and put up a 15-foot jumper at the foul line that fell through
the net at the buzzer, giving Chicago a 101–100 victory.
Jordan had predicted the Bulls would win the series in four games, and
he had missed a chance to clinch it the game before. When Craig Ehlo
made a lay-up the Cavs believed they had salted away the series and made
Jordan eat his words. Instead, a game late, Jordan came through, burnished
his legend and tarnished the Cavs’ self-esteem.
“I just can’t believe he made that shot,” Cleveland’s Brad Daugherty
said. “We did everything right. I just can’t believe it. I don’t see how he
stayed in the air so long. It’s the most outstanding shot I’ve ever seen.”3
Jordan’s timely game-winner was henceforth labeled “The Shot” and
is regarded as a great moment in Jordan and Bulls dynasty lore as the
Chicago
team compiled its six NBA championships. The fact that Daugherty
raved about Jordan’s air time also meshed with the gushing descriptions
of Jordan’s style as “Air Jordan.”
For the Cavaliers the play went down as a heartbreaker, a what-if moment
that was a bull’s-eye shot through the chest and wounded the entire
franchise. It was a shot that seemed to symbolize the jumpstarting of one
team for a glorious, years-long ride, and the demoralization of another
team for a years-long decline.
If ever a team hungered for a savior to relieve years of disappointment
and frustration, it was the Cleveland Cavaliers as the 2003 NBA
The LeBron Sweepsta kes 63
draft approached.
They did not want LeBron James to change zip codes to
Beverly
Hills 90210 or anyplace else swanky. They wanted him to stay right
at home in Ohio.
The Cavs Go for It
In the NBA there is such a thing as being a bad team at a good time.
If you win the lottery and gain the No. 1 overall draft pick, it is possible
that all of the pain and suffering of a terrible year might pay off. If the
future was built on a single day, then maybe the past would be quickly
forgotten.
There is no overstating how badly the Cleveland Cavaliers’ management
team wanted the rights to LeBron James. It was enough that he was
seen as a budding superstar, a difference maker who could create instant
box office. But the fact that he was local, as well, was too good to be true.
Cavaliers’ officials prayed, schemed, imagined, and willed it to be true
that they would obtain the No. 1 pick. They dreamed that they would
be outfitting LeBron James in Cavalier red and gold for the 2003–04
season.
The stress of waiting to learn if they would receive the top pick in
the draft almost overpowered some Cavaliers’ administrators. They knew
what the addition of James meant to the team. Carmelo Anthony was
wonderful and if they picked Anthony they couldn’t go wrong, but James’s
name made them swoon in anticipation.
By the end of the Cavaliers’ disastrous 17–65 2002–03 season, Ohio
basketball fans were openly rooting for the team to lose games to ensure
the worst record and enhance their chances to get the top pick. Leading
up to the last game of the regular season, Cleveland Plain Dealer sports
columnist Bill Livingston wrote that it was a “must-lose” game.4 The
Cavaliers defeated the Toronto Raptors, which at least proved to Commissioner
David Stern that they weren’t tanking games to finish higher
in the James sweepstakes. That victory created the tie with the Denver
Nuggets for the worst record and lowered the percentage of likelihood for
Cleveland picking first.
For some reason—fan cynicism being the best explanation—conspiracy
theories have surrounded the NBA draft. Some fans, who no doubt root
for teams that are not often big winners, express the opinion that the
NBA wants all of the biggest stars to play in the biggest markets. They say
the draft lottery is rigged in favor of New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
This body of thought may have its origins in the 1985 draft when All-
American center Patrick Ewing was coming out of Georgetown and every
64 LeBron James
team wanted his services. The New York Knicks won the rights to Ewing,
and some said the draft was rigged so the league could have a strong team
in the Big Apple. But despite the Ewing instance, there is overwhelming
evidence that the NBA does not influence outcomes and the conjecture
is simply based on fan paranoia. In the 2007 draft, much like 2003, the
top two picks, like James and Anthony, were regarded as franchise makers.
Greg Oden, the Ohio State center, went to the Portland Trailblazers.
Kevin Durant, the Texas forward, went to the Seattle Supersonics. Neither
franchise is considered a glamorous one and neither city is considered
a major market in the league’s hierarchy.
The actual lottery event took place on May 22, 2003, in Secaucus,
New Jersey. Cleveland team owner Gordon Gund attended, accompanied
by Tad Carper, Cavs vice president of communications. Rarely have so
many fans and team officials put up with sweaty palms for so long. As the
lottery show dragged on and one team after another learned its numbered
fate, the fact that Cleveland’s name was not called was good news, but
nerve-wracking news nonetheless. It was like being named Miss America.
Five left, four left, three left, two left, first runner-up. And when there is
only one name left, everyone knows who wins.
Finally, Good Luc k
The Cleveland Cavaliers won the first pick in the 2003 draft. They won
the best possible scenario for a vibrant future. The moment the Cavaliers
won by losing, Carper burst from his seat and revealed the contents of a
mysterious briefcase he had toted around—it contained a LeBron James
No. 23 Cavaliers jersey. So much for the idea that the Cavaliers might
consider choosing Carmelo Anthony. The Cavs knew who they wanted
and now that they acquired the rights to pick James, they held tight with
both hands. The jersey display was a broad act of showmanship (something
sorely missing in recent Cavaliers’ seasons), but it struck the right
tone and it laid Cleveland’s cards on the table. Not only did the jersey
explain exactly what the Cavaliers planned to do with the No. 1 pick, its
presence sent a message to other team owners not to even bother to call
the Cavs’ office to ask about trading for the pick.
Gordon Gund, the charismatic, blind owner of the Cavaliers, was on
the scene because he recognized how big a victory this was for his team
and its future. He later reflected on the power of luck and lotteries and
what adding LeBron James to the team meant. “I was tremendously excited
because I had a very good feeling for what this could mean to the
marketplace, for the team, and for our employees,” Gund said. “We really
The LeBron Sweepsta kes 65
needed a pickup, and we couldn’t have asked for a better one. There are
lots of lotteries—and some of them with very big pots—but I don’t think
any is bigger than that one.”5
Instantly, the phones began ringing at Cavaliers’ headquarters. A
month after the season ended dismally, with an awful record, and no playoff
games scheduled, fans were dialing in to buy season tickets. In the
month-plus between the moment the Cavaliers won the draft lottery and
the time they announced the first pick, they sold thousands of season tickets.
Home games would no longer be a lonely experience in Cleveland.
Gund spoke as someone who was invested in the team and had a lot
to gain from the acquisition of James. Most of James’s friends, relatives,
coaches, and teammates were happy that he looked like a sure bet for the
Cavaliers. That meant he would be staying in the same back yard and they
would be able to watch him play.
It was as if the Cavaliers had won the Powerball lottery. In a way they
had, but since Gund already possessed mega-millions, he won something
that money couldn’t buy. LeBron James was going to make the jump directly
from high school basketball to the best league in the world. Even
for a guy as smooth and talented as James, that figured to be a problem.
Over the years many players had attempted to make the leap. Most of
them were centers, very tall, some with prematurely powerful bodies.
Moses Malone was the first player to successfully shift from high school
to pro play in 1974. Malone was 6-foot-10 and muscular. He had played
high school basketball in Virginia and committed to the University of
Maryland. At the last minute he went pro and achieved success. A much
lesser known name who took the same chance more than 30 years ago
was Bill Willoughby. He would have been better served matriculating at
a college. Darryl Dawkins also came out of high school in the 1970s and
enjoyed some solid seasons. He emerged as a super personality, if not a
superstar, during his days with the Philadelphia 76ers.
More recently, the list of high school players who declared for the pro
draft rather than spend a year or more in college included the Los Angeles
Lakers’ Kobe Bryant and the Boston Celtics’ Kevin Garnett. Bryant,
a
guard from Pennsylvania, was a backup as a rookie and averaged
7.6
points a game. He was only 18 and his youth showed on the court. Bryant
matured into perhaps the best player in the league, but it took a couple
of seasons. The lanky, 6-foot-10 Garnett averaged more than 10 points as
a rookie for Minnesota and quickly adapted his style to become a perennial
All-Star. What the numbers indicated, however, was that there was
a blending-in period, an adjustment time for high school players to learn
the faster-paced NBA game and adapt to playing against bigger, stronger
66 LeBron James
opponents. No one doubted that James would be able to make the necessary
adjustment, but no one could predict how long it would take.
Some looked as young as they were when they took the court against
veterans who had been in the league for years and who knew the ropes.
Some, like Willoughby, were willowy. One thing James had in his favor
was his body. He weighed 240 pounds. He was only 18, but he already had
a man’s body that would enable him to withstand many of the rigors of
being pushed around in the foul lane where the rebounding action was at
its most furious, and by defensive players. But if basketball in high school
had been fun and games (and James tried to portray it that way), basketball
where big money is involved is very much a business. There is no rule
against having fun, but players at the highest level of the sport are paid
millions of dollars to take their competitions seriously. Bill Walton, the
former UCLA All-American and pro star turned TV commentator, added
a dose of realism to the Cleveland giddiness. “Expectations of LeBron
will be huge,” Walton said. “It’s no longer about milk and cookies. This is
about men playing for the ultimate prize in a big man’s game.”6
The Cavaliers had just lived through a depressing season. The franchise
was aching for change and James represented an opportunity to put
a new face on things and to boost optimism. But one other notable event
was taking place at the same time the Cavaliers learned they would be
able to draft James. The Cavs fired Coach John Lucas (with a record like
his it was probably inevitable) and had a vacancy. James had been friendly
with Lucas and appreciated the chance Lucas gave him to work out with
Cavalier players, even if it cost the coach big bucks.
The Cavs Make a Big In vestment
The Cavaliers worked quickly to find a suitable replacement, a coach
who could help James grow, a coach with experience and a winning background.
This was an important hire. The man who got the job would be
the person most directly supervising James during his day-to-day formative
stages as a rookie. To a large extent, this person would determine
James’s playing time, and would make choices about when to leave him in
to combat foul trouble and when it was more fruitful to learn by watching
from the bench. The Cavaliers wanted to be careful and bring in the right
wise man.
When they announced who the new coach would be, heads nodded.
Paul Silas was well respected around the league, both from his years
as a player with the Boston Celtics and then as a head coach with the
Charlotte
Hornets. When he was active, Silas was regarded as a hardnosed
player who was an excellent rebounder for his size—6-foot-7. He
The LeBron Sweepsta kes 67
was seen as a team player willing to sacrifice his own scoring statistics to
do the dirty work in the paint, rebounding, playing defense, and going
head-to-head with other tough guys. He was a member of Celtics world
championship teams and then coached young teams. Silas promised to be
a good fit, but this was no ordinary rebuilding job, a tough enough task
in any circumstances with a losing team. Silas was also being trusted with
the family jewels. He had to both guard them and increase their value. He
would be judged not just on his won-loss record, but by how he handled
LeBron James’s seemingly unlimited potential.
When the actual moment arrived for the NBA draft on June 26, 2003,
it seemed as if it had been years in the making, even though it had only
been a month since it became known that James was going to be chosen
by the Cavaliers. In some ways, it was a long-term production, for James
had been playing basketball since he was a toddler and he had been on the
national scene for more than three years.
On draft day, James pulled on a white suit over a white shirt, complemented
by a white tie. It was a bright outfit and his entire body gleamed
as brightly as his smile. James was literally the white knight riding to
the rescue of the Cavaliers. The NBA draft was conducted at Madison
Square Garden in New York and, as usual, was televised by ESP N. In
Cleveland, the Cavaliers hosted a special draft party in the then-named
Gund Arena, inviting fans to watch in the confines of the home court.
Attendance was 10,017, more than had attended Cavaliers games in person
during the early days of the franchise. Every one of those fans knew
who the Cavs were going to select, so there was no suspense. But when
the choice became reality, and Commissioner Stern announced that indeed
James was the property of the Cavaliers, supporters in Cleveland
seemed to be reliving New Year’s Eve in Times Square. Streamers and
confetti were dropped from the ceiling, fans roared, and a band started
playing music.
When Cleveland made it official, selecting James with the first pick in
the 2003 draft, the player shook hands with Stern and slapped a Cavaliers’
baseball cap on his head. He smiled one of his 1,000-watt smiles and posed
for still and television cameras. Unlike most players joining the pro ranks,
James had already become an instant millionaire through his splashy shoe
contract and his deal with Upper Deck sports cards. Officially joining the
Cavaliers expanded James’s bank account even more. Under the NBA
players’ union collective bargaining agreement contract with owners,
James was locked into a four-year deal with a total value of $12.96 million.
He would be paid $4.02 million as a rookie, $4.32 million as a second-year
man, and $4.62 million in his third year. The fourth year was an option
year. If the team was only mildly satisfied with James’s performance, he
68 LeBron James
would get another $4.62 million. If, as expected, James became a superstar,
negotiations would begin for a much longer and richer contract.
On the night LeBron James was drafted, he was a happy young man.
His career in high school had outstripped his imagination. He had supreme
confidence that he could do the job on the basketball court that
others felt was worth millions of dollars in salary. He was a homegrown
player who knew quite well what was expected of him—and he promised
he would come through.
On draft night, James pledged to light up Cleveland “like Las Vegas”7
with his basketball prowess. It sounded brash, but few doubted he would
deliver.
“I think I’ll be able to do enough on the court to lift the city of Cleveland,”
James said in his postdraft news conference.8 It was a daunting assignment
for one so young, but he was a Hercules of the basketball court
and since LeBron James had made the aging rust-belt city of Akron feel
good about itself, why couldn’t he do the same for Cleveland, just up the
turnpike?
Austin Carr, the one-time Cavs top scorer whose own injury contributed
to the team’s hard-luck outlook in the 1970s, cried when Cleveland
won the first pick and reflected on the meaning of LeBron the moment
Cleveland won the lottery. He felt it was a sign from the basketball gods,
he said, that it was at last “Cleveland’s turn. You couldn’t ask for a better
shot in the arm. What happened was like a miracle. The first thing I
thought was, ‘We finally beat the other cities, we finally are starting to
head in the right direction.’ ”9
Notes
1. David Lee Morgan Jr., The Rise of A Star—LeBron James (Cleveland: Gray &
Company Publishers, 2003), p. 156.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers 2006–7 Media Guide.
3. Sam Smith, Chicago Tribune, May 8, 1989.
4. Roger Gordon, The Rookie Season of LeBron James (Champaign, IL:
Sports
Publishing, 2004), p. 3.
5. Gordon, p. 7.
6. B. J. Robinson, LeBron James—King of the Court (East Cleveland: Forrest
Hill Publishing, 2005), p. 133.
7. Gordon, p. viii.
8. Gordon, p. vi.
9. Gordon, p. v.
69
Chapter 6
A Rookie, Not a Beginn er
Two things were instantly established when LeBron James made his professional
debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 29, 2003, in an
NBA game against the Sacramento Kings in California. James was not
your average rookie. He scored 25 points, passed off for 9 assists, and gathered
6 rebounds in the season opener. And the Cavaliers were not going
to be contenders overnight. They lost, 106–92.
Neither the Kings nor the Cavaliers were among the league’s elite at
the time, and the game drew much more attention than it ordinarily would
have by marking a milestone in James’s career. There was no mistaking
that the spotlight was on James. For years, James dreamed of becoming a
professional basketball player. For what seemed like a century, basketball
observers had speculated about his future in the pros. Now it was here.
Now it was the time to show people what he had. Although James always
said he was not fazed by external pressure, there was some pressure on him
for his first game. The pressure wasn’t so much to lead Cleveland to victory
in what was just another regular-season game. Nor was the pressure
about his numbers in the box score per se. The pressure was about James
fitting in, looking like he belonged, looking like a player who was no
longer a high school player, but a prime-time player. James was one of the
best players on the court, if not the best, from the get-go. Question No. 1
was answered. Yes, he was ready for the NBA.
“He just mesmerized everybody,” said new Cleveland Coach Paul Silas.
“He handled everything so well. I just said, ‘Wow, if this is the way this
is going to be, this kid is just going to set the world on fire.’ I had never
expected, or really seen, anything like that.”1
70 LeBron James
Silas was just another in a long line of coaches, fans, scouts, and basketball
junkies seduced by the big-time talents of LeBron James at a big-time
moment. Of course, Silas hadn’t just seen James perform for the first time.
In the months after his selection as a Cavaliers draft pick, James spent
innumerable hours working on his game, trying to improve, and doing
everything he could think of to ready himself for the NBA. It was not as
if he lay around on a beach sipping Kool-Aid.
In recent years, NBA clubs have sponsored summer teams for a short
season of competition. The rosters generally consist of freshly drafted
rookies and free agents who hope to wrangle an invitation to fall training
camp and obtain a shot at making the team. In 2003, the Cavs placed
James on their summer league team. James had been a fixture on the high
school amateur circuit for several summers, but this was different. No longer
were his teammates the boys from Akron he grew up with. These
teammates were college All-Americans, high pro draft picks, and former
college stars trying to break into the NBA after seasoning in Europe or in
one of several American minor leagues. Most were hungry players, trying
to make a good impression on management. James did not have to worry
about that. There was no more of a sure thing that could be bet on in Las
Vegas than James making the team. The only thing Cavaliers administrators
were interested in was James’s showing as a progress report.
The NBA track record on the drafting of high school players was
sketchy. Few were an immediate sensation. Some were outright busts.
Some clearly needed several years of seasoning and were regarded as players
who made the wrong choice to enter the draft and who would have
been better off going to college. A few years before James was chosen
No. 1, the Washington Wizards had selected another player right out of
high school, center Kwame Brown, who averaged only in single digits for
points scored. Brown did not do well as a rookie and has never blossomed
into an NBA star. Cleveland was not comparing James to Brown, but
it did want an early peak at its multimillion-dollar investment in game
situations.
James turned in solid games in the summer league, scoring 14 points
here, 17 points there, and 25 points there. The numbers weren’t eye-
popping,
but he also collected better than average numbers of rebounds
and assists. In an intriguing experiment, the Cavaliers tried James at point
guard. James was normally a forward, and the maneuver was aimed at
learning how he would react if he had the ball in his hands almost all
of the time and had the responsibility of involving teammates in the offense.
James had always excelled at that role. He was regarded as a brilliant
A Rooki e, Not a Beginn er 71
passing
forward who generally recorded as many assists as a guard, so it
was easy to understand why the Cavaliers would try this approach. During
the 11-game summer league campaign, James averaged 15.7 points and
4.3 assists a game. The point guard role was not completely abandoned,
since the Cavaliers subsequently used James in the job periodically during
the ensuing regular season, but it was not a slam-dunk success, either.
James made his greatest impression by the maturity he showed in making
judgments on the court, knowing where to throw the ball, when to
shoot, and when to pass. He dazzled with his ball handling and slick moves
and always lit up the crowd. Officials from other NBA teams, who might
not have seen James quite so often as a high schooler or scouted him so
heavily since they knew they were not going to receive a high draft pick,
marveled at the way he handled himself as an 18-year-old and how he
connected with the crowds.
Pat Williams, general manager of the Orlando Magic, raved about
James. “He has three attributes that are hard to find in anybody, much
less a teenager—maturity, talent, and charisma.”2
Once the short summer league season wrapped up, there was a lull
in James’s hectic schedule. He actually had time to rest up before Cavs
training camp began on September 26, and he took a vacation in Hawaii
between filming some commercials for his new sponsors. Occasionally,
however, he emerged from hibernation. James did promote education (as
well as dispensing Nike shoes) to fourth and fifth graders in Akron. James
and his agent Aaron Goodwin dropped another bombshell when they announced
the signing of a six-year endorsement contract with Coca-Cola.
The deal called for a $2 million-a-year payment to James. Coca-Cola was
a blue chip company and, by declaring its love for James, it made a loud
statement in the business world. Companies like Coca-Cola do not take
on just any athlete. The contract was a signature statement of belief in
James as a national pitchman who could transcend basketball and sports
fans with his style, smile, and personality.
An additional sign of how happy the Cavaliers were to select James
surfaced when the NBA’s television schedule was released for the 2003–
04 season. As a team that shared one of the two worst records in the
league the season before, the Cavaliers would ordinarily be looked on
as one of the league’s bottom feeders, a team with little national viewer
appeal. The signing of James transformed the Cavaliers’ status. Nobody
expected Cleveland to challenge for a title in James’s first season, but it
was expected that he would be the most talked about player in the league
and that fan curiosity would demand putting some of his games on TV.
72 LeBron James
The schedule listed Cavaliers games on national television 13 times, remarkable
for a team following up a last-place finish.
Blending with the Guys
One of James’s most admirable attributes as a young player, even as people
wrote and talked about how great he was and how great he was going
to be, was his aggressiveness toward working on his game. After sampling
some NBA level competition, James realized he had to improve the accuracy
of his outside shot. In high school, he was stronger and quicker than
most opponents and could drive to the basket and dunk over them, almost
at will. In the NBA he would become a more dangerous offensive weapon
by expanding his shooting range. Similarly, in the summer league, when
he played the point, James ran across some guards who were faster than he
was and challenged his defensive skills.
It is a long-held tradition in professional sports that rookies, no matter
how heralded or important to the success of the team, are treated as
rookies. They are humbled by the veterans and made to perform menial
tasks, to help with minor chores, and sometimes sing their college fight
songs. The newcomers may be millionaires and the future of the team may
be riding on them on the field and at the bank, but rookie razzing is one
minor way to keep those players grounded. One practical joke became
very public when Cavaliers vets orchestrated a scene where James and
fellow rookie Jason Kapono were told to run out onto the court first at
the start of an exhibition game. The players dashed onto the floor, only to
discover their teammates failed to follow. They floundered around alone
on the floor in front of the crowd wondering what happened to everyone
else. The other Cavaliers had a good giggle.
James also revealed that his teammates decided it was his responsibility
to bring the Krispy Kreme doughnuts to practice every day (he could
afford it) and in another time-honored rookie tradition, they forced him
to carry their luggage in hotels and to the bus while on road trips. Once
in a great while, prima donna rookies try to shun the role because their
egos can’t handle being treated like bell boys. Recognizing it was important,
with all of the attention he garnered, not to come off as spoiled,
James good naturedly played along and avoided bucking the system. The
Cavaliers knew, he said, that he was not trying to usurp locker room
authority.
James remained self-effacing in press conferences, telling the hordes of
reporters who turned up for practice that he was not the big man on the
team. He pointed to the top returning veterans, singling out guard Ricky
A Rooki e, Not a Beginn er 73
Davis, a potent outside shooter, and 7-foot-3 center Zydrunas Ilgauskus.
The acquisition of the big Lithuanian was touted as a major coup for the
Cavs in 1996, but he seemed jinxed. Ilgauskus averaged a useful 15 points
a game when he was healthy. The problem was that the big guy missed two
complete seasons and parts of others with injuries. His feet were particularly
fragile and at times it was suggested he might have to retire young.
These were gracious comments from James—and wise ones from a
spectacularly hyped rookie trying to make friends with and mesh with
teammates—but everyone knew that James had been brought in to be
The Man. After all, the others collectively had failed dramatically the
year before. There was no harm in being polite, though, and in stroking
other egos as well. During training camp, James, as he had been so often
elsewhere, was the main focus of attention from the media. He would not
have been worth his salt as a confident professional athlete if he had not
said it, but some eyes rolled when James predicted that the rejuvenated
Cavaliers should make the playoffs.
James’s comments might have been a subtle challenge to his teammates.
If so, that was a sign of leadership that James’s coaches and bosses could
appreciate. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was any professional
sports team. The building blocks for both had to be in place and the hands
of craftsmanship at the controls, but these things took time. As befitting
what they hoped would be a new era with LeBron James, the Cavaliers
designed and unveiled flashy new uniform jerseys. They were splendid in
burgundy and gold and they were striking in white with burgundy trim.
When he was still in high school, reporters making James’s acquaintance
for the first time often gushed about how mature beyond his years
he seemed. Now traveling in the adult world, the same observations were
generally made. Still, once in a while James let some of the “gee-whiz”
nature of his personality come out. He seemed more like a high schooler
for a minute when the Cavaliers met the Los Angeles Lakers of Shaquille
O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Gary Payton in an exhibition game and he
said, “Last year I was just watching them every night on TV.”3 And now
he was trying to outplay them.
The NBA exhibition season is about tuning up for the regular season.
It allows coaches to experiment with lineups and decide who should be
starting and who should be playing what role. It provides fringe players
with the chance to make the 12-man active roster. It allows rookies to
gain game experience. Wins and losses are virtually irrelevant. At the end
of training camp Silas named James as one of his starters. The coach decided
against starting James at point guard and put him at his most natural
position of small forward, or scoring forward.
74 LeBron James
The day before the Cavaliers were scheduled to start the season, James
had lunch with Moses Malone, the first truly successful player to jump
right from high school play to the pros. Although 30 years had passed,
Malone realized James would face some of the same challenges he took
on. Malone wasn’t worried about James’s talent. He wanted to proffer advice
on day-to-day NBA living.
James shrugged off any pressure in his debut. He was subdued because
the Cavaliers lost, but in becoming the first player to score as many as
20 points and record 9 assists in his first game in 22 years, or since Isiah
Thomas did it with the Detroit Pistons, James had proven himself ready
for NBA competition.
Instant Impact
Every team in the NBA hopes that its No. 1 draft pick is good enough
to start and contribute. It doesn’t always work that way. But the No. 1
pick overall in the draft should be ready to go. LeBron James was ready,
but in his first several games in Cleveland’s lineup, it was not immediately
apparent that the Cavaliers were.
It took six tries for the Cavaliers to win a game. They were 0–5 when
they finally bested the Washington Wizards, 111–98, during James’s rookie
year. James turned in a box score line that was every bit as diversified as
the ones he recorded for St. Vincent-St. Mary. He scored 17 points and
added 9 assists and 8 rebounds.
Eyes from many walks of life were on James, not just the basketball
world. From the moment he signed his huge Nike contract and followed
it up with deals for other products, marketing and business experts debated
whether James was worth it. Rick Burton, executive director of the
Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon, compared
James to the movie character Neo played by Keanu Reeves in “The Matrix.”
“There are a bunch of people who think he is ‘The One,’ ” Burton
said. “They think he will lead them back to that time when there was that
dominating player that the whole league revolved around.”4 It was clear
that basketball people had already anointed James with that cache since
he had been carrying around the nickname “The Chosen One” for two
years by that point.
Regardless of a player’s talent, the move to professional sports, blending
with a team at the highest level of play, is going to involve some glitches.
James was not going to be perfect every game. He was not going to lead
his team—a weak one at that—to victory every night. To a degree, he
was going to be a work in progress his entire rookie year, with flashes of
A Rooki e, Not a Beginn er 75
brilliance,
games of competence, and days when things didn’t go right.
Even the best athletes in every sport who play long seasons have off days.
It was bound to happen to James and it did.
As usual, media patience was in short supply. Depending on the game,
sports reporters either praised James to the heavens or suggested he had
much to learn. Mostly, those were snapshot observations, cases of checking
in on James for one night’s play. Newspaper critics said James was not
as good as advertised. Those who took a step back and watched James in
more than one game and recognized the pressures and attention focused
on him offered more level-headed appraisals. Before a Cavaliers-Chicago
Bulls game in mid-December of James’s rookie year, it was noted, “If you
want to see a remarkably mature rookie laboring with a bad team under
unreasonable and unyielding expectations, then James is the ticket. He
is a young man destined to be very good with a sophisticated all-around
game.”5
If fans were disappointed that James did not slam down a flashy enough
dunk to make it onto the ESPN Sports Center highlights every night, it
was their own fault for expecting it. James was doing what he always had.
He was playing basketball the way he had been taught. He was never a
ball hog. He rarely scored on designed spectacular moves, but rather made
spectacular moves to avoid the defense. He still passed up shots to feed
teammates on the Cavaliers the same way he had with the Fighting Irish.
James was just being himself and those who knew the sport best realized
it and marveled at it.
Not Much Learning Curve
“He thinks the game better than anyone his age,” Bulls general manager
John Paxson said. “You watch him and the first thing you notice is
how unselfish he is. Every kid who comes into this league wants to score.
The only thing they know is to play with the ball in their hands. They
don’t care about getting others involved. With this kid, that’s his first
thought. He’s not given enough credit for that.”6
Attracting nearly as much scrutiny was James’s old friend Carmelo
Anthony,
who was drafted by the Denver Nuggets. They were being hailed
as the game’s great new twosome, the most significant linked new faces
since Larry Bird of the Celtics and Magic Johnson of the Lakers showed
up to pump up a fresh team rivalry nearly 25 years earlier. Every athlete
needs a foil. It’s good for business when rivalries generate emotion and
competition. The James-Anthony rivalry would be limited—at least for
the present—because the two stars played in different divisions and would
76 LeBron James
play few regular-season games against one another. When their teams advanced
to the playoffs they would be on opposite sides of the bracket, too,
so they could only meet in the finals. Those days were expected to be far
in the future for both clubs still reeling from their 15–67 records of the
year before.
Every professional basketball player was a star somewhere along the
line, usually in high school or college, or in a foreign league if they are
from overseas. Chances are they were the best somewhere and when they
reached the NBA they still expected to be the best. Reality sets in abruptly
or gradually. A player might find he is lucky to make the 12-man active
roster. A player might find he is lucky to be one of the five starters. But
there are only about 25 all-stars and barely more than a handful of superstars.
From the beginning of James’s NBA career, other players recognized
that he was going to be one of those superstars. Part of the reason was his
raw talent. Part of it was his demeanor and work ethic. And part of it was
that until December 30 of his rookie year, he was still 18 years old. For the
second half of his debut season, James was all of 19.
“He is a complete basketball player,” said Avery Johnson, then a veteran
guard with the Golden State Warriors who became coach of the
Dallas
Mavericks. “He can do things that you just cannot teach. When I
was 19 years old, I was just trying to pass a geometry class in college.”7
The most complex geometry problem that James would have faced that
year was the triangle offense. But his team didn’t use it. That offensive set
was not in Coach Paul Silas’s bag of tricks. Silas, however, was the man
who most closely watched James day-to-day in practice and in games,
judging his effectiveness, his hustle, his fatigue, and his defensive capabilities.
Silas saw the future and made a breathtaking prediction. In all
of NBA history, only one player has averaged in double digits in points,
rebounds, and assists for an entire season. That was Hall of Fame guard
Oscar Robertson, who in his prime during the 1960s may have been the
best player who ever lived. Halfway through James’s rookie season, Silas
uttered his brash statement. “Eventually, I think he can average a triple
double,” Silas said. “He’s 6–8, so he should rebound. But 10 rebounds is
not out of the question. He’s going to have the ball, so 10 assists isn’t out
of the question. And he’s going to score in double figures.”8 Silas made
the observation so casually, so routinely, that it did not receive inordinate
attention. Not only was Robertson the only player to accomplish the feat,
no other coach was on record talking about any player suggesting that
another star would pull it off.
By the time James made a circuit around the league, opposing coaches
and players who had not studied up on his high school career had become
true believers, and they were not just talking about pure basketball
A Rooki e, Not a Beginn er 77
prowess.
They could see that he possessed innate court vision and they
could see why corporations wanted to attach their names to his. “Go beyond
the individual, the guy has it,” then-Houston Rockets Coach Jeff
Van Gundy said. “He has it. He’s got poise. He’s got presence. He’s got
vision. He’s got command of his game. He’s one of those guys who’s just
an intelligent basketball player, on top of being a superior talent. So, what
do you have? You’ve got greatness.”9
Making It into LeBron’s Team
In mid-December, the Cavaliers traded guard Ricky Davis, one of their
high scorers, to Boston in a six-man deal that also involved a draft pick.
In a sense this was a vote of confidence in James’s offensive skills. It was
time, Silas and the team was saying, for him to score more. Whether it was
the prod from management or the fact that there were more opportunities
to shoot with Davis gone, James immediately became a scoring machine.
He scored 36 points in an 88–81 victory at Philadelphia on December 19.
He scored 32 points with 10 assists in a 95–87 victory at Chicago. He
scored 34 points in a 113–101 overtime loss to Orlando on Christmas Day.
Traditionally, the NBA schedules only prime-time teams for its Christmas
extravaganza. The Cavaliers had not been televised on Christmas in
14 years. On December 28, James scored 32 points and added 10 rebounds
and 9 assists in an 86–74 victory over Portland.
Some NBA players were only vaguely aware of James’s high school exploits
and heard more about his problems surrounding Hummergate and
Jerseygate. They didn’t know what type of guy he was and wondered if
he would be haughty because of all the advance attention. Teammate Ira
Newbie, a much less publicized 6-foot-7 forward, was impressed by James’s
sincerity. “LeBron just wants to fit in and contribute, basically give his
heart to win,” Newbie said. “It’s completely genuine.”10
As much as the NBA relies on big-name stars to sell its product to the
public, it is common knowledge that superstars need strong supporting
casts to make the playoffs and win championships. Michael Jordan was
a super player for the Chicago Bulls for several years before he became a
super winner. Bulls management had to build a good team around him. At
the height of his fame, some made fun of the other Bulls as “The Jordanaires,”
suggesting it didn’t really matter who the other four players were
on the floor with Jordan. But it did. B. J. Armstrong, a guard on some of
the Bulls’ title teams, said very few players can single handedly improve a
team by as much as 10 games in the standings: “That’s the barometer in
this league.”11 The Cavaliers’ win-loss record improved by 18 games during
James’s rookie year.
78 LeBron James
James continued to excel as a rookie and sometimes crossed over to
the spectacular. He scored 38 points in a Cavs win over Washington on
February 1, and 32 points in a win over the San Antonio Spurs on February
20. It surprised many fans when neither James nor Carmelo Anthony
was selected to play in the annual mid-season All-Star game. James was
averaging 21 points per game at the time and Anthony was right behind
him at 19 points per game. Instead, they were both invited to play in the
Rookie Challenge game against a team of NBA second-year men. That
was not the main stage, but at least it involved them in the festivities.
James scored 33 points in the rookie game.
Under the direction of Silas, LeBron James and the Cavaliers were actually
steadily improving. James had pledged to bring Cleveland into the
playoffs, and for the last month of the regular season, the Cavs contended
for the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. But the Cavaliers
had dug themselves a hole with their 6–19 start, so while hope beat in
the breast of long-disappointed Cavaliers’ fans, the odds were still against
Cleveland making the leap from last to the playoffs.
Even Silas was pleasantly surprised. “No, I didn’t expect to be where
we are now,” he said. “There’s no way I thought we’d be anywhere in the
hunt now.”12
A new measure of James’s popularity popped up in popular culture. For
a March 3, 2004 game against the Atlanta Hawks at Gund Arena, the
Cavaliers gave away thousands of LeBron James bobble-head dolls, replicas
of the player standing 7 1/2 inches tall. Players and even Coach Silas
scooped them up as souvenirs. In the current sports marketplace, that is
a prized item. Milking every moment of the occasion for fun-and-games
publicity, the Cavaliers had the bobble heads delivered to the arena by armored
truck and assigned team mascot “Moondog” as one of the security
guards to accompany the mini-statues into the building. They were as hot
as Beanie Babies or any other collectible oddity.
During the ensuing stretch of March, as they galloped toward what
they hoped would be a playoff reward, the Cavs won seven games in a
row. James’s 41 points on March 27 keyed a 107–103 victory over the New
Jersey Nets.
Winning more games featuring one of the most charismatic players in
the league and putting together a run at a playoff position was refreshing
for Cavaliers fans and paid off at the box office. During the depressing
2002–03 season, pre-LeBron, the Cavaliers averaged 11,497 fans per
game at Gund Arena. The next season, James’s rookie year, the Cavaliers
averaged
18,288 fans per home game. In 20 years in Richfield, the Cavs
averaged better than that twice, and in both instances, by less than 100
A Rooki e, Not a Beginn er 79
fans per game. Only the 1994–95 first season played at Gund, exceeded the
Cleveland average for a single season with 20,338 spectators per game.
“I can remember coming in here when there were 5,000 at the most,”
Silas said of his coaching days with the Hornets. “That (the new crowds)
is exciting and it just shows you the fans like to see good basketball. I
think we’re beginning to provide that.”13
The Cavaliers could not maintain their steam and did not qualify for
the playoffs James’s rookie year. They finished 35–47, a record that did not
strike fear into the hearts of the league’s best teams, but did instill a sense
of optimism in Cleveland’s devoted fans. They could see better times on
the horizon. James averaged 20.9 points per game as a rookie and contributed
5.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists. He was voted NBA rookie-of-the-year,
becoming the first from the Cavaliers selected for the honor. And at 19,
James was the youngest player ever to win.
The award winner was announced about a week after the Cavaliers’
season ended and in one of his few faux pas of the season, James was 45
minutes late to the press conference. He tried to make light of it, saying
he was so tired from the season he didn’t want to get out of bed.
The long-awaited LeBron James rookie season was officially over. The
long-awaited rest of his basketball career was just beginning.
Notes
1. Roger Gordon, The Rookie Season of LeBron James (Champaign, Ill., Sports
Publishing LLC, 2004) p. 83.
2. B. J. Robinson, LeBron James—King of the Court (East Cleveland, Forest
Hill Publishing LLC, 2005) p. 140.
3. Robinson, p. 152.
4. Ralph Frammolino, Los Angeles Times, May 23, 2003.
5. Sam Smith, Chicago Tribune, December 19, 2003.
6. Smith, Chicago Tribune.
7. Gordon, p. 18.
8. Smith, Chicago Tribune.
9. Gordon, p. 39.
10. Gordon, p. 50.
11. Robinson, p. 15.
12. Sam Smith, Chicago Tribune, March 1, 2004.
13. K. C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune, December 27, 2003.
80
LeBron James as a high school
star for St. Vincent-St. Mary’s
of Akron, running downcourt in
one of the biggest games of his
high school career for the Irish
against Oak Hill Academy of
Virginia in a clash of nationally
rated schools, Dec. 12, 2002.
James’s team won 65–45. AP
Photo/Mark Duncan.
Gloria James, who raised LeBron
as a single mother, wearing a jersey
representing her son’s high school
team and holding up ping-pong
paddles with his face superimposed
at an intersectional
game
in Greensboro, N.C., Jan. 20,
2003, against Reynolds High
School. AP Photo/Chuck Burton.
80a
Representing his country, LeBron James makes a
flashy shot for the United States in the team’s bronze
medal victory over Argentina in September 2006 in
Japan. He is scoring over Luis Scola. AP Photo/
Dusan Vranic.
80b
Explosive scorer LeBron James drives to the basket in a November
9, 2006 game against the Chicago Bulls as Bulls forward P. J. Brown
commits a foul while trying to stop him. AP Photo/Mark Duncan.
80c
LeBron James (left) and teammate Drew Gooden watch James’s son LeBron Jr. dance
to arena music during a timeout of a 90–68 blowout triumph over the New York Knicks
on March 23, 2007. AP Photo/Tony Dejak.
80d
81
Chapter 7
Red, White, and Blue
For decades, Americans dominated Olympic basketball. All it took for the
United States to win the gold medal was to show up. Basketball is an American
game, invented in the United States in Springfield, Massachusetts,
and it seemed as if the U.S. men’s team in the Summer Games had a divine
right to the gold.
By the end of the 1990s, however, the rest of the world showed signs
of catching up. Games in international play were closer. U.S. representatives
began losing games, then losing the gold. By the time the Olympics
in Athens, Greece turned up on the schedule in the summer of 2004,
rather than being universally praised as the best team in the world, the
domestic hoopsters were the object of queries such as, “What’s wrong
with the Americans?” Where once it was believed that any thrown-
together
team of U.S. amateurs could conquer the world, it was well
known that not even a squad of the best American professionals had a
lock on the gold medal. Committees representing USA Basketball met
for hours debating the type of coaches and players to choose to represent
the country. They performed these services well aware that they would
be scrutinized by dissatisfied and disappointed American basketball fans
who had not yet grasped the situation about the depth of talent being
produced by other nations. They still felt that the gold was their birthright
in this sport.
Soon after LeBron James’s rookie season with the Cavaliers concluded,
James was issued an invitation to join the U.S. Olympic team for the
games in Greece. It was an honor to be selected and for the first time in
his basketball career, the placement of James on a basketball team did
82 LeBron Jam es
not guarantee playing time. He was joining up with a full roster of older
players with more experience who had been around the NBA. James was
still 19 and the youngest player on the team. For the first time in years,
since his freshman season at St. Vincent-St. Mary, James was assigned a
different uniform number than his traditional 23. In the Games, James
wore No. 6. When the U.S. team roster was solidified in mid-summer,
Carmelo Anthony became a squad member, too. They represented the
young guns whose NBA careers were just beginning.
This was an American all-star team and members of the squad were NBA
all-stars. Among the other U.S. players were Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson,
Shawn Marion, Stephon Marbury, and Amare Stoudemire. Dwayne Wade,
the former Marquette star who was a member of the same NBA rookie class
as James and Anthony, and who startled fans with his sterling play, was
also an Olympian. Was this the absolute finest American team that could
be put together? No. Some pros opted out of playing for a variety of personal
reasons. This was a new look for the United States, relying mostly on
young players on the cusp of superstardom, and trying to mesh a unit that
could contend with and defeat teams from other nations that had shared
the court together for years.
The man who was handed the reins to this youthful team was Coach
Larry Brown. Brown was coming off a season where he had led the Detroit
Pistons to the NBA title. He has long been highly regarded as a teacher
of the sport, but he is also regarded as a coach who can be hard on his
players. One question was whether Brown and his players could get along
well enough to bring home the spoils. Could the players brush off Brown’s
sharp comments to perform? Could Brown overlook the frequent mistakes
a young team would make? James, for one, was constantly asked about
being the youngest member of the team. “I’m still young,” he said, “but
I’ve learned so much in the 19 years I’ve been alive. I’m a teenager in age,
but I’ve been a man a long time.”1
The United States—the team and the fans—found out early that this
was not going to be one of the country’s old-fashioned cruises to the gold
that so many in the basketball world were used to seeing. The Americans
were thumped, unexpectedly, by a solid Puerto Rican team, 92–73. It was
the United States’ first loss in 25 Olympic contests. The defeat was a
shock and it exposed weaknesses Americans felt had been overcome by
the choice of players and the Larry Brown drills. The United States shot
poorly, especially from the three-point arc, and did not jell as a team. The
game was a portent of a very frustrating, disappointing Olympic experience
for Brown, the players, and the United States.
R ed, Whit e, and Blu e 83
After the stunning loss, the United States bested Greece and Australia,
but fell to Lithuania, before topping Angola. The Americans then deposited
a key victory over Spain in the win column, setting up a semifinal
match with Argentina. A win would have kept the United States
alive for a gold medal, despite early erratic play, but the Americans lost by
eight points. In a society where a gold-medal performance was really the
only acceptable result, the United States was out of the picture before the
final game. The team rallied and scored the bronze medal by taking out
Lithuania in a rematch to avoid going home empty-handed. But bronze
medals in Olympic basketball are more frustrating consolation prize than
achievement in the United States. Rather than be applauded for winning
a medal, the Americans, who fell short of their own expectations, were
quizzed on why they “failed.”
View from the Bench
For the first time in his life, LeBron James was a non-factor on a basketball
team and was used only selectively. He spent most of the U.S. games
hanging out at the end of the bench shooting the breeze with Anthony
and cheering for teammates on the court. Frequently, James’s line-score
contributions were summed up in single digits for minutes played and in
single digits for points scored. Once in a while he broke loose, contributing
11 points in the Angola victory. He also scored 10 points against
Greece.
James had opportunities to criticize the way he was used in the games,
but took the high road and didn’t complain. He was gracious and told
reporters he was proud to represent his country, and that he was learning
from the experience of being on the U.S. team.
It was an unusual situation for James. He was making news by not
playing. He didn’t want to make more news by opening his mouth and
saying something regrettable. As it was, USA Basketball men’s selection
committee chairman Stu Jackson said after the Athens Games that James
might be a prospect for two or three more U.S. Olympic teams.
By the next season, James was definitely thinking ahead to the 2008
Olympics in Beijing—he was taking Chinese lessons. When a film crew
from China interviewed him in the Cavs’ locker room in late 2006, James
said, “Nee-how,” or hello, in Chinese, on camera.2
When it comes to LeBron James, the public appetite for news, gossip,
or off-beat developments never ceases. A full-fledged professional, with
earning power stretching in all directions after signing his megabucks
84 LeBron Jam es
endorsement contracts with Nike, Coca-Cola, and beyond, James found
that his Olympic experience was bracketed by breathless breaking reports
that indicated he had become an “A” list celebrity whose every move was
monitored.
Selling LeBron
In late July 2004, a sports trading card that featured James and his idol,
Michael Jordan, printed by Upper Deck, sold on eBay for $150,000. That
was the highest price ever paid for a card printed since 1980 representing
any sport. The single most valuable sports card is a rare Honus Wagner
baseball card from 1906 that has sold for more than $2 million. The price
paid for the James-Jordan card stunned many because the card was manufactured
in 2004. Cloth NBA logo swatches were imbedded into the card,
driving up its value. A James-Kobe Bryant card of similar rarity sold for
$62,100 before the James-Jordan card hit the market.3
Not to be outflanked in the popular culture wars, about a month later,
Coca-Cola announced a deal with DC Comics (producers of Superman
and Batman comic books for decades) to print a LeBron James comic
book used as a vehicle to promote Powerade Falva23, a new sports drink
that James had input into inventing. The color was described as burgundy
and the flavor as “sourberry.” After the player saw the art work for the
adventures of LeBron James, he asked to be depicted with larger muscles.
Then he got behind the effort that was scheduled for a 3-million magazine
print run. “I mean, ripped muscles, impossible moves, scoring at will, and
beating the bad guys, who wouldn’t want to be a heroic basketball player
in a comic book?” James said.4
James had always been a fan of comic books, so it was a special treat
to be featured in one. Likewise, he had always been a fan of chewing
gum. His newest endorsement deal was a commitment to work with
Bubblicious gum and James got the chance to have his own brand called
“Lightning Lemonade.”
True to his word when he turned pro, James was still having fun.
Then things got more serious, although the event was a joyous one.
James’s longtime girlfriend Savannah Brinson, gave birth to his first child,
LeBron James Jr. The young man who had grown up without knowing his
genetic father and who had been mostly raised by single mother Gloria,
was very thoughtful about this new addition to his life. The baby was
born on October 6, 2004, and James said he was humbled by his new
role of fatherhood and the responsibilities he knew it entailed. “It’s really
calmed me down by being a father now,” James said on the cusp of
his second NBA season. “It keeps me grounded. I got to represent for
R ed, Whit e, and Blu e 85
my whole family now. I can’t, in no way, shape or form try to hurt my
name.”5
The man who seemed to have everything from riches and fame to a
good life served on the platter of professional sports talked about being
humbled in two ways—not playing much in the Olympics and being a new
dad. But he was still the same old LeBron in many ways. He watched long
hours of film to study his moves and improve his basketball skills. James
rode a bicycle for long hours to improve his stamina. He had learned so
much, paid many hardscrabble dues, but James was always the first to say
that he could get better. And it was his goal to show it to the world during
his second campaign with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Cleveland Part II
When LeBron James’s second season with the Cavaliers began, it was
apparent that all of the talk he made about practicing and working on his
game was not merely lip service. He wasn’t just uttering those statements
because they were politically correct, but because they reflected his beliefs.
It was easy to discern that he was telling the truth, because the Cavaliers
realized they had a new, improved LeBron. He was a better player than
he was as a rookie and there weren’t too many complaints about James’s
performance in his first season. If there was a gripe at all, it was that James
shot only 41.7 percent from the field his first year. Basketball people said
he must do better and James acknowledged that he wanted to do better,
pushing his shooting accuracy nearer to 50 percent.
Almost immediately, it was clear in the fall of 2004 that not only was
James a better player his second time around the NBA, but the Cavaliers
were a better team. With each early-season victory, a genuine sense of fan
excitement grew from a feeling of “One day LeBron James will lead us
through a special season” to “LeBron might be able to take us someplace
special right now.”
After James redoubled his efforts to make his jump shot sharper and to
work harder on his one-on-one defense, he sounded uncharacteristically
outspoken at the beginning of the Cavs’ 2004–05 season. “It’s going to be
a breeze for me,” he said.6 Maybe a breeze was an overstatement because
no one questioned how hard James sweated (he really needed his trademark
headband to keep the perspiration out of his eyes), but less than two
months into the new season James was shooting 49.3 percent from the
floor. The Cavaliers had also posted a record of 14–9. It was nearly four
years since Cleveland had been over .500 in the standings.
James was complimented so much when he was in high school that it
would have been easy for him to blow off extra workouts and arrive in the
86 LeBron Jam es
NBA ill-prepared. The history of some high school players looking lost
on the court as rookies made some basketball experts reserve judgment on
James before his rookie-of-the-year season. Once again James could have
rested on his laurels, but instead he returned for his second season ready
to move into the top echelon of league stars.
No one appreciated the new-look LeBron more than his coaches and
teammates. They practiced with him every day, watched him closely during
games, and could make easy comparisons in his play from one year to
the next. Coach Paul Silas marveled at the differences he saw in James’s
capabilities over a short time. “I have never seen a player learn so much
in one year,” Silas said of his star. “He is further ahead than I thought he
would be at this time. He’s so much more aware, so much better than he
was last year as a rookie.”7
When James first joined the Cavaliers, he was careful not to insult
veterans and step into their leadership territory. He was physically their
equal with his perfect forward height of 6-foot-8 and his hefty power build
of 240 pounds. James was rated a special talent, however, because he was
faster than most other players, especially on his first step to the basket
to drive for a lay-up, and he could out-jump most. In his second season,
James was no longer verbally reticent. He realized he was being looked to
as the team leader and although he did not turn 20 years old until the season
was about eight weeks old, he felt it was his responsibility to carry the
franchise to the next level of improvement. To James, the dream reward
for a last-place team of two seasons earlier was defined as carrying the
Cavs into the postseason. To him it was playoffs or bust. And he wasn’t
shy about stating that aspiration at the start of the season.
Getting Better All the Time
James began running up higher point totals in the Cavs’ games and
he gained more admirers. He raised his points per game to more than 27
and that propelled him into the league’s top five. When James scored
43 points in an early-season Cleveland triumph over Larry Brown’s Detroit
Pistons, it was speculated that James might have been out for revenge
for his Olympic benching.
James never said a word about showing Brown a thing or two, but if
he played extra hard to prove a point that would not have been surprising
and it would have paralleled the oft-reported behavior of his hero
Michael Jordan. Jordan regularly used slights—real or imagined—for motivation
when playing selected teams. Still, Brown had taken the time to
mail James a congratulatory present for his newborn son only a month or
R ed, Whit e, and Blu e 87
so earlier, and James hand-delivered a thank-you card to Brown before
the start of the game. The two acts of consideration implied that there
was no game of one-upmanship involved when the Pistons and Cavaliers
met, although from the outside James’s big night could be interpreted as a
vengeance performance.
Major league baseball is the king of all sports when it comes to keeping
track of statistics and numbers for its games dating back to the
nineteenth century. No other sport is as comprehensive. More arcane
baseball records are at historians’ and reporters’ fingertips than in any
other sport. Over the last three decades, however, basketball has become
much more efficient in tallying records of different sorts and in monitoring
statistics such as triple-doubles and blocked shots that once were
of no consequence to the NBA hierarchy. Some of this fastidiousness
affected James.
He celebrated his 20th birthday on December 30, 2004, and that
plunged researchers into a records search for a mark that had not been
long in the making. It was determined that James’s 2,362 points made
him the most prolific scoring teenager in NBA history. He was 503 points
ahead of Kobe Bryant. It is not a statistic that will be remembered by the
casual fan the way the breaking of a baseball home run record is, but it did
put in perspective that James had accomplished much professionally at an
early age. For one thing, his maturity at a young age meant that his team
did not worry about giving him more playing time as an 18- and 19-yearold
than Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and Tracy McGrady. Time on the court
led to shots through the hoop.
Complicating James’s swift second-year start, however, was an injury.
When he collapsed to the floor during a December 19 game against the
Houston Rockets, it was not immediately obvious how severely hurt he
was. Dikembe Mutombo, one of the NBA’s top defensive centers, has
always been very protective of the ball when he rebounds. He swung an
elbow and caught James in the face. The force of the blow knocked James
to the floor and he suffered a broken cheekbone. James did not permit the
injury to interrupt his hot streak. When he returned to the lineup a couple
of days later for a game against Charlotte, he wore a protective mask.
James also scored 26 points. The incident, James’s reaction to it, and his
response—returning quickly to play wearing an uncomfortable, awkward
looking protective device to shield his face—became another measuring
stick among NBA players. Some players are ridiculed for begging off
game action with injuries that others consider insignificant. Other players
gain admiration for their toughness by “playing with pain,” as the
phrase is used in conversation and among TV play-by-by broadcasters.
88 LeBron Jam es
The mask was a nuisance, because it somewhat limited James’s vision, but
he shrugged off the inconvenience and did not let the obstacle interfere
with his play. During a victory over Portland about a month after adapting
to the mask, James turned in a triple double of 27 points, 11 rebounds,
and 10 assists.
New Boss es
Early in that season, major changes came to the Cavaliers’ front office.
Gordon Gund sold his stake in the team and the club brought a
new owner, Dan Gilbert, into the NBA ruling brotherhood with the $375
million purchase. Gilbert operated a company called Quicken Loans and
soon enough the name of the home arena of the Cavaliers was changed
to Quicken Loans Arena, although many called it “The Q.” Coach Paul
Silas was dismissed and interim coach Brendan Malone took over the
team for the rest of the season.
James was not selected for the NBA All-Star game as a rookie and had
to be content competing in the rookie challenge against second-year players.
During his second year, however, James was too good to relegate to
that lesser show in the double feature. As a sophomore, James was invited
to the Big Show. He was one of seven first-time all-stars in the game that
season, provoking discussion about a changing of the guard among the
sport’s top players, and whether James in this particular all-star celebration
was actually experiencing a coronation as the real King James. When
asked if he was being passed the torch as superstar of the league, James
said, “Will there be resentment? I don’t know. It’s something that’s been
going on since I was a sophomore in high school.”8
A month after the All-Star game, James knocked down a career-high 56
points while shooting 18-of-36 from the field and 14-of-15 from the freethrow
line, although the Cavaliers lost the game to the Toronto Raptors.
The achievement made him the youngest player in NBA history to score
50 points in a game. A month later, James and others were caught off guard
when Time Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people
in the world. Not the basketball world, but the entire world—politicians,
economists, novelists included. There were only four other sports figures
mentioned on the list—Richard Pound, head of the World Anti-Doping
Agency, solo around-the-world sailor Ellen MacArthur, auto racing star
Michael Shumacher, and Roman Abramovich, owner of the English soccer
club Chelsea.9
On the basketball court, James indeed leaped into the rankings of the
top five players in the league. His individual brilliance showed game by
R ed, Whit e, and Blu e 89
game, and he uplifted the Cavaliers in the standings. Coming close to his
preseason prediction, Cleveland was in the hunt for a playoff spot until
the last days of the season. The Cavs’ regular-season record was 42–40, the
team’s first winning mark since the 1997–98 season, and they came within
a single win of what James had projected as minimally acceptable to him.
The season mark was the eighth best record in the Eastern Conference
and ordinarily would have given the Cavs the playoff spot they hungered
for, but the New Jersey Nets earned the berth based on tiebreakers.
The Cavaliers made noise around the league. They were viewed as a
much more dangerous opponent than they had been two seasons earlier,
and hometown fans recognized the changes and showed approval with
their ticket-buying habits, contributing to a season attendance average
of 19,128. All of the good numbers were on the rise for Cleveland, from
wins to spectators—and for James, too. During his second NBA season,
James averaged 27.2 points a game, third best in the league, 7.7 rebounds,
and 7.2 assists. He also used his quickness to make more than two steals
per game. In every measurable way during the 2004–05 season, James and
the Cavaliers were better. No longer would anyone scoff if LeBron James
mentioned the words “playoffs” and “Cavaliers” in the same sentence.
The player and his team had displayed enough for everyone to realize it
was not wishful thinking, but almost certainly a foregone conclusion for
2005–06.
Notes
1. B. J. Robinson, LeBron James—King of the Court (East Cleveland: Forest
Hills Publishing, 2005), p. 171.
2. LeBron James, pre-game press conference, Quicken Loans Arena, November
9, 2006.
3. Chicago Tribune Redeye edition, July 26, 2004.
4. Chicago Tribune, August 20, 2004.
5. Robinson, p. 179.
6. Sean Deveney, The Sporting News, December 16, 2004.
7. Deveney, The Sporting News.
8. Sam Smith, Chicago Tribune, February 20, 2005.
9. Time Magazine, April 11, 2005.
90
91
Chapter 8
Junior Year Pro
One man does not make a championship team, no matter how talented
he is. But one man can uplift a team, and entering the 2005–06 season it
was unclear whether LeBron James was going to be a one-man Cavaliers
club or whether the construction of a team around him was paying off.
Skeptical basketball observers still felt that Cleveland was a one-man
team, not a team ready for the playoffs or to make a run for Eastern Conference
supremacy. James thought differently. Once again he believed he was
improved and so were the Cavs. And once again he set out to prove it.
During the summer leading into his third season, James flexed his
muscles verbally. At the start of the NBA’s annual free-agent season, he
publicly urged the Cavaliers to be aggressive in seeking new faces and said
he would like his opinions to be considered when the team went after
guys through trades or free-agent signings. At the time, such luminaries
and potentially helpful players as guards Ray Allen, Larry Hughes, and
Michael Redd appeared available. The Cavs did sign Hughes, previously
of the Washington Wizards, hoping he could be a scoring point guard and
might work well with James.1 Despite some injuries, Hughes did play a
critical role with the Cavaliers once he joined the team. And Cleveland
also added forward Donyell Marshall, who left the Toronto Raptors.
Later that summer the impact of some of James’s endorsement deals
also went public when his face, drawn in a cartoon-like fashion, was
imprinted on NASCAR driver Bobby Labonte’s hood for a race. It was
part of James’s connection to Powerade through his Coca-Cola contract.
If anybody in North Carolina had not known about James before, they
did then.
92 LeBron James
James also poured himself into charitable efforts before Cavs training
camp, instituting a “LeBron’s King for Kids Bike-A-Thon” in Akron;
and after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf
Coast, he contributed his own labor to the relief work. James worked with
teams of people to load food, school supplies, and diapers onto trucks
bound for the South.
Cleveland fans lauded James’s public service efforts, but they worried
in October when he became sick and was hospitalized. The incident occurred
during Cavs training camp. James felt ill during practice. When
team doctors examined him it was originally believed that James suffered
a minor strain of a pectoral muscle. Upon further review, however, it was
determined that James had been struck by pleurisy, affecting his lungs and
chest. After Cavalier supporters passed through a short period of dread
and alarm, James resumed practicing and returned to full strength.
Scoring More Than Ever
Once the games began for real, James resumed doing what he does best,
scoring points and leading his team. About two weeks into the season,
James passed another milestone, although somewhat of an arcane one
that simply reinforced that he was accomplishing more at a younger age
than any previous NBA player. In a triumph over the Orlando Magic,
James became the youngest performer to record 4,000 points in his career.
He was 20 years and 318 days old, and he broke the record set previously
by Kobe Bryant, who was 21 years and 216 days old when he established
the old mark. “Unbelievable,” commented Cavs coach Mike Brown, who
had replaced Paul Silas, after serving as an assistant coach with the Indiana
Pacers and the San Antonio Spurs. “That kid is a talent. It couldn’t
happen to a better person. He’s a great person, a great leader and I enjoy
being around him. To be around him when it happened is a tremendous
feeling.”2
The mini-milestone was insignificant, however, compared to how the
Cavaliers were playing. They were starting to act like grownups, beginning
to jell as the improving team James had promised. During a December
showdown with the equally young and promising Chicago Bulls,
James was the difference maker. He scored 37 points to propel Cleveland
over Chicago, 108–100, and that was at the United Center, the Bulls’
home court, a difficult place to win. “We’re becoming a great team,”
James said. “Right now we’re a good team. I feel like we’re getting there
to be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.”3 The Eastern
Conference was in the midst of a lull between great teams. The Western
Junior Year Pro 93
Conference housed most of the best teams in the NBA at the time. There
was a vacuum in power at the top of the East and if James’s projections
were correct, the Cavs had just as good a chance to fill it as teams like
Chicago and Detroit.
As the calendar year came to an end, James turned 21. The toast of
Cleveland was thrown a glitzy, invitation-only party two days before December
30, where entry fees of $50 to $300 were charged at Cleveland’s
House of Blues and some of the proceeds were given to charity. James,
who had made a splash nationally when he received his first car, that
old Hummer, arrived at the party in a new vehicle, a black Rolls Royce.
In contrast to the car, James wore a white suit, a look he had already
displayed on draft day. The question of what to buy for the man who
has everything recurred many times. After all, James had the money to
purchase anything he wanted. One of the revelers was Cavs coach Mike
Brown, and when he was asked about the gift problem he said he had
referred the issue to his wife Carolyn. “What do you get LeBron?” Brown
said she asked. “I don’t know, babe,” Brown said he told her. “You can
figure it out.”4
Left unsaid was that the most satisfying present anyone could give to
James was a world championship. But such gifts do not change hands at
parties, and if James was going to be the recipient of such a prized present,
he was going to have to work for it.
James’s face and persona were becoming more widespread in the marketing
world as he continued to light up NBA scoreboards. At sports
memorabilia shows, James bobble-heads and framed photographs proliferated.
Stores sold LeBron posters. If that was not enough LeBron presence
for the true fan, it became possible to move James into your living room
or bedroom in giant-sized fashion. Called a Fathead, the James (and other
sports stars) human-sized stick-ons could be plastered to the wall almost
like wallpaper.
The vivid James Fathead measured 38 inches wide by 79 inches tall and
pictured him legs bent, leaping, cradling a basketball in his right hand,
poised to dunk. The cut-off could be slapped on between items of furniture
like bookcases, lamps, and chairs and the fan could have LeBron for
company in his very own home. The price was $99, plus postage and handling;
it was sold with the theme of “Get it. Peel it. Stick it. Five minutes
and you’re in the game.”
James seemed to make as much news off the court as on it, but almost
all things covered with a celebrity touch were light-hearted. Unlike
some of his fellow high-profile athletes, James never made negative headlines
because of run-ins with the law or security forces at nightclubs or by
94 LeBron James
cracking up his car. James continued to be a good-news guy with his signature
smile and his hardcore basketball work ethic. As the 2005–06 season
wore on, it became apparent that the Cavaliers were fielding their best
team in years and that a playoff run for success-starved fans was genuine.
On January 21, in a victory over the Utah Jazz, James fired in 51 points,
collecting 32 of them in the second half. It seemed as if no time at all had
passed, but James surpassed the 5,000-point mark for his career. Once
again he was the youngest to reach the goal.
Top All-Star
In mid-season, James once again adjourned for the All-Star game. This
was his second straight selection after being bypassed as a rookie to play
in the Challenge game. Less than three weeks after learning of the vote,
James emerged as the star of stars during the East’s 122–120 win in Houston.
James became the youngest player ever chosen as the Most Valuable
Player following his 29-point, 6-rebound game. For that night he was on
top of the world. Clouding the rest of the season and the Cavaliers’ ability
to make a run at a regular-season divisional title was surgery on a fractured
Hughes finger that KO’d him from the lineup.
Some key games in March, as the regular season approached its end,
signaled that the Cavaliers were ready to move to the hierarchy of the
NBA and compete in the postseason. On March 19, Cleveland trailed
the Los Angles Lakers by 18 points and rallied to win, 96–95. James was
Cleveland’s leading scorer with 29 points. Three days later, the Cavs came
back to force overtime against Charlotte and defeat the Hornets, 120–
118, with James exploding for 37 points. And a week later, Cleveland’s
107–94 triumph over Dallas clinched the team’s first playoff appearance
since the 1997–98 season. At that moment it was easy to reflect on the
tangible dividend of drafting LeBron James. The Cavs had become both
a ticket-selling and critical success, as much as can be hoped for by any
Broadway play. James scored 46 points and became the youngest player in
league annals to pass 6,000 points. James was notching points 1,000 at a
time, it seemed.
Playoffs!
The playoff clincher was notable for several obvious reasons but also
because the Cavaliers didn’t take the race down to the final days of the
season. They announced themselves as a postseason entry three weeks before
the regular season’s completion. The final regular-season record was
Junior Year Pro 95
50–32, the team’s first 50-win campaign since 1993. In the three seasons
since James made his debut, the Cavaliers had engineered a 33-game turnaround.
There was no doubt that James was the architect of the change.
And again, James had improved his on-court performance. He averaged a
startling 31.4 points per game, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.6 assists. Only all-time
greats Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, and Jerry West had put together
a trio of such impressive statistics in the three main measuring categories
of performance. James played in 79 of the Cavaliers’ 82 games and scored
at least 20 points in 70 of them.
Qualifying for the playoffs was a goal that both James and the franchise
had achieved. In the NBA they refer to the playoffs as the second
season, however, and the Cavs desperately wanted to win a series.
Cleveland matched up with the Washington Wizards in the first round
of the Eastern Conference playoffs and the Cavs controlled the opener,
97–86, with James contributing a triple-double in all of his favorite box
score categories.
The teams split the first four games, but the Cavaliers imposed their
will in the two rugged wrap-up games, winning both in overtime to capture
the club’s first playoff series since 1993. James averaged 35.7 points a
game for the six games and was in his own class during the series; performing
far above the competition. But James and Cleveland needed help,
and the supporting cast of Hughes (11.1 points), bouncing back from injury,
forward Drew Gooden (8.2 points) and center Zydrunas Ilgauskus
(10.4 points) ably aided the star.
The Cavaliers moved on with optimism and determination and played
a hard-nosed series against the favored Detroit Pistons. Detroit, led by
Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace, looked like too high of a mountain
to overcome. But just when analysts were proclaiming the Cavs finished,
they roared back and won the next two games to knot the series.
LeBron James, or not, however, the Pistons had too much depth for Cleveland
and they closed out the Cavs in six games.
The season lasted about as long as Cleveland fans and players could
have realistically wished, but the 50 wins and the postseason showing
whetted
James’s appetite for more, and it proved that the Cavaliers would
be a team to be reckoned with in the coming year. That is precisely what
James thought after making the playoffs for the first time and cruising
past the first round.
“It gave us a sense of confidence that we’re one of the better teams in
the league,” he said. “But you know, on the other hand, we’re one of the
targeted teams. We can’t sneak up on anybody, so that’s a different feeling
for us. We were able to sneak up on a few teams last year (2005–06)
96 LeBron James
because we weren’t as well known as we should have been. But now we’re
a better team and we have to uphold the standard that we have.”5
After years of wandering aimlessly in the desert, the Cleveland Cavaliers’
franchise had sipped greedily from a renewing reservoir of water—
and a child had led them there.
The League Takes Notice
In October 2006, LeBron James was back on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
His featured appearance, along with other young NBA stars
Carmelo Anthony and Dwayne Wade, represented something different
than his cover appearance in high school. The first time, James was
being announced to the world. This time, James, with his broad smile,
distinctive headband above his forehead, and elaborate tattoos decorating
his biceps, was truly being presented as King James, a leader of a
young generation of stars carrying the NBA to new heights of popularity
and accomplishment.
Having one’s visage flashed on the cover of Sports Illustrated still symbolizes
validation in the sports world that you are somebody special. But
James had long before passed through such a stage of recognition. Before
the 2005–06 season ended, he had been the subject of an extensive
feature story in GQ. The GQ imprint made a statement about style and
impact that goes beyond the basketball court. GQ readers are sometimes
too grandly attired to get sweaty, so some of them were a new audience
for LeBron examination. Splendidly attired in eye-catching suits on
other occasions, James showed up for his GQ interview wearing a casual
shirt that included the messages “Chosen 1” and “Gifted Child.”
The interviewer concluded there was still a bit of mischievous little boy
inside James, something James has never denied. For one thing, he was
accompanied to the GQ interview by some of his homeboys, basketball
playing teammates from St. Vincent-St. Mary. Some of those guys, Dru
Joyce and Romeo Travis, among them, got the opportunity to stay home
and play college ball for the University of Akron under old high school
coach Keith Dambrot. When he got the chance during the basketball
season, James dropped by to watch his old friends play.
James dined on pancakes, sausage, and bananas as he was quizzed, and
once more, as in almost all in-depth looks from journalists, James came
across as pretty much Superman on the court and preternaturally mature
off of it. He did note “the special powers that I have been given.” And he
explained how his court vision—so widely praised—works. “Once I get
comfortable with my surroundings out there, it seems like everything just
Junior Year Pro 97
slows down. I don’t want to sound cocky when I say this, but it’s like I see
things before they happen. I kind of know where the defenders are gonna
be. I kind of know where my teammates are gonna be, sometimes even before
they know. My game is really played above time. I don’t say that like
I’m saying I’m ahead of my time. I’m saying, like, if I’m on the court and
I throw a pass, the ball that I’ve thrown will lead a teammate right where
he needs to go, before he even knows that that’s the right place to go to.
I just slow things down to a point where I can control what happens. It’s
a God-given talent.”6
The Gifted LeBron James
The longer James played on the big stage, the more it became clear
to basketball people that he spoke the truth when discussing God-given
talent. Before James had completed his third season, Scottie Pippen, the
Chicago Bulls forward voted one of the top 50 players in NBA history,
and who was Michael Jordan’s chief assistant in bringing six titles to
the Windy City, saw James play. “He’s growing into the greatest ever to
play the game,” Pippen said. For several years there had been routine
pronouncements of players emerging as “the next Michael Jordan.” Few
dared whisper that there might be someone coming along so soon who
might be better than Michael Jordan.7
One thing on the minds of fervent Cavaliers fans after James led the
team to the playoffs at the end of the 2005–06 season was the fact that his
rookie contract was finishing up and James could contemplate becoming a
free agent. That was the worst nightmare scenario for Cleveland fans. The
idea of watching James go off to a New York or Los Angeles and leading
another team to a championship repelled them. James had that right. He
just didn’t have the inclination. He proved that his roots were as strong as
ever in the Akron-Cleveland area by signing a three-year, $60 million deal
locking him up with the Cavs through the 2009–10 season. The arrangement
also called for a fourth-year player option, meaning James could stick
around longer if he wanted. “Staying in Cleveland provides me with the
unique opportunity to continue to play in front of my family, friends, and
fans,” James said.8 Word of the contract leaked out about nine days before
James inked it. The Cavaliers were so anxious to gain James’s signature on
the pact that the package was finalized not in Cleveland, but in Las Vegas,
where James was practicing with the USA Basketball Men’s Senior National
Team, the squad competing in the World Championships in China.
The tournament site in Guangzhou served as a tune-up for China’s
scheduled hosting of the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008, and the fans
98 LeBron James
were rabid supporters of the home team when it faced the U.S. squad,
even in a sport not nearly as popular as others in the world’s largest country.
The Americans were tested, but prevailed and James starred. “We just
had to settle down,” James said. “They were riding high off the fans. We
wore them down in the second half. I don’t look at myself as a hero. I just
go out there and play my game and showcase my talent to the fans and
take care of business.”9 Following its recent pattern of stumbling against
other foreign teams, but playing just well enough to place, the U.S. team
took home a bronze medal.
From the occasional rest, to making the occasional commercial, from
representing his country on the basketball court, to working out for a
fourth Cavaliers season, James had a varied and interesting summer after
the 2006 playoffs ended. He found himself in situations that tested his
playing ability and his poise, and he kept passing the tests. In a widely
highlighted meeting, shortly before Cavaliers training camp opened in
October for the 2006–07 season, James broke bread with investment king
Warren Buffett, the Omaha, Nebraska business maven who is one of the
richest men in the world. During a stop in Omaha, James rendezvoused
with Buffett at the Crescent Moon Ale House to talk money. James, who
gave Buffett one of his Cavalier jerseys, ate a hamburger and French fries
and drank a milkshake. Buffett, who is regarded as one of the most astute
assessors of stocks and financial markets in the world, counsels many
wealthy investors. If anyone thought a tête-à -tête between James and
Buffett
was an odd-couple session, Buffett also previously met with New
York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and with a businessman who
bid $620,000 earmarked for charity to lunch with him.10 If anyone was
starry eyed walking away from the discussion, it seemed to be James, who
characterized the meeting this way: “He’s probably one of the best men
I’ve ever met and it was the greatest experience I ever had. He’s one of the
most level-headed guys I know. It was a great experience.”11 James did not
let listeners in on any stock tips.
Within days of meeting with Buffett, James made an appearance on
“The Late Show with David Letterman.” James shot hoops with Letterman
outside the Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York City. And James also
appeared on an MTV show called SportsBlender where he cracked jokes.
The topic of the automobile the Chrysler LeBaron came up. No, it was
not named for LeBron James.
During the prior season, Nike made hay with a clever group of commercials
built around depicting James playing four separate roles on screen
simultaneously. The shoe-buying public chuckled as James portrayed Wise
LeBron, Business LeBron, Kid LeBron, and LeBron James the basketball
Junior Year Pro 99
guy. Nike brought the same foursome back a second time for the 2006–07
season and also authorized a four-pack set of James in all guises as collector
statues. Michael Jordan symbolized the black athlete crossing over with
endorsement appeal to the white fan. James was following in his footsteps
the way no other black athlete was able to do. Michael Jordan’s popularity
seemed to transcend race. James seemed to have the same capability.
People liked him regardless of the color of their own skins.
Right before the regular season began, James also acceded to a request
to tape a segment of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” with host Jon
Stewart on The Ohio State University campus. In the parody news show,
Stewart enthusiastically reviewed many of James’s achievements and said,
“I don’t mean to be rude, but are you an alien creature?” Then Stewart
asked James if even Kryptonite (Superman’s weakness) could stop him.
“At this point I’m not sure anything can stop me,” James replied. Both the
Letterman guest spot (which he had turned down four years earlier) and
James’s appearance on “The Daily Show” were signs he was more comfortable
stepping out of the traditional role of a basketball player only. “I just
got a little older,” James said.12
Although he exhibited his playful moments with the television shows
on his days off, James was primarily focused on basketball once the Cavaliers’
preseason training camp opened on October 3. James, who before
previous seasons set goals of a winning campaign and making it to the
playoffs, was just as outspoken looking ahead. “We can win it all,” he said.
“We’ve just got to play well. Trying to win the whole thing is what’s on
my mind. There’s no reason to play in the NBA if you don’t think you can
win it all.”13
Time to Win Big
James admitted that going through the playoffs was an educational process
that would only help the Cavaliers in their quest to go beyond the
second round in the 2006–07 season, explaining how the intensity of the
postseason is different from regular-season games in the middle of the winter.
“Every possession counts,” James said. “You can’t take one possession
off. You really feel it if you gamble, or you don’t rotate on defense, or you
miss a lay-up.”14
As he began his fourth season in the NBA, James had grown into the
stature of his reputation. First he merely wanted to try to prove himself
on the court. Then he wanted to lift his team’s status to contender. Too
busy establishing himself among his peers and the public, James spent a
few years deflecting praise heaped on him suggesting that he was to be the
100 LeBron James
NBA’s savior. Before his fourth season, James all but announced he was
ready to accept responsibility for becoming a major face of the league, if
not the face of the league.
“Kids look up to us,” James said. “They love the way we play the game
of basketball, and they like some of the things we do off the court, so we
are role models.”15
For all of the respect shown to James by Sports Illustrated in its cover
story, the magazine picked the Cavaliers as only the third best team in the
Eastern Conference. Coach Mike Brown was depicted as looking through
rose-colored glasses (a play on his ownership of 22 pairs of eyewear) when
he said, “Last year was great, but our goal is to win the championship.
We’re going to try to get a little bit more movement, but make no mistake
the ball is still going to be in LeBron’s hands.”16
Despite James’s continuing improvement and Cleveland’s mounting
optimism, only the Cavaliers community foresaw a season where the Cavs
might sweep to the NBA Finals.
Notes
1. Chicago Tribune, June 26, 2005.
2. Chicago Tribune, November 14, 2005.
3. Sam Smith, Chicago Tribune, December 23, 2005.
4. Chicago Tribune, December 30, 2005.
5. LeBron James, press conference, Quicken Loans Arena, November 7,
2006.
6. Larry Platt, GQ Magazine, “The Fast Education of LeBron James,” April,
2006.
7. Sam Smith, Chicago Tribune, May 19, 2006.
8. Associated Press, July 9, 2006.
9. USA Basketball Web Site game report, August 7, 2006.
10. Brian Windhorst, Akron Beacon-Journal, September 21, 2006.
11. Branson Wright, Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 3, 2006.
12. Julie Carr Smyth, Associated Press, November 1, 2006.
13. Wright, Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 3, 2006.
14. Wright, Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 3, 2006.
15. Chris Ballard, Sports Illustrated, October 23, 2006.
16. Marty Burns, Sports Illustrated, October 23, 2006.
101
Chapter 9
Early Season Challenges
The action was hot at the Quicken Loans Arena—and the activity
wasn’t even on the court. Before the Cavaliers lined up for an early-
season
home game against the Atlanta Hawks, fans jammed the gift
shop, competing for the right to buy souvenirs for the kids at home or
the kids in the seats. It was possible to purchase a LeBron James anything,
it seemed.
To dress like LeBron in a No. 23 Cavaliers jersey cost $80 (toddler
size $60). A LeBron bobble-head doll sold for $28. Fans could buy a
LeBron Christmas ornament for $15, an 8 by 10 color picture of LeBron
for $6, an All-Star MVP pennant of LeBron for $8, or a mini-Cavs
SUV LeBron car for $12. The team was doing its best to recoup some
of its multimillion-
dollar investment in James’s contract. Whether it
was attributable to James’s personality and popularity, or a symbol of
enlightenment
in early twenty-first-century America, there were more
white purchasers of James memorabilia than black buyers. Had James
effectively
rendered Cleveland colorblind?
The mood was buoyant. On November 4, four days earlier, in the
second game of the 2006–07 season, the Cavaliers defeated one of the
league’s elite teams, the San Antonio Spurs, 88–81. It was the first
time since 1988 that Cleveland bested San Antonio in Texas. James
scored 35 points and said, “I was four years old the last time we beat San
Antonio
(there). I think for us to go out and be one of the powerhouses,
which we’ve been preaching, we’ve got to go out there and walk the
walk. We showed poise down the stretch. They made a run and we were
102 LeBron Jam es
able to withstand it.”1 When James first came into the league, any
Cleveland-San Antonio game would have been summarized as a mismatch.
To prove they belonged in faster company, the Cavaliers had to
beat teams like San Antonio during the regular season. So even though
the match-up occurred very early in the season it had psychic value for
the Cavs.
On the night of the Hawks game, James was thoughtful during his
meet-and-greet press conference outside the Cavaliers locker room. He
had much on his mind about recent NBA developments. The NBA introduced
a new basketball for the season, replacing the leather ball in use
for decades with a ball made of synthetic material. The players, who were
not consulted before the change, did not like the new ball. Most called
it slippery. James, who had experience with the new ball when it was experimental
in the prior year’s All-Star game, had been successful with it,
but disliked the feel.
“With the leather ball you know what you’re going to get every game,”
James said. “But the new ball, sometimes dribbling during the game, it
sticks to your hand. It doesn’t get as much bounce if you want to throw a
bounce pass. It will just roll on you, and it won’t bounce up in the air like
the old ball. Sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s not.”2 It was a significant
change for players whose livelihood depended on ball handling,
on being able to make sure passes, to control the ball on fancy dribbles,
and they were aghast when confronted by a poor grip when they rose for
a jump shot. The backlash, from stars like James, as well as other players,
grew so loud that midway through the season Commissioner David Stern
backtracked, removed the new balls, and replaced them with the triedand-
true standby leather balls.
A new rule for the season also seemed to give referees extra power
to crack down on demonstrative players. The league goal was to control
the number of technical fouls, prevent physical showboating, and players’
sassy responses to calls that seemed to flaunt officials’ authority. But
there had already been cases of overzealous whistling that put some players
on edge. An emotional player like James, who wanted to pump up his
team, worried that he could get slammed with a technical foul providing
the other team with a free foul shot and possession of the ball just by being
true to his feelings. “I’ve always been passionate about the game, but I
have to be cool,” James said, concerned that even a minimalist Peyton
Manning hands-raised, touchdown pass celebration would be deemed offensive.
Whether or not there was a directive from the league urging refs
to cool their jets, after the initial break-in period, the calls seemed to
Ea rly Season Chall enges 103
mellow
out and the threat of being whistled for technical fouls did not
bother James the rest of the season.3
New Habits
James revealed a secret—he had awakened barely an hour earlier. On
the day the Cavs faced the Hawks James had snoozed for hours. He was
practically rubbing the sleep out of his eyes when he reached The Q a little
bit after 5 p.m. He had a pre-game routine in place. After the morning
shoot-around focused on that night’s opponent, James developed the habit
of going home or to the team hotel for some shut-eye. “I am a nap guy,”
James said with a laugh. “I try to get four hours of rest before the game and
then I’m pretty well ready. If anything is going on between 12 and 4 p.m.
I’ll probably miss it.”4
Starting his fourth year in the NBA, James’s stature as one of the most
prominent players had been established. He had shown that he could
make Cleveland a winner. James had impressively shown that his high
school fanfare was not fraudulent. NBA veterans tend to be jaded when
they read in magazines or see on television about the latest phenom. They
have a show-me attitude because there is always a freshly hyped player
coming along who it is said will be one of the all-time greats. They disdain
such coverage and try not to be swayed by it. When the real deal does
show up, however, they recognize it. James had passed beyond the range
of skepticism.
“Until some guy comes along and proves it, it’s sort of ‘OK, I’ll believe
it when I see it,’ ” said Cavalier guard Eric Snow. “But playing with the
best guys, you’ve got a chance to win, to be out there and have a chance
to win every night.”5
James seemed aware that Snow was prone to make such diplomatic
statements. After James appeared on “The Daily Show” near mid-term
Congressional elections, he told Cleveland reporters he had no political
ambitions, but when they pressed him for an opinion on which teammate
would make the best politician, James replied, “E. Snow.”6 It was also
possible that James picked the wrong political teammate. Guard Larry
Hughes was asked what his campaign slogan would be if he ever ran for
governor in his home state of Missouri and he said, “Free money for everyone.
That would definitely get me elected.”7
Different players bring different perspectives to a team and to the outlook
of teaming up with a star who commands so much attention. Shannon
Brown, a rookie out of Michigan State, had just joined the Cavaliers.
Even
104 LeBron Jam es
though he knew all about James, he had not known him well and Brown
had not experienced the rock-star, circus-like atmosphere that follows
James everywhere on the basketball circuit.
“I was fortunate enough to come to a great team on the rise,” said Brown,
the Cavaliers’ 2006 first-round draft pick. “It’s really unexplainable
how
much he brings to this town. He brings a lot of excitement, as far as what
he does on the court, and how he carries himself. He’s just a cool, downto-
earth guy to be around, a great person.”8
Th e James Effect on Cleveland
Mike Brown was starting his second season as Cavaliers coach. He was
part of the new management team that took over the club after owner
Gordon Gund sold out to Dan Gilbert. Paul Silas got James in his growingpains
years. Brown was supposed to reap the benefits of James’s sophistication.
He had already guided the Cavaliers to their breakthrough play-off
appearance, with James averaging more than 30 points a game. Now more
was expected from both of them. Brown was the management bridge to
the star player. He was in closer contact, more often, with him than anyone
else connected to the front office. As coach, Brown was also the man
who had to be the most attuned to James’s circumstances, conditioning,
and health. Most of the time Brown deals with Xs and Os, but even he
could not stop marveling at the outsized impact LeBron James made on his
hometown team and his hometown area.
“It’s economically off the charts,” Brown said. “Not just Cleveland,
but Cleveland and the surrounding areas, I’d even say the whole state
of Ohio. He’s a fantastic draw to have and a homegrown product. I can’t
even explain what he’s done to the area. He’s also given the people a sort
of hope, or belief, or the confidence to walk around with their chests
puffed out knowing that LeBron James is from here and he plays here.
It’s a great feeling to have.” Brown said it is remarkable how many kids,
adults, grandparents, and fans walk around Cleveland wearing LeBron
James jerseys and offered a $100 reward if an observer could count the
number of spectators among the 20,000 fans in the building that night
wearing them.9 It proved impossible to make an accurate count, but neither
age nor skin color made a difference in the wearers. Cavs fans were
united by their James jerseys.
The Atlanta Hawks were a bad team at the beginning of the 2005–06
season, one of the teams that had replaced the Cavaliers of a few years earlier
in the basement of the NBA. The Hawks figured to be easy prey for
the Cavs early in the season, with a throng of fans screaming, fireworks
Ea rly Season Chall enges 105
going off in the arena, and flattering videos introducing the players flashing
on the scoreboard. The building was rocking and rolling and about
as loud as it would be for a rock and roll concert. Yet the Cavaliers had
trouble with the focused Hawks right from the opening tip. It was 20–20
after one quarter, a low-scoring 38–37 Cavs at the half, and 90–90 at the
end of regulation play. Cleveland was sent into overtime by the lowly
Hawks and lost, 104–95.
James was his usual lead-the-way self, with 34 points, 7 rebounds and 6
assists, but Hawks guard Joe Johnson’s 25 points and an unanticipated 19
points and 11 assists from Atlanta guard Tyronn Lue offset James’s showing.
James also hit only 5 of 11 free throws, costly mistakes. The game was
indicative of many things in the NBA. To be a truly dominant team with
first-place aspirations, the Cavaliers had to brush aside challenges from
clubs like the Hawks. It also showed that it is a long season and that truly
on any given night a weaker team might play better and upend a more
balanced squad. And it demonstrated that even a lightly regarded team
can count on heady veterans like Johnson and Lue at various points in
the season. The Hawks outplayed the Cavaliers in the fourth quarter and
overtime when it mattered most. Yes, the Cavaliers had LeBron James, the
best player on the court, and possibly the best player in the league, but he
could not single handedly lead his team to wins every night. These were all
lessons to be remembered and stored for later in the season when the Cavs
hoped to be operating on all cylinders and motoring to the playoffs.
James was reflective in the locker room. Basketball, baseball, and
hockey players play so many games so bunched together that redemption
is just around the corner. They have time to study game films to make
adjustments, but they do not have time to brood over losses and fixate on
what happened in the recent past. They must move on quickly and make
sure they do not get stuck in ruts that cause repeat mistakes. They must
absorb the education from a beating overnight and translate it into an
adjustment before the next team comes along.
“They shot the ball extremely well from the three-point line,” James
said. “I thought we got their attention with some tough shots, but Tyronn
has hurt us in the past and he hurt us tonight. It will be interesting to
go back and watch the tape. I think we probably relaxed a little bit and
they turned it up a notch. I’ve said many times you’ve got to play for
48 minutes. We didn’t and they got back in the game and that gave them
the confidence and opportunity to win down the stretch.”10
After he issued his analysis, James sat at his locker for a bit, naked
from the waist up, his powerful upper body muscles rippling, wearing just
a towel. In high school at St. Vincent-St. Mary, a single loss seemed like
106 LeBron Jam es
a disaster and was almost enough to bring the Fighting Irish to tears. In
the pros, the losses accumulated during the regular-season get filed away
quickly. The Cavaliers’ next game chance was only two days away.
If the fans were left sighing instead of applauding, the trip downtown
was worthwhile for them anyway. The heavily advertised promotion of
the game was the season’s LeBron James Bobble-Head night. Thousands
of fans retreated into the night clutching their precious gift, even if they
couldn’t smile about a victory.
Can Nice Guys Finish First?
Roy Campanella, the Hall of Fame catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers,
once said that to be a Major League Baseball star you had to have some
little boy in you. LeBron James personified that in basketball. He was at
the top of the world in basketball, but at 21 he still was frisky and playful
and enjoyed mingling with kids and young people. That was one reason
why he expanded his appearances to light-hearted television programs
like “The Daily Show” and “The Late Show with David Letterman.”
“You’ve got to have fun with it,” James said of his basketball fame. “You
don’t ever want to get to the point where it’s like just business. I don’t go
into those things to raise my profile, or raise my status. I just go on there
because I like to do those things and it’s kind of fun for me. They were
both fun.”11
James schedules many activities that bring him into contact with
youngsters in his home town of Akron, and said he hopes his achievements
bring more attention to the quality of the city’s hoops. He supervised
a basketball camp and said maybe some of the campers would grow
up to be college players or pros. “It’s hopefully very important to the kids
to have the opportunity to play basketball,” he said. “Hopefully we can
inspire some good kids to get out there who want to play.”12
It has been established in the public mind that James is a young man
who likes to enjoy himself in rather tame ways—not getting into afterhours
troubles—and his smile is as much of a trademark as his jump shot.
Except when he is playing serious basketball, on the court for the Cavaliers,
it is hard to find photographs of him where he is not smiling. A magazine
story at the start of James’s fourth year of play was headlined, “Don’t
Let The Smile Fool You.” In the article, Cavaliers assistant general manager
Lance Blanks described James as “the consummate extrovert. LeBron
doesn’t have a self-conscious bone in his body. Throw on Jim Jones’s ‘We
Fly High’ and see him start grooving.’ ” The story’s writer called James
“the anti-loner.” James admitted it and said that’s one reason he spends so
Ea rly Season Chall enges 107
much time with his old buds from Akron and St. Vincent-St. Mary. “I’m
an outgoing person,” James said. “I like to share the comedy and what I do
every day. I’d go crazy if I was by myself.”13
Sometimes famous athletes who surround themselves with an entourage
are ridiculed for traveling with a posse. Sometimes, as they say, in
a world that treats them as an idol, rushes them for autographs, and surrounds
them when they step outside, it is a way of “keeping it real.” James
naturally wants to share his good fortune with his old friends, according to
Romeo Travis, one of those former St. Vincent-St. Mary teammates who
played at the University of Akron. “He wants to be the main course, but
he wants everybody on the plate with him,” Travis said.14
Part of the context for the magazine article was whether or not James
could remain a nice guy and become one of the NBA’s greatest players. He
did not, it was established by observers and James himself, have the same
intense killer instinct as Michael Jordan or the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant. But
what James was proving in his fourth season as the Cavaliers played like
more of a veteran team was that his superstar abilities could carry his team
to victories without displaying such a hardcore attitude.
Breaking Other Teams
Shortly after the Cavaliers’ disappointing loss to the Atlanta Hawks,
they faced the Chicago Bulls at Quicken Loans Arena. In some ways this
was an important game because the team wanted to put the bad taste of the
Hawks loss in the rearview mirror and because the Bulls are in the same division.
Head-to-head play could become a tiebreaker in the final standings
or make a difference in home-court advantage during the playoffs.
Except for Wilt Chamberlain in the distant past and Shaquille O’Neal
in the current NBA, superstars are counted on to make their free throws,
especially at crunch time in close games. James fretted over his 5-of-11
day versus Atlanta before the Bulls game. “It’s just going up there and
making them,” he said of the natural way of shooting that blanks out
thinking. “You know when you’re making them. It feels good. When you
miss, it doesn’t feel too good, so you just have to get back on focusing on
free throws. I think with free throws it can become mental at times. Any
guy knows you can go through one of those cold streaks at the line and it
can become mental. Every time you go up there, and you’re by yourself,
people think it’s a freebie, but it’s probably one of the most difficult shots
in the game.”15
James was hinting that he hadn’t really gotten over his sub-par freethrow
shooting against Atlanta. The Bulls were not counting on it
108 LeBron Jam es
happening again, though. Their pre-game workouts and chalk talk concentrated
on the best ways to contain James. They knew they had to beat
James if they were going to beat the Cavaliers. But veteran players also
know that James’s ascension to one of the league’s top players is good for
all of them in terms of hype, attention, and fan enthusiasm.
“There’s no doubt,” said forward P. J. Brown, who has played with the
Bulls, New Jersey Nets, Miami Heat, and the Charlotte Hornets. “He’s a
guy who draws like a magnet. He draws your attention, no matter what,
whether you’re an avid basketball fan, or somebody who just happens to
see him. You hear his name and he’s one of those types of guys where
you’ve got to stop and see what he’s doing because you never know what
he’s going to do on a night-to-night basis.
“Sometimes they crown guys too fast, too early. We bestow the honor
on them before they even earn it, you know, ‘the next Jordan, (Larry)
Bird, Magic (Johnson).’ They received all of the recognition, the glory,
but it was a process. They earned it. I just think it’s unfair to guys who’ve
been in the league for a long time, who put a lot of time in. LeBron, I
think he’s exceeded expectations. There’s no doubt about it. He’s a great
player. He’s shown it, but he still has to take his team to the ultimate
level.”16
Before the Bulls showdown, Chicago coach Scott Skiles contemplated
ways to slow down James and take him out of position to dominate, so
the Bulls could have a happy ending. Skiles made it sound as if there
was almost no way for the Bulls to prevent James from going off with a
good game no matter what type of defense they threw at him or which
forwards. “Well, we have more bodies (than the year before),” Skiles said,
“but just because you’re throwing a body out there doesn’t mean anything
other than it’s a body, you know. I mean he can pretty much get what he
wants to with the ball. For instance, one of those guys tonight will be in
their fifth NBA game guarding one of the best in the world. Ultimately,
it’s a tall order in their first game against him.”
Luol Deng, the Bulls’ second-year forward, had already seen his share
of James on the court the year before as a rookie, and he had nothing but
praise for the slippery-to-cover star. “His game is so complete,” Deng said.
“He’ll post up, or bring it off the dribble. We have to challenge every shot
he takes and make him uncomfortable.”17 The thought was accurate, but
it failed to consider that James is nowhere more comfortable in the world
than when he has the ball in his hands on the basketball court.
Atlanta Coach Mike Woodson had suggested that James was going to
be one of the best players of all time, but Skiles jokingly asked if Woodson
said it before the game or after defeating the Cavs. It was after. “He was
Ea rly Season Chall enges 109
in a good mood,” Skiles said. “I think he’s (James) obviously a great, great
player in today’s game. It’s hard to compare guys from before. And you
know, I think before we start saying that about people they should have a
title under their belt. They should have things under their belt that just
makes that a logical conclusion.”18
A Statement Game
The Cavaliers and James looked like championship material less than
an hour later when they burst to a 30–18 lead over the Bulls. Only rarely
during the course of the game did Chicago make a run that made it seem
possible the Bulls would catch up. It was a Cleveland night all the way.
The Cavs won 98–79 and James contributed 19 points and 12 assists. Free
throws were not an issue. The flaw seemed cured when James made seven
of eight tries.
It was clear that the Bulls had no answer for James. But neither did
any other team in the league. “I think he’s one of the fastest guys and he’s
maybe 260 pounds, in that neighborhood,” Skiles said, “and the way he
can run up and down the floor . . . and his jumping is underrated. He can
fly from end-to-end.”19
For one of the rare times during the season, the Cavaliers’ top scorer
was not James, but forward Drew Gooden, who scored 20 points. Gooden’s
mixed bag of mid-range jumpers and inside power moves killed the Bulls.
Gooden said the Cavaliers learned quickly from their lackadaisical loss
to the Hawks, pinning that defeat on overconfidence left over from the
previous season’s playoff run. “We thought we could approach games like
we were already frontrunners in the NBA, and we can’t do that,” Gooden
said.20
The Cavs hit 57 percent of their shots from the field, something that
bothered the defensively minded Bulls considerably. “They pretty much
had their way with us,” lamented Skiles.21
The Cavaliers sent 19,947 fans home happy and captured their fifth
straight decision from the Bulls. It was a message to Chicago that it
might be better off spending the winter hoping for a less difficult playoff
match-up.
Notes
1. Associated Press, November 4, 2006.
2. LeBron James, press conference, Quicken Loans Arena, November 7, 2006.
3. James, press conference.
110 LeBron Jam es
4. James, press conference.
5. Eric Snow, press conference, Quicken Loans Arena, November 7, 2006.
6. Mary Schmitt Boyer, Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 6, 2007.
7. Branson Wright, Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 8, 2006.
8. Shannon Brown, press conference, Quicken Loans Arena, November 7,
2006.
9. Mike Brown, press conference, Quicken Loans Arena, November 7,
2006.
10. James, press conference, November 7, 2006.
11. LeBron James, press conference, Quicken Loans Arena, November 9,
2006.
12. James, press conference, November 9, 2006.
13. Chris Broussard, ESPN The Magazine, “Don’t Let The Smile Fool You,”
November 6, 2006.
14. Broussard, ESPN The Magazine.
15. James, press conference, November 9, 2006.
16. P. J. Brown, press conference, Quicken Loans Arena, November 9, 2006.
17. K. C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune, November 9, 2006.
18. Scott Skiles, press conference, Quicken Loans Arena, November 9, 2006.
19. Skiles, press conference, November 9, 2006.
20. Branson Wright, Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 10, 2006.
21. John Jackson, Chicago Sun-Times, November 10, 2006.
111
Chapter 10
On a Christmas Ro ll
The early-season concerns were obliterated quickly. LeBron James and
the Cavaliers played with more confidence than ever at the start of the
2006–07 NBA season. There was a carryover—a healthy one—from the
preceding playoff season.
Even when the Cavaliers stumbled out of the starting gate, that no
longer meant they were doomed in a game. In mid-November, the Boston
Celtics built a 19-point lead over Cleveland, only to see the Cavs storm
back for a 94–93 triumph. James scored 38 points, 25 of them in the second
half when the Cavaliers rallied. There was no give up in the Cavaliers,
where not too many years ago trailing 25–6 might have meant the result
could be mailed in. Those were the old Cavs, not the new Cavs. “We could
have easily packed it in, but that’s not who I am,” James said. “Any time
I’m on the court, it doesn’t matter how many points we’re down, we always
have a chance to win.”1
Guard Larry Hughes had suffered a fresh injury and was forced to sit
out in early December, and on the night he returned to the lineup, key
forward Drew Gooden went down. But neither getting used to the return
of Hughes, nor the loss of Gooden slowed the Cavaliers. They crushed
the Indiana Pacers, 107–75. The 32-point blowout was symbolic of how
far the team had come since its disappointing loss to the Atlanta Hawks
in November. The Cavaliers were beginning to flex muscles they didn’t
even know they had and were making sure they beat the teams they were
supposed to beat. Their record of 12–7 was good, not spectacular, but
things were jelling. James totaled a game-high 27 points, but he scored
112 LeBron James
24 points in the first half to propel Cleveland to its insurmountable lead
before resting much of the second half. “We did a good job of jumping
on a team and not letting up,” said a satisfied James.2 A glance at the stat
sheet confirmed James’s comment. Cleveland shot 68.4 percent from the
floor in the first half, a phenomenal rate, and led by 15 points at the end
of the first 12 minutes.
Although the Cavaliers’ sizzling shooting cooled off in the second half
as more backups got playing time, one of the signals of how Cleveland
could dominate was with ball movement. Defenses always tended to focus
on James. Sometimes he took it right to them and scored, as he did in the
first half. Other times he was pleased to pass off to open teammates. He
had displayed the same discipline and keen judgment since he was in high
school playing with Dru Joyce, Romeo Travis, and the rest of the Fighting
Irish. James contributed six assists, but when a leader involves all of the
other players and is willing to pass first, instead of shoot, it can be contagious.
When a whole team takes that approach it can prove devastating.
“We’ve always been able to share the ball,” James said. “We made extra
passes and guys were able to finish. We wanted to try to execute as much
as possible, and we were able to do that.”3
It didn’t take long for the NBA to digest its star players’ disdain for
the new synthetic ball. The Players Association actually filed an unfair
labor practices charge. James, who was as vociferous as anyone in protesting
about the implementation of the new ball when the season began in
early November, like other players was glad for the reprieve when Commissioner
David Stern backtracked with an announcement December 11
that the ball was being shelved for further study.
“That’s how we make our living,” Chicago Bulls forward P. J. Brown said
of coping with the hard-to-handle ball. “The game revolves around that
ball. I think people took it too lightly and took it upon themselves to change
it. I think you definitely have to get input from the main guys (around the
league)—(Steve) Nash, (a two-time MVP), (Jason) Kidd (New Jersey’s star
ball handler), LeBron, Shaq (four-time champion Shaquille O’Neal).”4
James was content that the switch was made. “I’m a very big supporter
of the leather ball, so I’m very happy about the change,” he said.5
Basketball Is a Small World after All
In the early days of the NBA, rivalries were fierce between teams and
players. During the 1950s, when there were only eight teams, it seemed
to players and fans that they played one another every other day. In an
On a Christmas Roll 113
era when games were called more loosely, more elbows were thrown and
contact was rougher. It was rare to be pals with regulars on the other team.
The evolution of basketball in the United States brought about different
attitudes, probably by the 1980s, definitely by the 1990s, and quite
markedly by the 2000s. Players on different teams in the NBA did not
often play against one another if they were divided between the Eastern
Conference and the Western Conference. Ordinarily, that would indicate
they hardly knew one another. With the proliferation of summer traveling
teams such as the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) crew LeBron
James played with, however, summer all-star games dotted around the
country, and with college teams playing more national schedules, a player
who grew up in West Virginia might now become close to a player who
grew up in Oregon.
The Cavaliers and the Chicago Bulls are divisional rivals. Success by one
of those teams might come at the expense of the other. Yet LeBron James,
African American star forward for Cleveland, and Kirk Hinrich, white
star guard for Chicago by way of Kansas University, developed a friendship.
They found common ground sharing time together on the 2006 U.S.
World Championship team. The topic arose each time the NBA teams met
in November and December.
“I think we’ve become good friends,” James said of the hard-nosed,
scrappy player. “Especially, you know, being together for 35 or 36 days. He
is a good friend of mine. I respect the way he handles himself, the way he
respects the game of basketball and the way he approaches it.”6
The Cavaliers manhandled the Bulls that night in Cleveland. The
next time the teams met was in Chicago, at the United Center, on December
30, James’s birthday. Once again it was asked, What do you get the
millionaire who has everything? James said he did not have a long list of
needs or wants. “Just a win,” he said, which is what most people who knew
him expected he would say. Then James returned to the subject of playing
against his new close friend Hinrich. “I love Kirk’s game. I love him as a
person. You know when you see him on the court or off the court that he
loves the game of basketball. He doesn’t take any possessions off. I think
they’ve got one great player in Chicago.”7
Hinrich said that he and James hit it off particularly well when Team
USA was in China for the world championships. Being a small group of
Americans in Asia at a time when security is heavy for those wearing red,
white, and blue and representing the United States meant that it was difficult
to wander around and blend. Usually, he said, the players stuck together.
Hinrich said he hardly knew James before the team went overseas.
114 LeBron James
“Just a little bit, from being in the same practices,” Hinrich said. “But you
know, it was a long summer where the whole team was together. I got to
know him and like him.”
James has been known to let loose by dancing, but Hinrich, who keeps
his sashaying to a minimum, burst out laughing when it was suggested they
might have boogied together. “No,” he said. “But we were in a different
country so all of the guys kind of hung out together. He’s a good guy. We
became friends. What makes him an elite player is his size and knowledge
of the game. He’s 6-foot-8 and he passes so well. The tough thing about
him is his athleticism and he’s hard to match up with. You’ve either got a
guy on him that’s smaller or a guy that’s too big. He’s probably one of the
fastest guys in the league. When he gets going, with a head of steam, he’s
hard to stop. I think when you first see it, you’re like, ‘Wow!’ because he
just flies up and down the court. Seriously, he’s one of the fastest guys in
the league.”8
With the year poised to turn to 2007, the divisional match-up between
Cleveland and Chicago once again loomed as (in the vernacular)
“a statement game,” but also as one that had a tangible effect on the
standings. The Cavaliers thumped Chicago in Cleveland in November
and the Bulls were spoiling for another fight. They had righted themselves
and at the time of the game, the Bulls boasted an 18–12 record
to Cleveland’s 17–11. A Cavaliers victory would move them ahead of
Chicago.
Even with a meaningful regular-season game on tap, the mood was
light in the hours leading up to tip-off. There was the pleasant James and
Hinrich mutual admiration society discussion and some light-hearted talk
about James’s birthday. James denied having any special plans away from
the court in Chicago and emphasized his single-minded stance about a
present. “Trying to get a win for my birthday,” James reiterated. “That
would be the best thing that would happen for me.” To obtain that victory,
though, James realized the Cavaliers would have to outsmart the
Bulls again and that it might not be as easy to do so as it was in Cleveland
about seven weeks earlier. “I’ve seen every defense an NBA team can put
on me,” he said, “and on our team. So you know we have to adjust to
whatever defensive strategy goes on in the course of the game.”
Proving Points
James was aware that there were still some Cavaliers skeptics who
didn’t believe that the previous season’s playoff run meant much and that
On a Christmas Roll 115
even the six games above .500 record was less worthy than it read, because
many wins were over weak teams. He was unfazed. “We don’t judge ourselves
by what everybody else is saying,” James said. “We’re second in our
division and I think second or third in the whole Eastern Conference.
We’re playing really good basketball right now.”9
Cavs Coach Mike Brown said he had no secret birthday presents prepared
to hand over to his star in the locker room. No Teddy bears or such
surprises and when he was informed James said all he wanted was a win,
Brown said, “Me, too.”10
When the game began, the Bulls were carrying the burden of five
straight losses to the Cavaliers. This time they were at home, though,
and did everything right to excite the 22,965 spectators in the United
Center. Forward Luol Deng bombed away for 32 points and sharpshooting
guard Ben Gordon flipped in 21 points. James countered with
33 points, but the overdue Bulls had the upper hand, winning 103–96.
A stunning stretch at the end of the third quarter, overlapping into the
fourth quarter, decided the game. The Bulls went on a 24–0 run. The
Cavs missed 14 straight shots from the field and did not score a point
for 9 minutes and 50 seconds. James did not get the birthday present
he coveted.
“They went on that big run and that killed us,” James said. “They
moved the ball and picked it up defensively.”11
Deng put up the biggest numbers for the Bulls, but as he had proven
during his short time in the league, Gordon was instant offense off the
bench. Coach Scott Skiles used the former University of Connecticut
All-American to give his team a boost when the starters tired. Many
times Gordon had erupted with his near-unstoppable jump shot to slay
foes. During a pre-game scouting report of sorts, James had issued a warning
that the Cavaliers must watch out for Gordon. “He’s coming off the
bench, but he gets a lot of intensity going,” James said. “He has the green
light. He is a very great scorer and he can be a starter on all 30 teams in
this league, of course.”12 Prescient, James was right about the Bulls’ secret
weapon’s performance that night.
The loudest noise in the Cavaliers’ locker room after the loss was the
hissing sound of showers. There was no fooling around after a defeat, no
blasting music being played. But professional athletes do not let a hardfought,
regular-season defeat bring them too far down emotionally, either.
James did not get what he wished for on the day he turned 22 years old,
but he wasn’t going to complain too loudly, either. “Chicago’s a great,
great team at home. As well as we are,” James said. “We are 1-1 in the
series. I’m not letting it spoil my birthday.”13
116 LeBron James
It was a reminder that the NBA season is very long and that many
games remained before the regular season ended in April.
Fi tness Ki ng
On the first Sunday of the new year in January 2007, Americans awoke
to the sight of King James telling them to do pushups and sit-ups and to
run around the block so they could be healthier and improve their fitness.
Be like LeBron. James and his broad smile were pictured on the front
cover of Parade magazine, the Sunday supplement that appears in millions
of copies of newspapers each week. The command on the front cover was:
“Get Fit Now!” Clearly, the timing was linked to Americans’ mania for
New Year’s resolutions to lose weight.
Inside the magazine, the article was illustrated with a picture of James
competing in a joke-like tug-of-war with Olympic volleyball gold medalists
Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor. The athletes were used primarily
as attention-getters and advice from a panel of doctors was the main
thrust of the story; however, James got his say. “A good workout can be
relaxing—and we all need to break a sweat every now and then,” he said.14
The use of James’s visage on the cover of Parade was another way to break
through to a mainstream American audience from someone perceived as
“just” a star basketball player.
LeBron James the marketing genius was off to a fast start in 2007,
but so was LeBron James the Cleveland Cavaliers’ basketball player. On
January 3, the Cavs bested the Boston Celtics, 107–104. Earlier in the season,
it took a rally from 19 points down for Cleveland to surpass Boston.
This time it was a war all the way. The man who delivered the gamedeciding
shots was “Mr. Clutch,” James. Near game’s end in Boston’s TD
Banknorth Garden, James tossed in a devastating jump shot off the backboard
from near the visitor’s bench and then he iced the contest by hitting
two free throws.
“A lot of people say I can’t shoot free throws, but at the end of the day I
want the ball,” James said of his critics. “If I make them, it’s good. If I miss
them I got to take responsibility. But at the end of the ballgame, when we
need to make two free throws, I want the ball.”15
Being viewed as an everyday star in the NBA is one way to obtain status.
Being viewed as a go-to player whose team can count on a player in
crunch time is another thing altogether. Until a player converts a number
of opportunities to come through, he cannot obtain the second layer
of status. James was on his way. Even earlier in the game, he displayed
some run-out-the-clock-defying moments. James sank a bucket with just
On a Christmas Roll 117
.2 seconds left on the clock before halftime. He made a buzzer beater at
the end of the third quarter, and he scored the last points of the game
with 7.6 seconds remaining.
The most spectacular play occurred at the end of the third quarter.
Early in his Cleveland career, James filmed a Powerade commercial where
he repeatedly hit jump shots that floated most of the length of the court.
In this real-life game situation, he got the ball just beyond the end line
94 feet from the hoop and heaved an 83-foot shot that bounced off the
backboard and through the basket. “After I launched it,” James said, “I
heard the game clock go off, so I knew it was good. The way I shot it,
I knew I had a chance. I practice that. Every day after practice me and
Drew (teammate Drew Gooden) shoot trick shots like that and (it) was
one of those days that I got one off and it went in.”16
Such rare long-range shots—worth three points—create considerable
buzz in an arena, but don’t count for more than a regular 22-foot-plus
shot. James noted that making his two free throws were bigger plays at
the time, if not as flashy, because, with time running out, the Celtics were
forced to attempt a three-point shot merely to tie. “The two free throws
were big,” he said. “They made the Celtics come down and shoot a contested
jump shot or a contested three. So the free throws were bigger than
the long three.”17
James finished the game with 32 points, but also the biggest points
scored at the most pressurized times. By his fourth season, it was a given
that James was the take-charge player on the Cavaliers’ roster. He expected
to have choices with the ball in key situations, not to have to beg
for the ball. The team, with the backing of Coach Mike Brown, recognized
it, too. “He’s our man and I have faith in him,” Brown said after
James’ Boston performance. “I want the ball in his hands any given night
and I have faith we will win more than we will lose with him.”18
America Fi nds Out about LeBron
The selling of the LeBron James name and imprinting it in the public
marketplace continued at full speed. Coca-Cola, one of James’s early
sponsors, embarked on a new campaign to bond James with Sprite. The
company announced a contest seeking a theme song linking the basketball
player and the soft drink. Fans were able to submit entries and
then vote on their favorite tunes through a Web site. The Supreme
Court justice in the competition—chief judge—was James, who called
it “an honor” to be the subject of a theme song created specifically for
him.19
118 LeBron James
An intriguing and rather rare moment arrived on the court for
James in an early January game against the Milwaukee Bucks—James
failed to score in double figures, yet his team won anyway. It was an
unpremeditated answer to basketball skeptics who still considered the
Cavaliers a one-man team that would go nowhere without James being
at the top of his game. The 95–86 victory was proof that Cleveland could
win on a LeBron off-day. James attempted only 13 shots, made just three,
and scored just eight points, although he added nine assists. Drew Gooden
scored 31 points with 16 rebounds to make up for James’s lack of production.
“I mean, 13 shots for me, and a win,” James said. “Eight points, but
we got a win. Any time my teammates pick it up for me like that it’s great
to see.” Mike Brown said he was pleased that James persevered on a night
when his shot was off and he concentrated on defense and passing to
help the team. “I’m proud of LeBron James because they jumped him the
whole night and he struggled a bit offensively,” Brown said.20
James had established himself as an NBA phenomenon the season before
when he earned the Most Valuable Player award in the all-star game.
It was clear then that James was likely to become a many-time all-star in
the years to come. What he didn’t expect at the end of January was the
final vote totals for the 2006–07 team for the February game in Las Vegas.
James received more than 2.5 million votes to lead all players. The vote
made him a three-time selection, but James seemed genuinely shocked that
he led vote-getters at all positions. “That’s something I’ve never dreamed
of,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to be an all-star, but being the leading
vote-getter over guys like Vince Carter, Shaquille O’Neal, Dwayne Wade,
and Allen Iverson, you never think that’s going to happen. Just getting the
opportunity to be the leading vote-getter is kind of unbelievable.”21
The Cavaliers showed they could win on a LeBron bad day, but at the
end of January they also got to show they could win a game without LeBron
altogether. James was sidelined by a sprained right toe injured in a game
against Denver on January 19 that had passed MR I inspection, but that was
rested for a January 26 contest against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Cavs
won anyway, 105–97, in Philadelphia. “If it was a playoff game he could
play,” Mike Brown said. “The doctor suggested it would be good to give
him the additional rest. It’s just sore.”22 The Cavaliers wanted James’s toe
where no one could step on it while jumping up and down in rebounding
action and the bench seemed as safe a place as any.
James’s passion for playing superseded his toe trouble and he returned
to the Cleveland lineup one game later, only to lose 115–100 to the
Phoenix Suns. Whether James re-sprained the toe or just jammed it, he
said he was going to miss more playing time and would take it easy to
On a Christmas Roll 119
avoid long-term injury. “It’s definitely going to take time for me,” James
said. “I really have to get off of it. It’s definitely a problem. I can’t keep
forcing action.”23
James was healthy before the All-Star game rolled around in mid-
February. It was a time when many basketball reporters took stock of
James and his impact on the league and a time when James’s playful side
was on display. Cleveland sports columnist Bill Livingston analyzed the
various sides of James’s personality in relation to the four-LeBron Nike
commercial, noting that just when fans think they know James he shows
them something new.
Livingston not only talked to people who know James well, he asked
James about the four LeBrons in the commercial and speculated that
James may still be running behind Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton
Manning as the all-sport “mega-endorser leader.” Not that James would
admit it. “But asked whose commercials are better,” Livingston wrote,
“James playfully said: ‘Mine, of course. I play four roles and he only plays
one. He’s only working three hours. I was working 12.’ ”24
Still a Star
The NBA All-Star break is not only about a mid-season rest for teams
playing a long schedule stretching from November to April before the
playoffs. It is showtime and a time to show off for the sport’s biggest
names. Players display their three-point shooting skills and their flashiest
slam dunk skills, mingle with the fans, and make friends for the league.
James is a natural in that environment. When he got news that he was
the top vote-getter, James said, “It’s always special to be a part of All-Star
weekend. I think the No. 1 reason is because the fans vote you in. It’s the
one opportunity in the NBA season where the fans can bring all the best
players to one venue. It makes it a little bit more special that it’s in Las
Vegas. It’s a city that a lot of people love. It’s about the stars in Vegas and
then you’re bringing all the NBA stars there.”25
No big deal was made of it at the time, but there was an irony in
James participating in an NBA neutral-court All-Star game in Las Vegas.
Those with long memories recalled that when he was drafted he predicted
his basketball skills would light up Cleveland like Las Vegas. In
this instance—with that mission accomplished—James was exporting his
Cleveland basketball skills to help light up Vegas.
James did not win a second consecutive All-Star game MVP award.
That honor went to the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant with his 31 points in the
Western Conference’s 153–132 triumph over the East. But James was the
120 LeBron James
top gun in the Eastern Conference with 28 points, 6 rebounds, and 6
assists.
Even though it was an exhibition game, James was disappointed
by the loss. He lamented the West’s fast start and consistency that stalled
any East comebacks.
The All-Star game is a diversion. The second half of the regular season
is when teams in contention for the playoffs jockey for position. They
fight it out to win division titles and to claim home-court advantage. The
Cavaliers were still on a high from their playoff showing of 2006. Simply
making the playoffs and winning one series was not good enough in the
players’ minds this time. They wanted more. They wanted a bigger reward.
Few experts expected it, but the Cavaliers believed in themselves
and felt they could make a run at not only the Eastern Conference title,
but the NBA title.
Notes
1. Tom Withers, Associated Press, November 12, 2006.
2. Branson Wright, Cleveland Plain Dealer, December 10, 2006.
3. Channel 3000.com Sports Network, December 9, 2006.
4. K. C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune, December 12, 2006.
5. K. C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune, December 31, 2006.
6. LeBron James, press conference, Quicken Loans Arena, November 9, 2006.
7. LeBron James, press conference, United Center, December 30, 2006.
8. Kirk Hinrich, press conference, United Center, December 30, 2006.
9. James, press conference, December 30, 2006.
10. Mike Brown, press conference, December 30, 2006.
11. James, press conference, December 30, 2006.
12. James, press conference, December 30, 2006.
13. James, press conference, December 30, 2006.
14. Michael O’Shea, Parade Magazine, “The Easiest Way to Shape Up For
Life,” January 7, 2007.
15. Frank Dell’Appa, Boston Globe, January 4, 2007.
16. Dell’Appa, January 4, 2007.
17. Dell’Appa, January 4, 2007.
18. Dell’Appa, January 4, 2007.
19. NBA.com, January 5, 2007.
20. Associated Press, January 6, 2007.
21. Mary Schmitt Boyer, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 25, 2007.
22. Associated Press, January 26, 2007.
23. Branson Wright, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 29, 2007.
24. Bill Livingston, Cleveland Plain Dealer, February 18, 2007.
25. Schmitt Boyer, January 25, 2007.
121
Chapter 11
Stepping Up Time
Sometimes a 48-minute NBA game can seem like a lifetime. When the
lead see-saws and the score remains close, a few seconds of playing time
can be magnified and provide the illusion of lasting minutes. One team
can appear to dominate, but a few shot misses, a few bad bounces, and
what seems to be a decided game remains tight entering the last stretch.
Not long after the All-Star game, LeBron James and the Cavaliers
played one of those games against the New Orleans Hornets. The Cavs
held a 12-point lead and were comfortable with the margin. But then
things went sour offensively and the Hornets crept back into contention.
It remained for James, who was putting in his sixth straight tremendous
performance following the All-Star break, to take back the game. James
scored 35 points and Cleveland prevailed, 97–89. James, who usually tries
to slash to the hoop late in games for lay-ups, seeking to get fouled, instead
fooled the Hornets’ defense by throwing up long-range, three-point
attempts. He sank two of them in the game’s last 49 seconds and Coach
Mike Brown likened the finish to a baseball player taking a big swing and
hitting a home run.
The result and the way the game unfolded were other reminders that
not all regular-season games are created equally. They may count the
same in the standings, but either because of opponent, timing, conference
rivalry, or simply because of how a game is played, some seem to be
worth more mentally. The victory over the Hornets fit that bill. Losing
after being ahead by 12 points would have been unacceptable and the
win moved Cleveland to a record of 33–24, nine games over the .500
mark. Not too many years before the only way the Cavs would see .500
122 LeBron Jam es
was through a telescope as if it were a mystery planet in a distant solar
system. James, who had been scoring less than the season before, posted
a 30.5 points average in the six games immediately after the Vegas break.
“I’ve been playing great basketball since the All-Star break individually,”
he said. “I feel the best I’ve felt all year. I’m going to try to lead this team
the right way.”1
James’s inspired play came at the right time. Mid-season evaluations
from some reporters questioned whether he had improved as a player and
raised the question of whether he might have hit a wall. The more astute
players around the league did not jump to those conclusions. They looked
closely at who was playing with James and realized the supporting cast was
stronger. That meant James did not have to score as many points every
night. “What I see him doing is just taking that next step as a leader for
his team,” said Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry before the clubs met.
“He’s trying to get all those guys involved and he’s not trying to dominate
the ball as much as he has in past years.”2
Dallas was the hottest regular-season team in the NBA during the
2006–07 season, overwhelming many clubs with its balanced offense,
its potent scoring ability, and the high-caliber play of star forward Dirk
Nowitzki. Dallas brought a 13-game winning streak into its March 1 game
against Cleveland, and had gone 48–5 after a surprising 0–4 start. The
Mavericks were the talk of the league, putting on a team performance
that was the envy of all others. “They’re definitely playing out of this
world,” James said. “They’ve won 20 straight games at home, and they’re
like 45–4 or some crazy number since the start.” James said the way things
were going Nowitzki should be the league’s MVP.3
It was a measuring stick game. If the Cavaliers could beat Dallas when
Dallas was the hottest team around, it would say something. Cleveland,
however, was playing without guard Larry Hughes and forward Damon
Jones, who were out with injuries. Playing short-handed was a handicap,
but Cleveland was heartened by a 95–92 loss on the Mavs’ home court.
James was in the mix during the last-minute struggles. The Cavs chased
the Mavericks to the finish line. James was knocked to the floor on a foul
with 10 seconds left and hurt his back. He missed both free throws and a
long-range jumper. It is impossible to be the hero every night. “I tweaked
my back a little when I went into the fans,” James said. “I wasn’t able to
get as much lift as I wanted to from the free-throw line. I rushed them.”4
Neither James nor his teammates seemed distraught about this loss,
however. They had gone to the wire against the league’s best team with
a road court disadvantage and with two of their regular players sidelined.
If they could play that well every night against all other opponents they
Steppin g Up Tim e 123
might achieve some heady goals before the end of the season. “The effort
was awesome,” James said. “This is the type of energy and effort we need
from everybody. We were short-handed, but everybody played well and
tried to get it done.”5
Lose and Learn
Young professional sports franchises have to learn how to win under
pressure and they must learn how to lose with grace. They must also adapt
the lessons of losing to the future as they mature to move up in the standings.
The wisdom acquired over a few seasons and sharing time with teammates
can pay major dividends if a team is smart and talented enough to
adjust and apply the experiences of the tough times. That was one reason
why the Dallas defeat was a valuable loss. A few days later the Cavaliers
crushed the Toronto Raptors, 120–97, treating the dinosaurs like they
were unpolished college players. James scored 36 points, but the statistic
that spoke loudly about the Cavaliers was their compilation of 25 assists.
That meant ball movement was superior and that players were trying to
feed teammates who were open rather than force their own shots.
Late in the game the Cavaliers ripped off a 23–7 run. James capped it
with two free throws. The misses in Dallas were fresh on his mind and he
hit 15 of his 17 freebies against Toronto. “We wanted to make a stamp of
approval that we’re playing great basketball—and that’s what it’s about,”
James said. “We’re going into the playoffs strong and it’s starting now.”6
From his first moment with the Cavaliers, James had exhibited the
power of positive of thinking in all of his statements about the team, even
before they were warranted. He may not have been a college graduate,
but James seemed to be an honors graduate of Norman Vincent Peale’s
course work. Not everyone who listened to James talk at the beginning
of the season about how good the Cavaliers were going went along with
the program, however. And not every basketball observer was completely
sold on James’s brilliance. An anonymous scout was quoted through Sports
Illustrated at around this point of the season saying, “I can’t see it happening
for Cleveland. LeBron James can turn it on for a couple of games, but
I don’t see him carrying that team through series after series.” This was
the opposite of what James preached daily. He did picture himself carrying
the Cavaliers through playoff series after playoff series. He had unwavering
belief in his own basketball abilities, and he wanted his less-talented
teammates to turn to him when in need. He wanted them to count on
him when the game was on the line, and he wanted to prove to everyone
that he could lead the Cavaliers to a championship.
124 LeBron Jam es
In the weeks immediately after the All-Star break, James took his game
to a new level. If he had seemed less likely to dominate than he had the
year before during the first half of the season, those days were gone. He
was scoring 30 points almost every night. He was making the big plays on
the court every day. One basketball writer summed up James’s flourishing
game this way: “LeBron James has shifted into a higher gear—warp
speed.”7
James and the Cavaliers had just befuddled Houston and its All-Star
center Yao Ming. The best of James was on display in the 91–85 victory
when he scored 32 points, with 12 rebounds and 8 assists. And immediately
after that, the Cavs bested the Detroit Pistons—in Michigan—101–
97 in overtime, with James pumping in 41 points. James said the wins
showed that if the Cavs played to their top form they could beat anyone.
He might even have been making a believer out of the anonymous scout,
who showed no inclination to be outed.
James recognized that he was playing better than he had during the
first half of the season and he tried to explain what had changed. “I’m just
mentally trying to prepare myself and my team for the playoffs,” James
said. “I’m trying to execute and find creases and cracks in the defense and
trying to read them. Everything has been falling for me, my threes, my
mid-range jump shot, my drives, and my teammates are putting me in a
comfort level to help me succeed. I’ve been able to go out there and do
some things that I couldn’t do early on.”8 Superman was fallible, but it was
apparently a temporary condition.
Close games, blowouts, the Cavaliers were winning all types of games,
building a solid regular-season record that stood 13 games over .500 at
38–25 in mid-March, second only to Detroit in the 15-team Eastern Conference.
Talk was no longer about trying to secure a playoff spot, but trying
to secure home-court advantage in the playoffs. The Cavaliers put together
an eight-game winning streak in March. But if the Cavaliers were
the hottest team, James was not the hottest player in the league. Dazzling
Kobe Bryant went on a tear, becoming the second player in league history
after Wilt Chamberlain to score 50 or more points in four straight games.
Bryant’s play even boggled James. “I’ve always said that Kobe Bryant is
the best scorer in our game today, and he’s definitely proving himself,”
James said.9
Thinking Team
James was always a student of sports history (he is a fan of the New
York Yankees in baseball) and had watched film of NBA greats who had
Steppin g Up Tim e 125
preceded him, so it was natural that he had an opinion about Bryant’s
spree. But James followed the rest of the Eastern Conference teams more
closely. He became a scoreboard watcher much like the average fan, keeping
track of how Detroit and Chicago were playing. He hungrily sought
to add a division championship banner to the Quicken Loans Arena’s
rafters.
Somehow, during the heat of the race, James also managed to keep
an eye on his business portfolio. In rapid-fire succession, off-court action
swirled around James, even as he attempted to lead the Cavs to that
elusive title. Bunched into a few days at the end of March, it was announced
that James had bought a minority ownership in Cannondale,
a Connecticut-
based bicycle manufacturing company, that James would
co-host the ESPYS with comedian Jimmy Kimmel over the summer, and
that he was building a mansion in Akron. James already had a Cannondale
connection, using the company’s bicycles in his annual King for Kids
Bike-A-Thon charity event.
Only the day before, James had another get-together with billionaire
Warren
Buffet. Buffett, 76, turned up in Cleveland to watch the Cavaliers
and his new friend James play the Denver Nuggets, Buffet’s first NBA
game in 60 years, when he was a fan of the original Washington Capitols.
Buffett sat in team seats behind the Cavs’ bench. When asked what he
and James talked about, Buffett joked that James had asked him to provide
some basketball advice and he had asked James for some stock tips.
The ESPYS, organized by ESPN, the cable TV network, radio, and
sports magazine conglomerate, are the Academy Awards of sports. James
previously won ESPYS for his basketball talent, but the step into co-
hosting
the 15th annual awards in July represented new territory for him.
James had once shunned too much television attention but was easing
into becoming a more public figure with his Jon Stewart and David Letterman
schmoozing. The ESPYS provided a different forum that, predictably,
James said would offer a good time. “I’m really looking forward to it,”
James said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun and a chance to get out there and
crack some jokes along with Jimmy.” Kimmel immediately began to ham
it up about the twosome’s partnership. “He’s very, very tall,” Kimmel said.
“I’m not sure everyone knows that about him.”10
What really got fans talking, though, was the news that James was
building a new house in Bath Township, Ohio, about 20 miles south of
Cleveland that would make the Quicken Loans Arena look like a pup
tent. Set on 5.6 acres of land, the James “crib” as it jokingly was referred
to, is 35,440 square feet. Plans indicated it would contain a theater, a
bowling alley, casino, barbershop, sports bar, and an aquarium, providing
126 LeBron Jam es
a wide variety of recreational opportunities to chill out. King James was
constructing his palace, a castle definitely fit for a king.
For all of the extracurricular goings-on in James’s life as the end of
the NBA regular-season approached, he did not lose sight of the most
important business. When the Cavaliers faced the Indiana Pacers at the
start of a five-game road trip, James threw Coach Mike Brown out of the
locker room and conducted a players-only meeting. The Cavs disposed of
Indiana, 105–94, and clinched a playoff berth. That is what team leaders
do—lead on and off the court. “This is my team,” James said. “That’s my
responsibility to make sure everyone’s on course.”11
The Cavs were on the right course from game’s start and so was James,
who scored 26 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and passed off for 6 assists.
Little life developments like hosting the ESPYS and poring over construction
plans for a 35,000-foot-plus mansion were not permitted to be
distractions.
St retch Run and Playoff Fun
LeBron James loomed large on the cover of the April 2007 issue of
SLAM, the basketball magazine, taking a crossover step, dribbling the ball
high behind his shoulder with a fierce look on his face. The cover teaser
read, “Bron is the One.” The theme of the story was that the Cleveland
Cavaliers and the NBA were counting on 22-year-old LeBron James to
be all grown up—and he was showing that he had indeed grown up since
first being noticed as a 14-year-old. The point was that James was now a
man, not an on-a-learning curve teenager. “Lucky for Cleveland—and
the League, Bron is up to the Challenge” was the headline. The introduction
to the story was also illustrated by a photograph of James from
behind, naked from the waist up, with the tattoo “Chosen 1” stretching
from shoulder to shoulder.12
The article was aptly timed. James was leading the Cavaliers back to the
playoffs and the team was determined to make more explosive noise than
it had the year before. As long as Cleveland kept playing, James’s face was
going to be all over national television for the next month or two. Nike,
James’s main sponsor, had erected a large billboard in downtown Cleveland,
an inescapable, monstrous, building-tall message board for James
reading “We Are All Witnesses.” The idea had caught on that sports fans
were witnessing something special. When Warren Buffett attended a Cavs
game to watch James play, even he wore a “Witness” T-shirt.
“One of the secrets of the NBA is that for a team to be successful—
more specifically, for the supporting players on a team to be successful,”
Steppin g Up Tim e 127
the SLAM story said, “one of the members of the team has to be willing to
sit back and take the attention.” In his fourth season in the league, James
understood the concept and put himself out front to take the heat and
absorb the pressure. “Look, I’m the leader of the team,” James said. “When
you want to become a real leader, you can’t just lead by example. You have
to be able to voice your opinion, you have to be able to say things to your
teammates and they have to be able to say things back to you. So I can’t
be quiet. My rookie year I wasn’t the leader of the team. My second year
I was still trying to learn, and toward the end of last season I started to
become more of a leader.”13
Leader of Cavalier Nation
All of this discussion about James being a leader was shoved to the forefront
of press conferences and interviews because the NBA’s second season
was about to start. The 82-game regular-season sorts out the pretenders
and the contenders, leaving challengers and champions when playoffs
begin at the end of each April. One at a time, teams that achieved some
measure of satisfaction by reaching the playoffs are eliminated. The last
two teams standing, the survivors, one from the East and one from the
West, play deep into June while the rest of their friends and competitors
sit home watching on TV.
James admitted that if the Cavaliers did not make the playoffs (not
something to be feared late in the year), the season would be a disaster.
But while basketball writers and fans dismissed Cleveland’s chance to go
all the way, that’s not how James felt. “If I don’t believe we can win the
title, then it’s time for me to get out of this game,” he said.14
The biggest worry for James and the Cavs was keeping the star healthy.
At the very beginning of April, with about three weeks left in the regular
season, James battled a tendonitis-plagued knee and missed a game. But
after two more days of rest, James played and destroyed Minnesota with
31 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists in a 101–88 Cavs win. James said he
was only at about 80 percent of full efficiency. James said rehab work, rest,
and staying away from contact had paid off.
In a reminder game, the Cavaliers swept through Chicago and defeated
the Bulls once more, 112–108 in overtime. The focus continued on keeping
divisional opponents at bay. Neither team was going to catch the Detroit
Pistons, but either Cleveland or Chicago would end up with the
second seed in the East. The Bulls had a four-point lead in the last minute
of regulation time and couldn’t hold it. James made a three-point play on
a drive, a free throw with 42 seconds left, and he leaned in for a 9-foot
128 LeBron Jam es
jumper with 20.7 seconds left. James finished with 39 points. “We showed
our mental toughness and got the job done,” James said.15
When James broke in with the Cavs, then-Coach Paul Silas was impressed
enough with his ball handling to try the player out at point guard.
In a game against the New Jersey Nets in mid-April, James tried something
else fresh. Playing more like a center than a guard or forward, James
repeatedly showed off unstoppable post-up moves. James focused on dribbling
into the low post then turning and firing. The strategy worked in a
94–76 triumph and James scored 35 points. Although the approach was
something new for James, it just added to the aura that he can do anything
well on the basketball court. Cavaliers coach Mike Brown enjoyed watching
James’s change-of-pace moves and said it was a tremendous benefit
to the team. It made him wonder if James could make those moves every
game.
Normally, James enjoys driving to the basket for dunks and lay-ups,
or taking jump shots, but using post-up moves emphasized his physical
strength and inside quickness, another skill set. James said he went after
so many post-up situations because that’s what the defense allowed him.
“I took advantage of that,” he said. “I’m very comfortable in the post.”16
No one was going to challenge that assertion.
It took until the final day of the regular-season to sort out the Eastern
Conference playoff picture. The Cavaliers finished 50–32, the same record
as they posted the year before, and claimed the second seed in the conference
behind Detroit when the Bulls lost their final game. The Cavs earned
the No. 2 seed in the 15-team East and a first-round match-up with the
Washington Wizards, the No. 7 seed, in a best-of-seven playoff series.
The Cavaliers spent six months reaching this point. In James’s fourth
season, the playoffs would decide how far the team had progressed.
Playoff Time
The Bulls’ defeat was handy for Cleveland. Finishing No. 2 positioned the
Cavs well. Not only were the Bulls stuck with facing the Miami Heat, the
defending NBA champions, they were catching the Heat when previously
injured players were on the mend. Cleveland, meanwhile, caught Washington
at a time when the Wizards’ star guard Gilbert Arenas was sidelined with
a knee injury. Caron Butler, another starter, was coping with a broken hand.
The breaks of the game all favored Cleveland.
Until the opening game. James took a tumble while driving to the
hoop when he stepped on a defender’s foot and sprained his left ankle
with about eight minutes remaining in the third quarter. Cleveland fans
Steppin g Up Tim e 129
feared that the entire season, so filled with hope, would be ruined. Mike
Brown was alarmed. “That made everybody’s heart jump a little bit,” the
coach said. James was in pain, but refused to sit out. Instead, with only four
minutes rest, he scored 23 points and collected 9 rebounds and 7 assists.
Cleveland won, 97–82. “I had no intention of not coming back,” James
said. “First game of the playoffs, we’ve got to set a tone. If I was able to
limp on it, I was going to be in there.”17
When the buzzer sounded, Cleveland led the series, 1–0. The Cavs captured
the second game at home, too, and then the playoff moved to D.C.
Trying to rev up the home crowd, Arenas and Butler, the injured players,
were introduced to the loud fans. But their presence on the bench did
not account for nearly what it might have meant if they had been in the
lineup. Through the miracles of adhesive tape, ice, and other fundamental
care, James bounced back as thoroughly as possible from his sprained
ankle. James did give the home fans at Quicken Loans Arena another
fright when he did not appear on the court for warm-ups with his teammates.
James was undergoing ankle care as long as was practical before he
stepped out on the floor with about 13 minutes to game time. If James was
at less than full strength, it was not readily apparent. As Cleveland triumphed,
109–102, James scored 27 points and threw in his usual complement
of 8 rebounds and 7 assists. The 2–0 lead put the Cavs in control
of the series. “Once my ankle warms up, it feels pretty good,” James said.
“At half-time I’ll keep a heat pack on it and use my (rubber) band to keep
my ankle flexible.”18 Still, James went through his customary routine for
the fans, rubbing white powder on his hands, clapping them together, and
sending the particles skyward—Poof!—acting the magician.
The Cavs were determined not to permit the Wizards to steal a game
and notch a momentum-changer. James was his usual potent self on the
court, netting 30 points and adding 9 assists and 6 rebounds in a 98–92
victory. The Wizards were all but dead.
A few days later, that status report was confirmed. Lacking a pulse
or any other sign of life, the Wizards folded their tents for the season
as the Cavaliers concluded the series business with a 97–90 victory in
Washington.
It was the first 4–0 playoff sweep in Cavaliers history and
James was the catalyst. In the finale, he scored 31 points and notched 11
rebounds and 7 assists. The Cavaliers showed they were better than they
were a year earlier. No one was happier than James and he kept up his
one-note campaign speech—that Cleveland was in the hunt to win it all.
“Last year,” James said, “going into the playoffs, it was all about making
the playoffs. We’ve got bigger and better things now. It’s about winning
the championship and we’re one step closer.”19
130 LeBron Jam es
The Cavaliers had adopted a playoff motto—“Rise Up.” The theme
was flashed on the Quicken Loans Arena message boards repeatedly (although
it was never as important or applicable as when James hit the floor
with his injury). But that was exactly what the Cavaliers had done in
the first round. Cleveland advanced to exactly the same point in James’s
third season, although with a greater struggle. Yet this victory, the sweep,
was more energizing, more impressive. The Cavaliers seemed poised to do
more, not merely be stuck on talking about doing more. “The excitement
is different this time,” Cavs forward Drew Gooden said. “To win in four
games and be able to rest and wait for our next opponent, I’ll take this
any time.”20
Notes
1. Brian Windhorst, Akron Beacon-Journal, February 28, 2007.
2. Dwain Price, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, March 1, 2007.
3. Brian Windhorst, Akron Beacon-Journal, March 1, 2007.
4. Branson Wright, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 2, 2007.
5. Wright, March 2, 2007.
6. Branson Wright, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 4, 2007.
7. Tom Withers, Associated Press, March 12, 2007.
8. Withers, Associated Press, March 12, 2007.
9. Branson Wright, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 28, 2007.
10. ABC11TV.com, March 29, 2007.
11. Cliff Brunt, Associated Press, March 27, 2007.
12. Lang Whitaker, Slam magazine, “Grown-Ass Man,” April 2007.
13. Whitaker, April 2007.
14. Whitaker, April 2007.
15. K. C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune, April 1, 2007.
16. Wright, April 13, 2007.
17. Associated Press, April 23, 2007.
18. Branson Wright, Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 25, 2007.
19. Associated Press, May 1, 2007.
20. Branson Wright, Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 1, 2007.
131
Chapter 12
Creating Believers
Sweeping Washington lifted the Cavaliers’ profile around the NBA. The
next opponent, New Jersey, loomed as more formidable, but still did not
seem particularly intimidating. The way Cleveland—and James—played,
most observers considered the Cavs favorites, even if their history did not
trend that way. It didn’t hurt any that Cleveland had five days of rest before
the 2007 Eastern Conference second-round playoff series began and
the Nets had 36 hours of recovery time.
The opener was low scoring and not aesthetically pleasing, but the Cavs
prevailed, 81–77, despite LeBron James’s head cold. The illness played
better defense on James than the Nets—limiting him to 21 points and 11
rebounds. But no style points are awarded in the playoffs, only the wins
and losses that add up to determining a champion. Cleveland held New
Jersey to 37 percent shooting and it was not true that Coach Mike Brown
relied most heavily on James breathing infectious air onto the Nets’ best
players to stop them. Whenever James talked, he sniffled and cleared his
throat, but he informed the media that there was never a doubt that he
would stay home in bed sipping chicken soup rather than competing in
the first game. “It’s the playoffs,” he said. “You have to battle through it.
No matter what it took I was going to be out there.”1
The heavily sponsored James should have put his agents on the trail
of a new endorsement contract for decongestants after he bounced back
in the second game of the series with a very healthy looking 36-point,
12-assist effort. James looked cured from his cold as Cleveland toppled
New Jersey, 102–92, and with a 2–0 lead inched closer to capturing a second
playoff series in a season for the first time in team annals. The Nets
132 LeBron James
executed their offense much more efficiently and forced the Cavaliers
into a more up-tempo game while shooting a much better percentage.
But it didn’t matter. Whenever the Cavs needed a big play, James shook
off defenders and made it. “No matter what type of game it’s going to be,
we believe we can win,” James said. “There was a point and time when I
was here, if it was a close game in the fourth quarter we would lose, and I
learned from that as an individual.”2
That was a turning point for James as a team leader and for the Cavaliers
as a team. They had matured from a team that always lost the close
ones into a team that always believed it could find a way to win. After
six straight playoff victories, they were proving it to the world, too. Still,
no one expected the Cavaliers to sweep every game in this series or to go
undefeated in the playoffs. With players like Vince Carter and Jason Kidd,
the Nets had too many weapons to go peacefully into the off-season. New
Jersey picked off the next game, setting up a crucial fourth game. If the
Nets could tie the series anything might happen. If the Cavaliers won,
their 3–1 lead would be virtually insurmountable.
Game four was rough. At one point, Cavalier forward Sasha Pavlovic
was the recipient of a New Jersey flagrant foul. Even as the referees made
the automatic technical foul call to give Pavlovic the two free shots, the
situation nearly degenerated into a brawl—with LeBron James, acting
the role of protector, in the middle of the fracas. James ended up shouting
in New Jersey player Mikki Moore’s face up close and personal. If
both had been ejected for fighting that would have been a worthwhile
trade for the Nets. The Cavs pulled out the close game, 87–85, but James
seethed afterwards, denouncing the Nets for picking on Pavlovic for no
apparent reason. “It really ticked me off,” James said. “They tried to hurt
him. And me as the leader, I had to stick up for my teammate. I didn’t
like it—at all.”3
If James thought New Jersey would go meekly after falling behind 3–1,
however, he was surprised by the way the Nets retaliated in the fifth game
in Cleveland. New Jersey was sharper and the Cavaliers reverted to a sluggish
form of play that mirrored their undoing in some early-season defeats.
During Cleveland’s futile chase of the Nets in the 83–72 loss, James battered
his right knee as he hurtled into the New Jersey bench, falling over
Jason Kidd, and cracking into a chair. James left the game, and the floor,
with just under a minute remaining and blood running down his leg.
They might have lost a bit of their swagger, but the Cavaliers still led
the series 3–2, a commanding position. They had two chances to end it
and advance to the Eastern Conference finals and they hungered to wrap
things up in one game. If New Jersey received an infusion of confidence
Creating Believe rs 133
from winning two of the last three games, Cleveland dismissed any suggestion
it had any major flaws. Only when the sixth game unfolded in a
most aggravating way, with James forced to the bench for long stretches
because of foul trouble, did the Cavs worry. Yet the less heralded Cavs,
including rookie Daniel Gibson and forward Donyell Marshall, the offseason
pickup, helped Cleveland build a 22-point lead. A shockingly
troublesome third quarter, with James benched so he wouldn’t foul out
before the final minutes, left the Nets only one point behind.
James was as distraught as any true blue Cavaliers fan, twitching with
anticipation as he sat for long minutes. He couldn’t believe it when the
Nets ate up almost the whole lead and later said his mind was racing:
“Would the third quarter please end so I could get back in the game?”4
With James back in the game, New Jersey never gained the lead. James
scored 23 points, with 8 rebounds and 8 assists, to move the Cavaliers its
deepest into the playoffs since 1992. When the Cavaliers began the next
series against favored, top-seeded Detroit, they would be one of only four
NBA teams left with a chance to win the 2007 crown. In the preseason,
James said he wanted to win a title, but above all he wanted the Cavaliers
to advance further in the playoffs than they had since his arrival. That
goal was met. “It’s a great feeling,” James said. “This is one of the best feelings
I’ve ever had as a basketball player.”5
Bring on Detroit
Cleveland made waves in the basketball world by winning two
straight playoff series. But the so-called smart money experts did not
see the Cavaliers winning another. The Pistons were thought to be too
talented, with too much experience and motivation to be conquered by
what many still considered to be a one-man LeBron James team. Even
James’s teammates still acknowledged that perception and recognized
that if it turned out to be reality they could not run with Detroit. “We
understand that one guy is not going to beat a team of five,” Cleveland
forward Damon Jones said.6
Detroit compiled the best regular-season record in the East. Detroit had
the deepest bench and the best one-through-five talent in the East. The
Pistons won the league title in 2005. But the Cavaliers were neither scared
of Detroit’s resume nor intimidated by the personnel. Basketball watchers
conceded James more props all of the time, crediting him with lifting the
Cavaliers and no longer capping just how far he could carry them.
“LeBron James, he’s the face of the NBA,” one ESPN announcer said
as the Detroit series warmed up.7
134 LeBron James
“It’s not often a pro athlete needs to be more selfish, to ignore his
teammates and grab some glory for himself,” an Associated Press writer
proclaimed. “It’s even rarer when that athlete is a superstar, for whom
entitlement is pretty much a birthright. LeBron James, though, isn’t your
average superstar. He’s polite. He’s humble. He plays well with others. Admirable
qualities, to be sure—but not at this time of year.”8 The message
was clear—Go get ’em, LeBron.
The Pistons had seen it all, however, and their roof wasn’t going to
fall in merely because of the windy LeBron hype. Detroit, with homecourt
advantage in the seven-game series, stifled the Cavaliers in the
opener, 79–76. Neither James, who scored just 10 points, nor his teammates,
looked like contenders. James’s actions in the closing seconds of
the game supported the AP writer’s opinion. Instead of taking the last
shot, he passed to Donyell Marshall, who missed a three-pointer. Hence,
the thought that maybe James had to be more selfish, had to keep the ball
in his own hands in those circumstances, despite the two defenders converging
on him. Marshall was wide open. He just missed the shot. James
said he made the right choice. “I go for the winning play,” he said.9
Winning plays were in short supply for Cleveland. Game two shaped
up similarly. The Pistons won by the same margin, 79–76, once again
containing Cleveland’s offense and limiting James to 19 points. Quickly,
the Cavs were behind 2–0 and needed to win four of the next six games.
Maybe this was the ceiling for this Cleveland team. Maybe this was as far
as James could take these Cavs.
The series moved to Cleveland for the pivotal third game. This time
the 20,562 fans in Quicken Loans Arena got what they came for. James
was James at his best, scoring 32 points and he was the pivotal guy in
an 88–82 victory. There was no panic in Detroit, but there was relief in
Cleveland.
Detroit’s alarm bells started sounding with the insistence of a tornado
warning system when the Cavs held off the Pistons to capture the fourth
game, 91–87. What had seemed likely to be a walkover, was suddenly an
even series. Demonstrative Detroit forward Rasheed Wallace ripped his
game jersey off and slammed a wall with his hand when the result was
in. Guard Chauncey Billups insisted that the Pistons’ confidence wasn’t
shaken. But the James Gang had done it again and instead of looking
at 3–1 with the series almost in the bag, Detroit was looking at 2–2 and
wondering what was going on. James posted his routinely brilliant statistical
line—25 points, 11 assists, 7 rebounds. In cold, hard numbers,
the series was knotted. But in emotion and momentum, the series had
tilted to the Cavaliers. “I’m more focused than I’ve ever been in my life,”
James said.10
Creating Believe rs 135
All season it had been accepted with little debate that the best teams
in the NBA—the Dallas Mavericks, the San Antonio Spurs, and the
Phoenix Suns—were playing in the Western Conference. Yet postseason
excitement was brewing in the East. Even players on teams already eliminated
for the season appreciated James’s singular ability to turn his team
into something special in just four seasons. “He believes in his teammates
when they don’t even believe in themselves,” said long-time pro Jalen
Rose. “And the athleticism! He’s only 22 years old. LeBron James is doing
it from the ground up.”11
James showed up at The Q, his home arena, three hours before the
fourth game to work out. He shot extra shots and ran himself into a sweat.
During the game he drove the crowd into a swooning, applauding, hoarse
frenzy, feeding reborn rookie Daniel Gibson for big jumpers and driving
past double-teaming defenders while shifting the ball in his hands as a
prelude to a tomahawk jam. James moved at an otherworldly pace, making
such quick moves to the hoop that some Detroit defenders were left
flat-footed, unable to challenge his spins. After Gibson fed James for a
high flying, alley-oop dunk, James landed with his knees bent, hands at
his sides, and howled from a crouch. Then he pointed to Gibson, an acknowledgment
for the sweet pass.
The New National Hoops Darling
The world of basketball changed in the next game. For years, James
had been nicknamed King James. For years, the hardest-to-please critics
admitted that he was a good basketball player morphing into great. It was
too early, they protested, to advance James into true superstardom until
he either led his team to an NBA title or otherwise distinguished himself
in a high-stakes game.
Game five of the Detroit series was the moment. Playing as fiercely
as they could, the Pistons and Cavaliers arm-wrestled for 3–2 supremacy
throughout 58 sublime minutes of basketball before Cleveland triumphed,
109–107 in double overtime. It was James who broke the Pistons’ will by
transcending earth-bound players and solo accomplishment. James scored
48 points, including his team’s last 25 in a row and 29 out of the Cavaliers’
last 30 points, along with his 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Never again would
it be suggested that James passed off at the wrong time, that he was too
unselfish. He took the burden on his shoulders when necessary. His showing
left the most seasoned NBA watchers groping for compliments.
“That was a phenomenal performance,” Cavs Coach Mike Brown said.
“He did it all. This is the single best game I’ve ever seen at this level,
hands down.”12
136 LeBron James
It seemed that every bit of LeBron James’s celebrity, from the moment
he was discovered in summer AAU ball and playing for St. Vincent-St.
Mary, led to this virtuoso performance.
“It was amazing,” said former NBA star and coach Doug Collins, a TV
commentator.13
“Some of the things he does are like in a video game,” teammate Scott
Pollard said. “You think, ‘You can’t do that in real life.’ ”14
But James could. That night and the next day, James was the talk of
radio and television sports shows. He heard more praise than a bride on her
wedding day. All day fans ran around saying, “Did you see it?” See it? There
was no way to avoid highlights and descriptions of James’s magnificence.
The win gave the Cavaliers a third straight playoff victory over
Detroit. It was noted that there was one game to go, but few doubted
now that the Pistons were going to be dead on arrival for game six in
Cleveland.
They were. The Cavaliers won, 98–82, to earn their first trip
to the NBA Finals. Quicken Loans Arena was party central, the hub of
a city’s joy. When the final buzzer sounded, Cavalier players celebrated
on the court, pulling on ready-made “Champions” baseball caps and Tshirts.
They hugged and fans with long memories recalled that the last
time any of their professional teams had won anything it was the Browns
in 1964.
James, known to smile for much less reason, had a big grin plastered on
his face, but seemed dazed by the “Rise Up” accomplishment. Almost no
one predicted the Cavaliers would still be contesting meaningful games in
June. “This is like a dream,” James said.15 “If I could put into words what’s
going on in my head, I’d be here for another three hours,” he added. “This
is special. This is definitely a big step in Cavaliers’ history.”16
It was almost an unfathomable step. So soon after the rebuilding Cavaliers
drafted James they were only one step from the NBA championship.
Only a showdown with the San Antonio Spurs stood as a barrier.
Summertime Blues and Summertime Highs
Life was wild and crazy in Cleveland. For the first time in the history
of the franchise, the Cavs were on their way to the NBA Finals. No
one thought they could do it—except for perhaps LeBron James. No one
thought they could tackle San Antonio, either (whether the Cavs had
beaten the Spurs that one regular-season time way back in the beginning
of the season or not), but for the moment that did not matter.
Life With LeBron—as had been fervently hoped—was way better than
Life Before LeBron. Only a few years earlier, the Cavaliers were a league
Creating Believe rs 137
joke. Now they were playing for the right to be crowned the best. Surreal.
Unreal.
Few communities were as hungry for a professional championship in
any sport as Cleveland. So starved for success and sports respect were the
residents that simply reaching the Finals carried as much impact for the
city as winning it all might mean for another town. It didn’t matter who
the Cavaliers faced in the Finals, there was a growing sense the LeBronled
club was a team of destiny. It was acknowledged that the savvy Spurs
were more experienced, that the confident Spurs already owned three
titles, and that the Spurs possessed their own elite superstar player in Tim
Duncan. But the Cavaliers had a player’s chance, meaning they were in
the game and no other team could say the same. They also had the LeBron
James X factor. James was playing just about the best basketball of anyone
on the planet. If the Cavaliers had deficiencies compared to the Spurs,
maybe James could make up for them.
During the short break between series, Cleveland’s optimism was at
its peak. Once the games began, however, every indication pointed to
San Antonio dominance. San Antonio won the opener, 85–76. Then
the Spurs won the second game, 103–92. There it was, just as in the Detroit
series—Cleveland trailed 2–0. Tim Duncan, guard Tony Parker, and
Manu Ginobili controlled the pace and the offense. The Spurs showed
more sophisticated defenses than Detroit, bottled up James, and led at
every quarter mark in the first game. San Antonio led by 25 points at
halftime in the second game. From the start, the series appeared to be a
mismatch, although James still talked a good fight. “We’re definitely still
confident,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if you lose by one or 30 with us.
We’ve been down 2–0 before.”17
Close but No Cigar
It never got any better in the Finals for the Cavaliers. Delusions of victory
were fleeting. The Cavaliers battled in game three, but San Antonio
pulled out the win, 75–72, for the 3–0 series lead. No NBA team in history
trailing 3–0 in a seven-game series came back to triumph. The close
call in Cleveland was a virtual seal-the-deal win for the Spurs.
The Cavaliers sought to ignore the big-picture circumstances and
played the fourth game with the liveliness of spirit they showed most of
the season and that had rescued them against the Pistons. As outstanding
as James was versus Detroit, the Spurs used a shifting, versatile defense
to contain him. The Cavaliers couldn’t even steal one game. The Spurs
were focused on business and posted the sweep with an 83–82 victory.
138 LeBron James
Spurs players got to hoist the championship trophy in Quicken Loans
Arena. Neither individual games nor the series was close enough for Cavs
players to philosophize about what-ifs. They simply got beat. James was
the spark who gave Cleveland hope, but he either ran out of his magic
dust a week too soon or reached the limits of his and his team’s capabilities
for the moment.
“They have a dynasty already at work,” James said. “They don’t have
the greatest athletes in the world, they don’t have the greatest shooters in
the world, but they probably have the greatest team in the world.”18
The comments summarized the words LeBron James, recognized as one
of the top basketball players in the world, still longed most to hear said
about his own Cleveland Cavaliers. He was on his way home for the season
in mid-June, but already thinking about how to make the future even
better. “You don’t want to make the Finals one year and not get an opportunity
to play next year,” James said. “If we work to prepare ourselves for
next year, and the years to come, we’ll give ourselves an opportunity to be
a part of this again. Every team wants to be a part of this.”19
When a player runs out of games, there is more time to think, more
time to reflect on what happened and how to prepare for the next season.
James did his best to relax. He had joked that he was going to farm out
two-year-old LeBron James Jr. to grandparents during the playoffs so he
could get some sleep. But the night before the final game James and his
girlfriend Savannah Brinson had a second baby boy, Bryce. James lobbied
for naming the lad Maximus, as in the main character of the movie
“Gladiator,” but Brinson vetoed it and Maximus became the kid’s middle
name. James was a dad twice over.
Despite the defeat, James’s trademark smile crept back onto his face.
In early July, the Harris poll announced that James was fifth in popularity
among American male sports stars—golfer Tiger Woods was No. 1.
Derek Jeter, the New York Yankee shortstop, was second, giving rise to
the thought that perhaps there was ballot box stuffing going on in the
much larger city. When it came to box office, however, an ESPN magazine
analysis indicated that James represented big-time money in the bank for
the Cavaliers.
The story suggested that James was the Most Valuable Player in the
NBA, not merely because he was a top-of-the-line star. In a sport that is
often called a business, the magazine pulled together some business-like
numbers. Since the arrival of James in Cleveland, the value of the Cavs
franchise had increased from $222 million to $380 million, attendance was
up about 9,000 fans per game, and TV ratings were up 300 percent, it was
Creating Believe rs 139
reported. The Chosen One indeed. “Thank you, your Royal Highness,”
the story stated.20 A few people in the Cavaliers’ front office smiled, too.
Wait Till Next Year
James was tired and sore at the end of the season. He made good on his
preseason promise to lead the Cavaliers to a better finish than the year
before. Within a month after the last ball was dribbled, he was back to
being LeBron James, the celebrity, the star, the marketing genius when he
hosted the ESPYS with comedian Jimmy Kimmel.
The ESPYS, created by ESPN, serve as the Oscars for sports, utilizing
fan votes to select the best player, game, and moment in many sports. But
the show is as much TV show as sport, and it was a gamble for the network
to place the comparatively big-name, but show-biz-limited, James in a
starring role.
On more than one occasion James made fun of himself in skits, including
singing and dancing as a James Brown sort-of-look-alike to rewritten
rap song words spoofing his life. But the lasting image of James on stage
followed his introduction by Kimmel who asked the audience to welcome
“Just a regular kid from Akron, Ohio.”
The curtain parted and King James appeared, wearing a crown, sitting
on a throne, wrapped in royal robes, clutching a scepter, as a team of
Roman era-clad retainers carried him into the spotlight. The regular kid
from Akron, Ohio had come a long way from his homeless days shuttled
between apartments by a frightened young mother. In a handful of years,
LeBron James had become the ruler of all he surveyed, and those who applauded
him on this night seemed as much subjects as fans.
Kimmel took the gag one step further when James alighted from his
throne, bending to one knee and kissing James’s right hand. He quipped,
“Imagine if you had won one game in the finals.”21
After four years of incredible acclaim, riches banked beyond imagination,
and one sprint to a near-championship, the season just completed
was a reminder that LeBron James still had at least one goal unmet. Winning
four games in the finals was on his mind.
After resting for a few short weeks, James joined Team USA for its
critical FIBA Tournament of the Americas competition in Las Vegas. For
the United States to participate in China in 2008, the team had to advance
out of this zonal play.
This group of all-stars, featuring James, Kobe Bryant, and Carmelo
Anthony, took the assignment seriously and swept to the gold medal,
140 LeBron James
ensuring the U.S. presence in Beijing. Crushing Argentina, 118–81, the
Americans played intensely and dominated the event.
James more than earned his gold medal, scoring 31 points in the championship
game. Game by game the Americans with the biggest basketball
reputations in the country shared the ball, took turns leading the scoring
chart, and displayed the type of unselfishness that will be needed for them
to overcome challenges in China.
“I learned that players can throw their egos and personal accolades out
the window,” James said. “We came here for one reason and that was to
get the gold medal.”22
Still, there were several times, such as in the title game itself, when
James shined the brightest. “You don’t like to single guys out,” said Team
USA coach Mike Krzyzewski, also the Duke University coach, “but LeBron’s performance
today was one of the best ones in an international game that
a U.S. player has had. He was big-time today.”23
James was a crowd pleaser on another front before NBA teams adjourned
for training camps. He was the guest host for the first show in the new season
of “Saturday Night Live,” the long-running satirical comedy review.
In one skit, James grabbed a piece of chalk, drew some diagrams, and
spoofing presidential candidates, announced, “That’s how you fix our
health-care system. It’s not that hard.”
During his opening monologue, James again showed his ability to laugh
at himself. He introduced himself to the non-sports-fan members of his
audience by mentioning his affiliation with the Cavaliers. For all of you
who do not follow basketball, he said with a straight face, Cleveland had
swept the San Antonio Spurs. “For those of you who do, be cool and shut
up. Don’t ruin it for everyone else.”24
As James began preparations for his fifth NBA season, he could proudly
point to achievements on and off the court. He had lived up to the promise
shown as a dominating high school basketball player by becoming one
of the top scorers in the best basketball league in the world. He had contributed
mightily to his country’s international basketball success. And he
had virtually single handedly revived the moribund Cleveland Cavaliers
financially, artistically, and with hard-won results.
Given that James began his NBA career at 18 and played well from the
start, he has the chance to compile some of the grandest statistics ever associated
with a basketball player if he continues uninterrupted by injury.
And given how quickly he improved the fortunes of the Cavaliers, James
could well be looking forward to a career highlighted by several championships.
He is on a path that will lead him to being acknowledged as one
of the best ever to play the game.
Creating Believe rs 141
James had also made himself one of the most recognizable sports figures
in the nation and through commercials and televised appearances was
crossing over into mainstream America as a performer.
In the sense that James had overcome a difficult upbringing and earlylife
poverty to become a rich, famous athlete admired by many, his is the
quintessential American success story.
Notes
1. Associated Press, May 8, 2007.
2. James Walker, Columbus Dispatch, May 9, 2007.
3. Associated Press, May 16, 2007.
4. Brian Mahoney, Associated Press, May 19, 2007.
5. Tom Canavan, Associated Press, May 19, 2007.
6. Canavan, May 19, 2007.
7. Michael Kay, ESPN radio, May 22, 2007.
8. Nancy Armour, Associated Press, May 22, 2007.
9. Larry Lage, Associated Press, May 22, 2007.
10. Brian Windhorst, Akron Beacon-Journal, May 30, 2007.
11. Jalen Rose, ESPN radio, May 29, 2007.
12. Mary Schmitt Boyer, Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 1, 2007.
13. Schmitt Boyer, June 1, 2007.
14. Schmitt Boyer, June 1, 2007.
15. Tom Withers, Associated Press, June 3, 2007.
16. Branson Wright, Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 3, 2007.
17. Sam Smith, Chicago Tribune, June 11, 2007.
18. Tom Withers, Associated Press, June 14, 2007.
19. Branson Wright, Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 15, 2007.
20. Peter Keating, “LeBron Came Up Short in the Finals, But He’s Still Money
for the Cavs,” ESPN The Magazine, July 2, 2007.
21. ESPYs, ESPN cable television, July 15, 2007.
22. ESPN.com, Sept. 2, 2007.
23. ESPN.com.
24. “Saturday Night Live,” TV show, Sept. 29, 2007.
142
143
Appendix
Career Records
Definitions of headings, left to right: year played, games, minutes, field goals attempted, field goals made, shooting percentage, free throws attempted, free throws
made, free throw percentage, rebounds, rebound average, assists, blocked shots, points scored, average points per game.
LeBron James’s Professional Statistics with Cleveland Cavaliers
Year Games Minutes FGA FGM PCT. FTA FTM PCT. REBS AVG. ASST BLKS PTS AVG.
03–04 79 3122 1492 622 .417 460 347 .754 432 5.5 465 58 1654 20.9
04–05 80 3388 1684 795 .472 636 477 .750 588 7.4 577 52 2175 27.2
05–06 79 3361 1823 875 .480 814 601 .738 556 7.0 521 66 2478 31.4
06–07 78 3190 1621 772 .476 701 489 .698 526 6.7 470 55 2132 27.3
144
145
Bibliography
Books
Cleveland Cavaliers 2006–07 Team Media Guide. (Cavaliers public relations
staff).
Gordon, Roger. Tales from the Cleveland Cavaliers, The Rookie Season of LeBron
James. Champaign, Ill.: Sports Publishing, 2004.
Jones, Ryan. Believe the Hype—The LeBron James Story. New York: St. Martin’s
Press, 2003.
Morgan Jr., David Lee. The Rise of A Star—LeBron James. Cleveland: Gray &
Company Publishers, 2003.
Robinson, B. J. LeBron James—King of the Court. East Cleveland: Forest Hill
Publishing, 2005.
Stewart, Mark. Star Files—LeBron James. Chicago: Raintree Publishing, 2006.
Magazines
Ballard, Chris, “Now Generation,” Sports Illustrated, October 23, 2006.
Broussard, Chris, “Don’t Let the Smile Fool You,” ESPN The Magazine, November
6, 2006.
Burns, Marty, “NBA Preview—Cleveland Cavaliers,” Sports Illustrated, October 23,
2006.
Deveney, Sean, Sporting News, December 16, 2004.
Keating, Peter, “LeBron Came Up Short in the Finals, But He’s Still Money for
the Cavs,” ESPN The Magazine, July 2, 2007.
O’Shea, Michael, “The Easiest Way to Shape Up For Life,” Parade Magazine,
January 7, 2007.
146 Bibliography
Platt, Larry, “The Fast Education of LeBron James,” GQ, April, 2006.
Time Magazine, “The People Who Shape Our World—The Time 100,” April 11,
2005.
Wahl, Grant, “The Chosen One,” Sports Illustrated, February 18, 2002.
Whitaker, Lang, “Grown Ass Man,” Slam Magazine, April, 2007.
Web sites
ABCTV11.com
Canada.com
Channel3000.comSportsNetwork
NBA.com
USABasketball.com
Newspapers
Armour, Nancy, “LeBron needs to play star card,” Mlive.com, May 22, 2007.
Boyer, Mary Schmitt, “Cavaliers Insider,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 6,
2006.
Boyer, Mary Schmitt, “LeBron Tops All-Star Voting,” Cleveland Plain Dealer,
January 25, 2007.
Boyer, Mary Schmitt, “All Hail the King’s Exploits,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 1,
2007.
Brunt, Cliff, “Cavs’ James Leads With Words, Example,” SFGate.com, March 27,
2007.
Canavan, Tom, “Cavaliers 88, Nets 72,” San Diego Union-Tribune, May 19,
2007
“Cavaliers Score First Playoff Sweep,” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, May 1, 2007.
“Cavs take Game 1 after holding Nets to 37 percent shooting,” ESPN.com, May 9,
2007.
Chicago Tribune Redeye Edition, “James, Jordan Set Record—For Trading Cards,”
July 26, 2004.
Chicago Tribune, “James Wants Say in Cavs’ Free Agent Dealings,” June 26,
2005.
Chicago Tribune, “LeBron James Drinking It All In,” August 20, 2004.
Chicago Tribune, “James Youngest to 4,000,” November 14, 2005.
Chicago Tribune, “Birthday Time for James,” December 30, 2005.
Dell’Appa, Frank, “James Times It Right,” Boston Globe, January 4, 2007.
Frammolino, Ralph, “Nike Shells Out $90 Million for James,” Los Angeles Times,
May 23, 2003.
“Home cookin’ just fine; James to stay with Cavs,” Chicago Tribune, July 9, 2006.
Jackson, John, “Bulls Toss A Clunker,” Chicago Sun-Times, November 10, 2007.
Bibliography 147
“James Scores 35 Points to Lead Cavaliers over Spurs,” Columbus Dispatch, November
4, 2006.
Johnson, K. C., “James Packing Them in All Over,” Chicago Tribune, December 27,
2003.
Johnson, K. C., “Don’t Give Him His Space,” Chicago Tribune, November 9,
2006.
Johnson, K. C., “Bawling About Ball Has Impact: NBA Switches Back To
Leather,” Chicago Tribune, December 12, 2006.
Johnson, K. C. “Finishing Off a December to Remember,” Chicago Tribune,
December 31, 2006.
Johnson, K. C. “A Defeat That Can Haunt,” Chicago Tribune, April 1, 2007.
Krawczynski, Jon, “LeBron James back for Cavaliers,” NBA.com, April 3, 2007.
Lage, Larry, “James Takes a Pass on Final Shot, Scores Just 10,” Chicago Tribune,
May 22, 2007.
“LeBron James pours in season high 41 points, Cavs top Pistons 101–97 in OT,”
Canada.com, March 9, 2007.
“LeBron tweaks ankle, still puts up big numbers in win,” ESPN.com, April 23,
2007.
Mahoney, Brian, “James leads Cavs back to East final,” globeandmail.com,
May 19, 2007.
“Nets push and Cavaliers shove back,” USATODAY.com, May 16, 2007.
Price, Dwain, “Cavaliers Young Star Learning To Deal with Great Expectations,”
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, March 1, 2007.
Smith, Sam, “Just Incredible, Michael,” Chicago Tribune, May 8, 1989.
Smith, Sam, “King James Awaits Reign,” Chicago Tribune, December 19, 2003.
Smith, Sam, “Athleticism Beyond Belief,” Chicago Tribune, December 23, 2005.
Smith, Sam, “James Gives Cavs Shot at Bright Future,” Chicago Tribune, March 1,
2004.
Smith, Sam, “James Comfortable in Spotlight’s Glare,” Chicago Tribune, February
20, 2005.
Smith, Sam, “LJ Better Than MJ? On the Way, At Least,” Chicago Tribune, May 19,
2006.
Smith, Sam, “Shooting Gallery Is Open,” Chicago Tribune, June 11, 2007.
Smyth, Julie Carr, “LeBron James Wows Crowd on ‘Daily Show,’ ” cbsnews.com,
November 1, 2006.
Temkin, Barry, “Dazzling, Then Writhing,” Chicago Tribune, June 9, 2002.
Temkin, Barry, “Hyped to the Heights,” Chicago Tribune, December 6, 2002.
Walker, James, “Cavaliers Can’t Close,” Columbus Dispatch, May 10, 2007.
Windhorst, Brian, “Power Forward, Power Lunch,” Akron Beacon-Journal,
September 21, 2006.
Windhorst, Brian, “LeBron Up to the Task at Crunch Time for Cavs,” Akron
Beacon-Journal, February 28, 2007.
148 Bibliography
Windhorst, Brian, “Warren Buffett Offers Sage Advice to LeBron James,” Akron
Beacon-Journal, March 26, 2007.
Withers, Tom, “James Rallies Cavs from 19 Points Down,” Columbus Dispatch,
November 12, 2006.
Withers, Tom, “LeBron. James buys stake in cycling company,” Newsday.com,
March 26, 2007.
Withers, Tom, “James takes Cavs to their first NBA finals,” Cleveland.com, June 3,
2007.
Withers, Tom, “San Antonio Downplays Dynasty Talk,” Anchorage Daily News,
June 14, 2007.
Wright, Branson, “What’s New? LeBron’s Not Having a Ball So Far,” Cleveland
Plain Dealer, November 8, 2006.
Wright, Branson, “Here’s One That Didn’t Stroll Away,” Cleveland Plain Dealer,
November 10, 2006.
Wright, Branson, “Too Much Pace for Indiana,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, December
10, 2006.
Wright, Branson, “Hot Foe, Sore Toe, Uh-Oh,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 29,
2007.
Wright, Branson, “No Mercy in Sin City,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, February 19,
2007.
Wright, Branson, “No Quit, But No Win,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 2,
2007.
Wright, Branson, “James Leads Cavs Romp,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 4,
2007.
Wright, Branson, “LeBron Will Co-Host ESPYs,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 28,
2007.
Wright, Branson, “James Secures Cavs’ Win,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 13,
2007.
Wright, Branson, “Cavs 109, Washington 102,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 25,
2007.
Wright, Branson, “Rise Guys,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 3, 2007.
Wright, Branson, “Playoff Rollercoaster Has Matured James,” Cleveland Plain
Dealer, June 15, 2007.
Wright, Branson, “Cavs Enjoy Fantastic Finale,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 19,
2007.
Live Press Conferences
Mike Brown, Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, November 7, 2006.
Mike Brown, United Center, Chicago, December 30, 2006.
P. J. Brown, Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, November 9, 2006.
Bibliography 149
Shannon Brown, Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, November 7, 2006.
Kirk Hinrich, United Center, Chicago, December 30, 2006.
LeBron James, Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, November 7, 2006,
LeBron James, Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, November 9, 2006.
LeBron James, United Center, Chicago, December 30, 2006.
Scott Skiles, Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, November 9, 2006.
Eric Snow, Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, November 7, 2006.
150
151
Index
Abramovich, Roman, 88
adidas, 18, 37, 55, 56
Ainge, Danny, 31
Akron, Ohio: basketball, 19, 29,
38; birthplace of LeBron James,
2; charity work, 92, 125; city,
46, 48, 53, 54, 55, 70, 71, 97,
106, 107, 139; Community
Service Center of, 38; history
of, 4, 5
Akron South Rangers Pee
Wee, 5, 6
Allen, Ray, 91
Amateur Athletic Union (AAU),
1, 8, 9, 18
Anthony, Carmelo, 33, 54, 57, 63,
64, 75, 78, 82, 83, 96, 139
Arenas, Gilbert, 128
Armstrong, B. J., 77
Barkley, Charles, 29
Beard, Butch, 60
Billups, Chauncey, 95, 134
Bird, Larry, 1, 75, 108
Blanks, Lance, 106
Braun, Ben, 16
Brinson, Savannah, 17, 18, 84, 138
Brophy, J., 16
Brown, Kwame, 70
Brown, Larry, 82, 86
Brown, Mike, 59, 92, 93, 100,
104, 115, 117, 118, 121, 126,
128, 129, 131, 135
Brown, P. J., 108, 112
Brown, Shannon, 103, 104
Bryant, Kobe, 22, 25, 29, 30, 33,
65, 73, 84, 87, 92, 107, 119,
124, 125, 139
Buffet, Warren, 98, 125, 126
Burton, Rick, 74
Butler, Caron, 128
Campanella, Roy, 106
Carper, Tad, 64
Carr, Austin, 61, 68
Carruth, Rashad, 21
Carter, Maverick, 17, 38
Carter, Vince, 118, 132
Chamberlain, Wilt, 107, 124
Chappell, Len, 60
152 Index
Cleveland Arena, 61
Cleveland Cavaliers, 2, 18, 28,
43, 53, 57, 63– 68, 69 –75,
77–79, 81, 85 – 89, 91–95,
97–99, 101–9, 111–20, 121–30,
131– 40; history of, 58 – 63
Cleveland Plain Dealer, 17, 43,
47, 63
Coca Cola, 71, 84, 91, 117
Collins, Doug, 136
Cotton, Sian, 9, 13, 27
Cousy, Bob, 7
Crawford, Jamal, 56
Curry, Eddy, 36
“Daily Show, The,” 99, 103, 106
Dambrot, Keith, 9, 13, 14, 16, 17,
20, 22, 26, 96
Daugherty, Brad, 61, 62
Davis, Ricki, 72, 77
Dawkins, Darryl, 65
DC Comics, 84
Deng, Luol, 108, 115
Dennis, Chris, 18
Diop, DeSagana, 20
Duncan, Tim, 82, 137
Durant, Kevin, 64
Egan, Johnny, 60
Ehlo, Craig, 62
Elway, John, 56
ESPYS, 125, 126, 139
Ewing, Patrick, 63
Finley, Michael, 29
Fitch, Bill, 58, 59
Five Star Basketball Camp, 19
Fratello, Mike, 59
Garnett, Kevin, 65, 87
Gibson, Daniel, 133, 135
Gilbert, Dan, 88, 104
Ginobili, Manu, 137
Gooden, Drew, 95, 109, 111, 117,
118, 130
Goodwin, Aaron, 56, 71
Gordon, Ben, 115
GQ Magazine, 96, 97
Granik, Russ, 57
Green Bay Packers, 16
Gund, Gordon, 64, 88, 104
Gund Arena, 67, 78, 79
Hardaway, Penny, 29
Haywood, Spencer, 30
Hill, Darrell, 48
Hill, Grant, 19
Hinrich, Kirk, 113, 114
Howard, Juwan, 29
Hughes, Larry, 91, 95, 103,
111, 122
Ilgauskus, Zydrunas, 73, 95
Iverson, Allen, 82, 118
Jackson, Eddie, 3, 9
Jackson, Stu, 83
James, Bryce Maximus, 138
James, Freda, 2, 3
James, Gloria, 1– 6, 9, 14, 15, 17,
21, 27, 35, 38, 46, 47, 55, 84
James, LeBron: Athens Olympics,
81– 83; Cavaliers and last place,
53, 57; Cavaliers and the draft,
63– 68; Cavaliers fourth regular
season and effect on Ohio,
101–20; Cavaliers’ history,
58 – 62; Cavaliers second
season, 85 – 89; Cavaliers third
season, 91–100; early life and
poverty in Akron, 1–7; fourth
season playoffs vs. Washington,
i ndex 153
128 –30; fourth season stretch
run, 121–28; freshman high
school basketball, 13, 14,
16; Hummergate, 46, 47;
Jerseygate, 48 –50; junior
year play, 25 –35; LeBron as
endorser, 84, 85, 116, 117;
NBA draft, 53, 54, 57;
playing football, 5, 15, 16;
playoffs vs. Detroit, 133–36;
playoffs vs. New Jersey,
131–33; playoffs vs. San
Antonio, 136 –38; rookie
year, 69 –79; senior year play,
35 –50; shoe deal, 55 –57;
sophomore year national
attention, 18 –22; world
championships, 139 – 40; youth
basketball, 6 –11
James, LeBron, Jr., 84
Jeter, Derek, 138
Johnson, Avery, 76
Johnson, Joe, 105
Johnson, John, 60
Johnson, Magic, 1, 7, 22, 29,
75, 108
Jones, Damon, 122, 133
Jones, Jim, 106
Jordan, Michael, 3, 19, 25, 26, 29,
38, 55, 57, 59, 62, 77, 84, 86,
95, 97, 99, 107, 108
Jordan Brand Capital Classic, 55
Joyce, Dru, Jr., 9, 10, 11, 14, 26,
28, 31, 32, 42, 50
Joyce, Dru, III, 9, 13, 14, 17, 27,
34, 39, 96, 112
Kapono, Jason, 72
Karl, George, 59
Kelker, Bruce, 5
Kidd, Jason, 112, 132
Kimmel, Jimmy, 125, 139
Krzyzewski, Mike, 140
Labonte, Bobby, 91
Laettner, Christian, 19
“Late Show with David
Letterman, The,” 98, 99, 106
Letterman, David, 125
Lightning Lemonade, 84
Livingston, Bill, 63, 119
Lucas, John, 43, 66
Lue, Tyronn, 105
Lupica, Frank, 32
MacArthur, Ellen, 88
Madden, John, 37
Malone, Brendan, 88
Malone, Moses, 65, 74
Manning, Eli, 56
Manning, Peyton, 102, 119
Marbury, Stephon, 19, 82
Marion, Shawn, 36, 82
Marshall, Donyell, 91, 133, 134
May-Treanor, Misty, 116
McClelland, 2
McDonalds All American
Game, 55
McGee, Willie, 9, 10, 13, 27, 39
McGrady, Tracy, 22, 29, 30, 87
Miami Dolphins, 16
Ming, Yao, 32, 56, 124
Modell, Arthur, 60
Moore, Mikki, 132
Murphy, Mark, 16
Muscaro, Clair, 41, 42, 47, 49
Mutombo, Dikembe, 87
Nader, Ralph, 55
Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame,
50, 59
Namath, Joe, 34
154 Index
Nance, Larry, 62
Nash, Steve, 112
NBA All Star game, 78, 94, 102,
118, 119, 121, 122, 124
NBA draft, 53, 54, 57, 63, 64, 65,
67, 68
NBA playoffs: vs. Detroit Pistons,
95, 124, 127, 128, 130,
133–36; vs. Jersey Nets,
131–33; vs. San Antonio
Spurs, 136 –38, 140; vs.
Washington Wizards, 95, 129
NCAA, 13, 30, 33, 46, 54, 55
Newbie, Ira, 77
Next Urban Gear and
Music, 48
Nike, 18, 37, 55, 56, 57, 74, 84,
98, 99, 126
Oak Hill Academy, 20, 26, 33,
43, 44
Oden, Greg, 64
Ohio High School Athletic
Association, 41, 47, 48, 49
Ohio State Basketball
Championships, 17, 21, 34, 50
Ohl, Don, 60
Olympics, US Basketball in, 81,
82, 83, 84
O’Neal, Shaquille, 73, 107,
112, 118
Orwell, George, 1
Parade magazine, 116
Parker, Tony, 137
Pavlovic, Sasha, 132
Paxson, John, 75
Payton, Gary, 56, 73
Pippen, Scottie, 97
Pollard, Scott, 136
Pound, Richard, 88
Powerade, 84, 91, 117
Price, Mark, 62
Quicken Loans Arena, 88, 101,
107, 125, 129, 130, 134, 135,
136, 138
Reagan, Ronald, 1
Redd, Michael, 91
Reebok, 18, 55, 56
Rhodes Arena, 20, 35, 39, 47
Richfield Coliseum, 61, 78
Robertson, Oscar, 7, 76, 95
Rodriguez, Alex, 98
Rose, Jalen, 135
Roundball Classic, 55
Sayers, Gale, 49
Shooting Stars, 9, 10, 11, 14, 36, 37
Shumacher, Michael, 88
Silas, Paul, 66 – 67, 69 –70, 73, 76,
77, 78, 79, 86, 88, 92, 104, 128
Skiles, Scott, 108, 109, 115
SLAM Magazine, 26, 29, 126, 127
Smith, Bobby, 60
Snow, Eric, 103
Sporting News, 21
Sports Illustrated, 26, 27, 28, 31,
33, 34, 96, 100, 123
Sprite, 117
Stern, David, 43, 57, 63, 66, 67,
102, 112
Stewart, Jon, 125
Stockton, John, 7
Stoudemire, Amare, 82
St. Vincent-St. Mary High School
“Fighting Irish,” 14 –17, 18, 19,
20 –22, 25, 26, 31–32, 33–35,
38, 39, 41, 42, 43, 45 – 46,
47– 48, 49 –50, 56, 74, 75, 82,
96, 105, 106, 107, 112, 136
i ndex 155
Temkin, Barry, 44, 45
Terry, Jason, 122
Time Magazine, 88
Travis, Romeo, 9, 21, 27, 34, 39,
96, 107, 112
University of Akron, 10, 22, 31,
38, 96, 100
Unseld, Wes, 49
Upper Deck Sports Cards, 57, 67,
84
USA Today, 20, 21, 31, 39, 46,
47, 50
Van Gundy, Jeff, 77
Vitale, Dick, 44
Wade, Dwayne, 82, 96, 118
Walker, Antoine, 29, 33
Walker, Frank, Jr., 4, 5, 6
Walker, Frank, Sr., 4, 5,
6, 7, 8
Wallace, Rasheed, 19, 95, 134
Walsh, Kerri, 116
Walton, Bill, 44, 66
Wesley, Walt, 60, 62
West, Jerry, 95
Wilkens, Lenny, 59
Williams, Pat, 71
Williams, Vanessa, 1
Willoughby, Bill, 65
Woods, Tiger, 1, 57, 138
Woodson, Mike, 108
156
157
Series Foreword vii
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi
Timeline: Events in the Life of LeBron James xv
Chapter 1 Beginnings 1
Chapter 2 High School Days 13
Chapter 3 Beyond His Years 25
Chapter 4 Senior Year Basketball Circus 41
Chapter 5 The LeBron Sweepstakes 53
Chapter 6 A Rookie, Not a Beginner 69
Chapter 7 Red, White, and Blue 81
Chapter 8 Junior Year Pro 91
Chapter 9 Early Season Challenges 101
Chapter 10 On a Christmas Roll 111
Chapter 11 Stepping Up Time 121
Chapter 12 Creating Believers 131
Appendix: Career Records 143
Bibliography 145
Index 151
Photo essay follows page 80
vi
vii
Series Foreword
In response to high school and public library needs, Greenwood developed
this distinguished series of full-length biographies specifically for
student use. Prepared by field experts and professionals, these engaging
biographies are tailored for high school students who need challenging yet
accessible biographies. Ideal for secondary school assignments, the length,
format, and subject areas are designed to meet educators’ requirements
and students’ interests.
Greenwood offers an extensive selection of biographies spanning all
curriculum related subject areas including social studies, the sciences, literature
and the arts, history and politics, as well as popular culture, covering
public figures and famous personalities from all time periods and backgrounds,
both historical and contemporary, who have made an impact on
American and/or world culture. Greenwood biographies are chosen based
on comprehensive feedback from librarians and educators. Consideration
was given to both curriculum relevance and inherent interest. The result
is an intriguing mix of the well known and the unexpected, the saints and
sinners from long-ago history and contemporary pop culture. Readers will
find a wide array of subject choices from fascinating crime figures like Al
Capone to inspiring pioneers like Margaret Mead, from the greatest minds
of our time like Stephen Hawking to the most amazing success stories of
our day like J. K. Rowling.
While the emphasis is on fact, not glorification, the books are meant
to be fun to read. Each volume provides in-depth information about the
subject’s life from birth through childhood, the teen years, and adulthood.
A thorough account relates family background and education, traces
personal and professional influences, and explores struggles, accomplishments,
and contributions. A timeline highlights the most significant life
events against a historical perspective. Bibliographies supplement the reference
value of each volume.
viii SERIES FOREWORD
ix
Ac knowledgments
Thank you to the writers who came before me and studied and reported
on basketball star LeBron James’s life and career before and during his rise
to prominence.
It was especially illuminating to read books about different aspects of
James’s life by B. J. Robinson, Roger Gordon, David Lee Morgan, and
Ryan Jones and stories written about James and the Cleveland Cavaliers
in the Akron Beacon-Journal and Cleveland Plain Dealer.
The public relations staff of the Cleveland Cavaliers was very helpful,
as well.
xi
Introduction
It was two hours to game time at the Quicken Loans Arena in downtown
Cleveland on a mild November night at the beginning of the 2006–07
National Basketball Association season. The Cleveland Cavaliers were
hosting the Atlanta Hawks. A ritual unfolded in the hallway outside of
the Cavs’ dressing room.
Newspaper, radio, and television reporters gathered at a selected spot
and waited. It was the daily welcoming committee, a part of the “LeBron
Rules.” LeBron James, the young star of the Cavaliers, was so popular
and in such demand that the player and his team established a protocol
designed to prevent him from becoming verbally besieged.
If left to their own devices and inclinations, reporters would flock to
James seeking private one-on-one moments, leaving him no time for game
preparation, no time for warm-ups, no time to think. LeBron, who should
be the next president? LeBron, what should the ending of “The Sopranos”
be? LeBron, should the United States pull out of Iraq tomorrow? The
player would squirm. The sessions would deteriorate into levels of silliness
normally reserved for Saturday morning cartoons.
So the Cavaliers’ public relations crew and James created a pregame
routine to allow the player to focus on playing and yet provide suitable
access to the men and women covering his still burgeoning basketball career.
The agreed-upon solution was for James to speak with reporters before
each game for a short while as soon as he entered the building. Then it was
understood that he was off-limits for questions until after the games.
What evolved was essentially a pleasant bantering session between
James and the media. James was at ease, the reporters asked what they
wished, and for the most part there was little tension or controversy.
James was practiced at this type of encounter, often cracked jokes, and
frequently charmed his listeners. Much like a successful stand-up comic,
he often left them laughing and wanting more.
In an era when professional athletes are often seen as aloof, spoiled, and
bored with daily media attention, James presented himself as the poster
child for the cooperative superstar, the anti-grump. It was easy to forget at
the start of his fourth professional season that he was not yet 22 years old,
that he was barely more than three years removed from high school.
But in an America that manufactures new heroes with assembly-line
speed, yet expects them to be flawless and stand the test of time, LeBron
James had long ago crossed the lines from the obscure, to the familiar, to
the famous. He had shown signs of being precocious beyond his years, not
only as a highly honored basketball player, but as an individual who acted
with the kind of maturity many of his elders never attained.
In three short professional basketball years, James had been asked to
make the leap from high school phenomenon, whose secondary school
years had been spotlighted like no other in the sport’s history, to a franchise
savior for Cleveland. Beyond that his fame and skills had almost
immediately been extrapolated to serve as the new face of a National
Basketball Association that had been on a wild goose chase for another
Michael Jordan.
Level-headed beyond his years, James resolutely stuck to the notion
that he was no second coming of Michael Jordan, but rather the first coming
of LeBron James. That would have to suffice.
When he arrived in that hallway to greet gathered media before the
early-season Atlanta Hawks game, James sparkled, figuratively and literally.
His ensemble included a black velour jacket and diamond earrings in
each ear. He listened carefully to his inquisitors and paused thoughtfully
when asked a philosophical question that might have been equally appropriately
posed to an athlete nearing retirement. Yet it was also the type
of question that the most precocious of our athletes hear when they have
made their mark but are still establishing their identity.
Many years ago, Boston Red Sox baseball star Ted Williams said early
in his career that he wanted to be remembered as the best hitter who ever
lived. A similar line was attributed to the Robert Redford character in the
movie “The Natural” and was adjusted for James. He was asked if he had
given any thought to himself in such terms as related to basketball.
“I’ve always just wanted to be the best player and the best person I can
be at the end of my career,” James said in his mini-press conference. “That’s
satisfying to me. I’m happy. I don’t judge my career by saying I want to be
xii introduction
better than this person or that person at the end of my career because it’s
not possible. The only person on and off the court to satisfy is me.”1
And then LeBron James exited, stage right, to prepare himself to play
basketball and to satisfy himself—and 20,000 spectators—with his jump
shots, rebounds, and passes.
introduction xiii
note
1. LeBron James, press conference, Cleveland, Ohio, Nov. 7, 2006.
xiv
xv
Timeline: Events
in the Life of
LeBron James
30 December 1984 Born in Akron, Ohio.
1984–1994 Impoverished James moves from home to home in
Akron with single mother Gloria.
1994–1996 Moves in with Coach Frank Walker for 1½ years
and improves school work.
Summer 1996 Northeast Shooting Stars win first national Amateur
Athletic Union basketball championship, 12-
and-under.
September 1999 James and several basketball friends from the
Shooting Stars enroll at St. Vincent-St. Mary private
high school in Akron.
Emerges as a high school football star for St.
Vincent-
St. Mary playing the position of wide receiver.
December Makes high school basketball debut.
March 2000 27–0 St. Vincent-St. Mary wins Ohio State Championship.
James averages 18.7 points per game.
March 2001 St. Vincent-St. Mary wins second straight Ohio title
game. James is named state player of the year.
February 2002 Becomes the first high school athlete who is not
yet a senior to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
March St. Vincent-St. Mary loses Ohio state championship
title game. James is chosen state player of the
year for a second time.
April Named Parade magazine, USA Today, and Gatorade
high school player of the year.
June Hurts a wrist in a summer basketball game, solidifying
his resolve not to play high school football anymore
because of the risk of serious injury.
December ESPN2 televises a St. Vincent-St. Mary game nationally
with high-profile basketball commentators
Dick Vitale and Bill Walton.
James’s mother rewards his basketball and school accomplishments
with the gift of a $50,000 Hummer,
paid for with loans. The purchase leads the Ohio
High School Athletic Association to investigate,
but James is cleared in “Hummergate.”
February 2003 The Ohio High School Athletic Association rules
James ineligible for accepting sports jerseys from a
store in an incident labeled “Jerseygate,” but the
courts limit the penalty to a two-game suspension.
March St. Vincent-St. Mary wins its third Ohio state crown
in James’s four seasons. James becomes the first
player to be selected state player of the year for a
third time.
April Named Parade magazine, USA Today, and Gatorade
player of the year each for the second time.
May Announces he will turn professional and make himself
available for the NBA draft and signs a $90 million
shoe contract with Nike.
The hometown Cleveland Cavaliers win the draft
lottery and the right to make the first selection in
the annual NBA draft. The Cavs immediately announce
they will choose James.
June The Cavaliers make it official and select James with
the first overall pick in the NBA draft. He signs the
standard three-year NBA rookie contract with an
option for a fourth year for nearly $13 million.
October Makes his NBA debut with the Cavaliers and scores
25 points.
December The Cavaliers are chosen to play on national TV on
Christmas Day for the first time in 14 years.
March 2004 James scores career-high 41 points in a game.
xvi timeline
April The Cavaliers finish the regular season shy of the playoffs
with a record of 35–47, but the mark represents an
improvement of 18 games in the win column.
June Named rookie of the year after averaging 20.9 points
a game as an 18- and 19-year-old.
Summer James is a member of the American bronze-medalwinning
basketball team in the Summer Olympics
in Athens, Greece.
6 October Son LeBron James Jr. born to LeBron James and girlfriend
Savannah Brinson.
November Still 19, becomes the youngest player to score 2,000
points in an NBA career.
March 2005 Scores 56 points against the Toronto Raptors, his career
high and the most points scored by a Cavalier
player since the franchise was founded in 1970.
April Cavaliers record winning record of 42–40 for the
first time since 1998. James improves his scoring to
27.2 points a game.
December Scores 52 points in a game against the Milwaukee
Bucks.
February 2006 Named the outstanding player in the NBA All-Star
game.
April Averages 31.4 points a game and leads the Cavaliers
to a 50–32 regular-season record, the team’s best
since 1993. The Cavs reach the playoffs for the first
time since 1998 and defeat the Washington Wizards
4–2 to capture the first-round series. The Cavs lose
to Detroit, 4–2, in the second round of Eastern Conference
play.
Summer Practices and competes on the United States’ bronzemedal-
winning team in the World Championships
in China.
April 2007 The Cavaliers again win 50 games and blitz the Wizards
4–0 in the first round of the playoffs.
May The Cavaliers topple the New Jersey Nets in the second
round of the playoffs.
June The Cavaliers upset the favored Detroit Pistons, 4–2.
In the critical fifth game, James wows the nation
with one of the greatest clutch solo performances
in
timeline xvii
league annals, scoring 48 points, including his squad’s
last 25 in a row in a double overtime triumph.
The Cavaliers advance to the NBA Finals for the
first time in team history, but are swept 4–0, by the
San Antonio Spurs.
15 June Bryce Maximus James, LeBron James’s second child,
is born.
July Co-hosts the ESPYS on national TV, the Academy
Awards of sports.
August LeBron James plays for Team USA’s gold-medalwinning
squad in the FIBA Americas tournament
that qualifies the Americans for the 2008 Summer
Olympics in Beijing.
September LeBron James appears as guest host for the satirical
TV show, “Saturday Night Live.”
xviii timeline
Chapter 1
Beginnings
In a basketball era when so-called street scouts, Amateur Athletic Union
coaches, college coaches, and professional team scouts scan the globe
for talent, a prodigy jumps onto radar screens at an early age. There are
scouting services that teams subscribe to heralding the next great seventh
grader. By the time they are 12, the best players are singled out by age
group.
Some parents and coaches consider this an unhealthy practice. The
reality is that such rankings are calculated and, if a youngster is singled
out, it can either spoil him or carve a path to easy street. LeBron James
was nationally renowned by age 18, but he was nationally known by the
cognoscenti long before that.
LeBron James was born on December 30, 1984, to Gloria James, then
a 16-year-old high school student. James shares a birthday with famed
golfer Tiger Woods, who is nine years older. Ronald Reagan had just won
his second term in the White House and the cold war was winding down.
Literary scholars were curious to discover just how much George Orwell’s
glum view of society, discussed in his decades-old novel 1984, would resemble
reality. In the basketball world, the Boston Celtics-Los Angeles
Lakers (Larry Bird-Magic Johnson) NBA rivalry was in its heyday and
Boston was the reigning champion.
The first African American Miss America, Vanessa Williams, was
forced to resign after nude pictures of her appeared in Penthouse magazine.
Under Reagan’s leadership, the United States’ social mores had grown
more conservative. Social services programs for welfare and food stamps
were in effect, but politicians made hay by belittling the lower class as
LeBron Jam es
slackers who didn’t want to work and verbally attacking single parents as
irresponsible.
None of the doings in the outside world relieved the reality of the harsh
circumstances a single mother like Gloria James—raised in the same city
she now sought to raise her son in—faced.
Gloria James was only a junior when she became pregnant, but she doggedly
completed her high school diploma. She was also a single mother
every step of the way, however, and James never knew his father. Gloria
James said James’s father is named Anthony McClelland, but he split up
with her before the boy’s birth and was never a presence in his life. There
were several strikes against James’s chances of becoming a success in a
late twentieth-century inner-city, urban setting. He was poor, black, and
fatherless.
Once Gloria James gave birth to LeBron, she was at a disadvantage
both in school and society. A high percentage of unwed, teenage mothers
drop out of school and only the most single-minded reach graduation.
Gloria was determined to remain in school for her diploma, but the only
way she and her youngster could survive financially was by relying on her
mother, Freda, to house them. Freda was also a single parent then and
was not flush with cash, either. The James’s existence was tenuous, but
Gloria’s brothers and cousins contributed to LeBron’s upbringing.
Mother and son lived in Akron, Ohio, merely an hour south of where
James now plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers. When James was a baby,
Gloria and other relatives called him “Bron-Bron,” as if he was some kind
of sweet treat. In a way he was. At first, James and his mom lived on
Hickory Street, where Gloria grew up with her two brothers. Gloria James
struggled to support her only child and they endured a life of poverty
when he was a youth.
Gloria scrapped for any source of income once she left high school,
but the pressures of raising a child often interfered with attempts to hold
jobs long term. Whenever there was a choice to be made between spending
time caring for LeBron or sticking with a job, Gloria stuck by her
son. This situation became more of an issue when James was a toddler.
As a single parent, Gloria James had looked to her own mother for assistance
raising the baby. But James’s grandmother was dying of gradually
debilitating health problems, the origins of which she even kept from her
daughter, and that put more stress on the boy’s mother. Freda was Gloria’s
security blanket, the source of last resort against being forced out on the
street, and now she was gone.
Gloria worked as a retail clerk in several establishments and, because
she had a talent with numbers, did some rudimentary accounting work.
Beginnings These were the most difficult of times for James and his mother. They
moved from place to place frequently and sometimes did not know where
their next meal would be eaten. James’s mom was dating a local man
named Eddie Jackson, who served as a surrogate father for years. Even
after Gloria James and Jackson broke up, Jackson stayed in contact and
remained an important male figure in James’s life. He showed nothing but
affection to the youngster, and LeBron has always referred to him as his
most significant father figure.
James’s first exposure to basketball was as a game to occupy his time,
not as a sport. His mom bought him a kid’s hoop with a small rubber
ball for indoor play and the toddler was fascinated by it. The set was a
Christmas gift as LeBron was turning 3. James seemed to take to basketball
the way Einstein took to math, naturally and with great gusto. Even
as a preschooler James was known to smile when he put the ball through
the hoop. The object of the game seemed clear to him from the beginning.
If that toy is worthy of a joyful memory, it is tempered by the timing
of Freda’s death at age 42. The cause of death was listed as a heart attack
suffered on Christmas Eve that year. Gloria was only 19 at the time.
As a professional, James stands 6-foot-8 and weighs 240 pounds. Basketball
observers have long commented on the smoothness of his moves
for a man so large, and James exhibited those skills when he was a youngster
and began playing organized ball for the first time. James started playing
for local Akron kids’ teams when Michael Jordan was at the apex of
his game, leading the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles in the 1990s. Right
away, as so many other youngsters did nationwide, James tabbed Jordan as
his favorite player. In James’s case, that also meant requesting the number
23—same as Jordan—as he grew up. Some years later, when he could reflect
on his allegiance to the Bulls’ star, James said he also absorbed lessons
from watching Jordan excel on the court.
“You know how a guy can make his team so much better?” James said.
“That’s one thing I learned from watching Michael Jordan.”1
Living with Poverty
Moving from apartment to apartment when the rent came due and
Gloria could not make the payments did not help James find stability in
his early life. Once they were even evicted from a building that was condemned
and torn down. Perhaps because of these early experiences, James
did not initially do well in school and he did not make friends easily.
He quickly made his mark on the playing fields, however. For those who
recognize
James as an all-star basketball player and advertising pitch man,
LeBron Jam es
it may be surprising to discover that he first succeeded on the football
field. By the time he was 10 years old, James’s superior speed and coordination
were apparent to the other children. As a fifth grader in Pee Wee
football, James scored 19 touchdowns in six games.
The team’s coach, Frank Walker, father of Frankie Walker Jr., one of
James’s best friends, took a keen interest in James. He felt the boy had
great potential in the classroom, as well as in sporting endeavors. It was
a particularly rough time financially for Gloria James, and when Walker
offered to take her son in, care for him, and tutor him, she reluctantly allowed
the arrangement. LeBron was always her pride and joy and she had
worked feverishly to care for him properly, but they spent 18 months living
apart. Walker’s efforts helped ground James in school and advance his
standing. Despite not living with Gloria for that period when he was 10
and 11 years old, James saw his mother frequently and the bond between
them was never shaken. He was grateful to the Walkers for their unselfishness,
but James has always called his mother his best friend.
“My mom and I have always been there for each other,” James said.2
“The Walkers will never know what a difference they made in my life.”3
Besides his influence in football and academics, Frank Walker Sr. also
introduced James to basketball as a sport as it is played in playgrounds and
in gyms, not merely as an in-house baby diversionary toy.
For most of his years between ages 6 and 12 (except for the time spent
with the Walkers), LeBron James and his loving mother were nomads,
moving from house to house, depending on the kindness of family members
or neighbors. These were tough neighborhoods where violent crime
was common and poverty was ever present. There was generosity among
friends, but limits to it, and Gloria and LeBron could not stay indefinitely
with those who opened their small homes to help. Part of their
time was spent residing in Elizabeth Park, a potentially explosive area
for those looking for trouble. If he was not under the positive influence
of his mother, or if he had been another type of child by nature, James
could easily have become a statistic—either a corpse before his time, or
a jailed youth incarcerated for law breaking. He escaped both of those
fates.
“Anybody who knows about Elizabeth Park knows how bad it is,” James
said later. “You had gunshots flying and cop cars driving around there all
the time. As a young boy it was scary, but I never got into none of that
stuff. That just wasn’t me. I knew it was wrong.”4
Founded in 1825 as a shipping community on the Ohio and Erie Canal,
Akron, James’s hometown, is currently a city of about 217,000 people. It
had made its way in the world as a manufacturing town and was proud
Beginnings of its nickname, “Rubber Capital of the World.” Tires are a famous and
popular export, the wheels that make Detroit steel roll down the road.
Firestone Tire and Rubber Company was founded in 1900 and Goodyear
Tire and Rubber was founded in 1898. Goodyear’s corporate headquarters
is still located in Akron. The American Cereal Co. and Quaker Oats
also came to prominence in Akron. The firm’s advertising, showing cereal
shot from a cannon, registered in Americans’ minds.
Somewhat in the shadow of Cleveland, Ohio’s largest metropolitan
area situated less than an hour north, Akron suffered as American jobs
fled to lower-wage-paying Latin American countries in the 1970s and beyond.
Akron’s recent population reached its apex of about 290,000 in
1960, but has declined steadily since. A major feature of the city now,
however, is the Polymer Science Institute of the University of Akron.
The rust belt community is going high tech. Every American city has
something to be proud of and every American city has neighborhoods
it worries about. During LeBron’s formative years, the James family was
stuck in those hard-luck neighborhoods where not even the best of intentions
are always enough.
Every celebrity who emerges from poverty has done so through the force
of his own effort to some degree, but likely in conjunction with someone’s
helpful guiding hand. Sometimes only a gentle nudge is needed. Sometimes
a strong presence is important. Little kindnesses or wise judgments
passed on can make all of the difference. James was a first-class athlete the
first time he shot baskets at a telephone pole hoop in his neighborhood.
He was better than the other kids. When they played street football he
outplayed them on the asphalt, catching passes and running for scores.
Help ing Hands
Bruce Kelker spotted that talent as a volunteer coach for the Akron
South Rangers Pee Wee football team and signed up James. James, who
has always praised his teammates’ efforts and done his best not to overshadow
them, became pals with the other players. That’s how he met
Frankie Walker Jr. and his dad. Frank Walker Sr. was employed by the
Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority. His professional background
helped him relate to LeBron and Gloria. Theirs were the type of housing
difficulties Walker encountered on the job all the time. The triggering
event for Walker and his wife Pam to take in James for what became a yearand-
a-half stay was LeBron’s failure to return to school after Christmas
break while in fourth grade. Walker imagined the youngster heading for
a life of trouble if he didn’t catch a break.
LeBron Jam es
In a moment of candor during an early interview, James admitted that
he and his mother often worried and were “really scared about what would
happen next.”5
Suddenly, James had three families who cared about him. His mother
Gloria was in the forefront—he never doubted her love. On his adidas Pro
Model basketball shoes, James later made his feelings for his mom very
clear, for everyone to read. Etched in three lines are the words “Gloria
Marie James.” He also has “Gloria” tattooed on his biceps, mixing with
other colorful upper-body tattoos. And when he talks about his mother,
the grown-up James still peppers speech with references to her as his best
friend. The South Rangers were a family of their own, buddies whose
friendships transcended the gridiron. The Walkers, who have two children
besides Frankie Jr., provided a third caring cocoon.
A youngster toted from place to place understands best what he knows
and recognizes at the moment. In hindsight he better understands what
was going on his life as a youth. Later, the older James grasped the gift provided
by the Walkers at a vulnerable time. “It was like a new beginning
for me,” he said. “When I moved in with the Walkers, I went from missing
87 days my fourth-grade year to zero days in the fifth grade. They all may
not know how much I care about them, but I care about them a lot. I love
them.”6 But James also credits his mother for helping him regain standing
by helping him over one long weekend of work with the more than 100
homework assignments he had failed to turn in.
James does not present the image of a bitter man, but he has not forgotten
the hardships of his youth either. In one interview, James said
that when he was five years old he remembers moving seven times. “We
moved from apartment to apartment, sometimes living with friends. My
mom would always say, ‘Don’t get too comfortable because we may not be
here long.’ ”7
The Jameses were on welfare part of the time. When LeBron lived with
the Walkers, Gloria saw him on weekends and gave him the only gifts she
could afford—food stamps.
James dabbled in basketball from the time he received his favorite childhood
toy, but he had never practiced the sport and had never learned the
basics and fundamentals in an organized way. He knew the object of the
game was to make baskets and score more than the other team, but he didn’t
have the rudiments of team play installed in him until he was 10 years old.
At that time he lost a game of one-on-one to Frankie Walker Jr. The shorter
player had more savvy and knew the sport. James was discouraged, but Frank
Walker Sr. witnessed the defeat and promised to teach James how to play so
that it wouldn’t happen again.
Beginnings James was a raw talent, but he lapped up instruction greedily. If he was
shown a move once, he could mimic it. He had an actor’s ability to pick
up mannerisms and styles. The quick learning curve enhanced the natural
speed, jumping ability, and quickness already on hand. James’s earliest
coaches also noted some of his other traits that have endured through the
passage of years and the escalation of James’s basketball career from youth
leagues to the big leagues.
The player was ultra-competitive, but he acted maturely when he
lost. He always praised his teammates’ contributions—critical as time
passed and it became clear that the spotlight was always going to shine its
brightest on him. And James always displayed the ability to think ahead,
to see ahead on the court. A major attribute of a great all-around basketball
player is the ability to see the floor as a play unfolds, to anticipate
what will happen when players run down-court, and to influence the
outcome with a dribble, a pass, or a shot. That skill is regarded by most
basketball observers as a god-given gift, one that must be bestowed from
heaven more than developed on earth. The instinct so evident in the
play of a Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, or John Stockton
during succeeding eras of the NBA was part of LeBron James’s package
from the start.
Walker said that as a fifth grader, James was as much chess player as
basketball player on the court. He knew the game so well and could show
others how to approach fundamentals so easily that Walker made James
an assistant coach for the fourth graders.
Becoming the Hoops King
King James—it is a flashy nickname. When it was first applied to
LeBron
James as a teenager by friends and local newspaper reporters, it
seemed a touch premature, a tad arrogant. As if the intense attention
garnered for his play on the court did not produce enough heat-lamp intensity,
James acquired a lightning-rod nickname.
It is tough enough to live up to the hype, but if you fail with a moniker
like King James, you invite ridicule. The pressure is there all of the time
to dominate, to star, to create basketball magic. If you are unable to live
up to the expectations of the masses, the next thing you know you are
downgraded in print to mere prince, duke, or—horrors—even worse, a
commoner. Trash talkers would have a field day if James did not play up
to the name.
Yet James never shied away from either the spotlight or the focus on
becoming King James. Becoming the king of his own court, of any court,
LeBron Jam es
came naturally to him. Even if easing into the role of royalty was as smooth
as slipping into a custom-made wardrobe (something in his future), James
never looked down on his loyal subjects. Instead, he always lauded his
court. For that matter, James rarely thought of himself as the king who
was the leader of a nation. He preferred comparing himself to the lion, the
king of the jungle. That’s how he saw himself, a predator on the court, the
boss of the jungle-like survival battles in the low post where opponents
threw elbows. He prowled through the overhanging vines and the thick
trees to strike. He was that kind of lion, first and foremost. Still, there is
a popular poster of James that combines the images. James is seated on a
throne and surrounded by lions.
James’s basketball education began under Walker in kids’ ball. He was
a quick study and grew quickly, too. He made friends with other players
and they teamed to form a formidable summer Amateur Athletic Union
(AAU) team that brought glory to Akron and renown to James.
The days when basketball, or any major American sport, was considered
a seasonal hobby for high school kids are long past. If you excel at
a game, scouts and coaches at a higher level want you to concentrate
solely on that game. The once-commonplace three-sport high school
letterman is a rarity. The old football in the fall, basketball in the winter,
baseball in the spring athlete following the school calendar is an
endangered species. Now even young athletes are specialists, coaxed into
giving up a sport played just for fun to emphasize growth in a sport that
may someday earn them a college scholarship or big money in a professional
career.
Concurrently, there has been a proliferation of specialist summer camps
and teams. Players may attend a camp that offers high level instruction
and sunup-to-sundown play in the sport of their choice. They may also
compete on touring teams that play games around their home state or in
tournaments in central gathering places like Las Vegas. In no other sport
has such a pattern emerged with such intensity and influence over young
athletes as it has in basketball.
Players may be paired with other stars from their own state to form an
all-star team. They may play many more games over the summer than
are sanctioned in winter by high school governing bodies. And summer
coaches may gain more influence with the players than their high school
coaches, or even their parents, when it comes to decisions about where to
play college ball, or if they even should forsake that opportunity for the
pros.
By the time he turned 12, James was permanently reunited with his
mother in a two-bedroom apartment, and he showed signs of being a
Beginnings gifted middle school student, recording B and B+ averages. The Jameses
most difficult days were behind them. Neither could imagine the fame
and fortune about to follow so soon after long years of struggle. James no
longer missed classes (or days of school) in bunches and exhibited a newfound
discipline with homework and assignments.
Family Ties
Once Gloria James acquired the two-bedroom apartment, James’s life
became more stable. Her brothers, James’s uncles, Terry and Curt, tried to
help with his upbringing and offer some guidance. So did Eddie Jackson,
Gloria’s serious boyfriend. Although Jackson and Gloria ultimately split
up and Jackson had brushes with the law that sometimes required terms
in jail, Jackson always professed love for James, and said he would always
make himself available to offer help.
Jackson said he started dating Gloria when LeBron was about eight
months old and they were a couple until James was about three. Jackson
remained close to the family and helped with financial matters for years
afterwards.
James first competed in AAU summer basketball when he was in the
fifth grade. The squad was called the Shooting Stars, and it brought together
several high quality players under the mentorship of Coach Dru
Joyce Jr., whose own son, Dru III, better known as Little Dru, became one
of James’s closest friends. Another talented player in the group was Sian
Cotton. They became a sort of Three Musketeers, hanging out together,
playing ball together, and spending off-court time together.
Willie McGee rounded out the group after he moved from Chicago to
Akron in junior high, and the foursome became inseparable throughout
high school. Romeo Travis, who the quartet played pickup games with at
the Akron Jewish Community Center on Sunday nights, was another pal.
A volunteer coach at the Community Center was Keith Dambrot, who
had been head coach at Central Michigan University, but was temporarily
out of the college game. Dambrot played a major role in the players’
development and achievements later.
Although high school level coaching has morphed from a parent helping
out to a teacher doing it for the extra money, to coaches who are
true students of the game, few high schools could claim the services of
someone as knowledgeable and sophisticated as Dambrot. He had already
coached at a higher level, so he could make savvy judgments about the
talent standing of James and his partners. He also had the know-how to
tutor them so they could advance to play the college game.
10 LeBron Jam es
The players were not troublemakers in any way. They stayed clean,
played hard, and formed special bonds as they improved as players and
gained a reputation with their success. McGee was a latecomer. He grew
up in the Windy City, but he had an older brother who enrolled at the
University of Akron. So McGee moved to Akron for high school and at
first joined a rival summer league team. But the Shooting Stars were more
advanced than McGee’s team and even his own coach encouraged him
to switch.
When McGee became a Shooting Star, everything clicked. He was
the missing piece of the puzzle on the court and fit in just as well with
the guys off the court. From elementary school through high school, the
other Shooting Stars were together and became a force on the national
age-group basketball scene. To advance to national competition, an AAU
team must play itself out of its region and out of its state, meaning it
must keep winning. The first time James and his cohorts qualified for national
play they were entered in the 12-and-under age division in a tournament
in Orlando, Florida in 1997. Competing against 31 other teams,
the Shooting Stars captured the title. The Most Valuable Player? LeBron
James. It was a harbinger of things to come. The Orlando showing was
the first of six national championships won by the core group of Akron
players.
Some basketball observers wonder if intensity of play at a young age
is good for those just emerging from childhood. Others believe it is the
only way to go for topnotch players who want to compete against the
best. College and professional sports teams always say they grow closer
and develop tighter friendships when spending time on the road. This
was certainly true for the Shooting Stars. The road also brings its own
perils—many a team has been brought down by road-trip violations or
rule breaking. If the Shooting Stars had not been closely observed by
Coach Joyce, and if they were not inherently well behaved, they could
have found themselves in hot water.
Stardom with the Shooting Stars
What the Shooting Stars did over a six-year period was win basketball
games and have a blast. Those two things were linked.
By showing off skills on so many stages around the country, top-shelf
players become known quantities for scouting services. Players like James
stand out in competition against players their own age, and the name and
team are filed for future reference. When a team wins a national title at
Beginnings 11
any age group, it is a magnificent achievement. If it happens just once
it may be dismissed as a fluke, but when a team like the Shooting Stars
appears on the scene, especially from a place like Akron, which is not regarded
as a hotbed of hoops talent the way some much larger cities are, it
is a statement. When it is apparent from casual observation that the team
is led to championships over and over by the same star, that player takes
on mythical proportions in ratings systems. The consistency of the Shooting
Stars’ success meant that LeBron James literally grew up in front of a
wide variety of discerning hoops evaluators. It was no surprise that they
labeled him the sport’s “Next Great Thing.”
Sometimes young talents take possession of a game and of their reputation
by inundating foes with points. They score from all over the map,
leaving fans oohing and aahing. James had that capability and put on
shows with fresh moves and scoring eruptions wherever the Shooting
Stars traveled. But he was not a ball hog. He did not force his shots as
much as take them within the flow of the game. He was such an adept
playmaker that he reveled in making passes that set up his teammates as
much as he did while scoring. This unselfishness was a trait not often seen
among superstars. Falling in love with assists as well as points when he
didn’t have to was something that endeared James to basketball purists.
They loved him even more when they talked to Coach Joyce.
What Joyce extolled in James was his work ethic, his desire to improve,
and his hunger for victory. “LeBron has those kinds of things every coach
wishes they could take credit for, but you just can’t,” Joyce said. James, he
said, always wanted to be on the court, working on his game, not running
the streets. “He never missed a practice. I mean, he always wanted to be
in the gym. He’s always wanted to learn. The thing that kind of separates
him is, everything comes so easy, and he works at it.”8
Players most dedicated to the game, whether it is basketball, baseball,
or football, demonstrate an inner drive to excel. Many times they must
overcome financial limitations that prevent them from owning the finest
equipment. Many do not have a father on hand who can play catch with
them or teach them the finer points of a sport. They do not always even
have access to a gym to practice their shooting alone. Yet such athletes
make do.
When he was still learning how to play basketball, before he was even
exposed to the Shooting Stars, James created his chances to shoot around
on Hickory Street. A milk crate was nailed to a telephone pole and for a
while that makeshift hoop—not so far removed from the style of basketball
inventor James Naismith’s peach basket—was his target.
12 LeBron Jam es
Notes
1. Mark Stewart, Star Files, LeBron James (Chicago: Raintree, 2006), p. 9.
2. Stewart, p. 6.
3. Stewart, p. 11.
4. David Lee Morgan Jr., The Rise of A Star: LeBron James (Cleveland: Gray &
Company Publishers, 2003), p. 28.
5. Ryan Jones, King James—Believe the Hype, The LeBron James Story (New
York: St. Martin’s Press, 2003), p. 22.
6. Morgan, pp. 33–34.
7. B. J. Robinson, LeBron James—King of the Court (East Cleveland: Forest Hill
Publishing, 2005), pp. 16–17.
8. Jones, p. 26.
13
Chapter 2
High School Days
By the time high school beckoned, LeBron James and his best friends
from the Shooting Stars had been playing basketball together for years.
They had toured the land, won major championships all over the United
States, and honed their chemistry through hundreds of hours of practices
and games.
The last thing that James, Joyce, Cotton, and McGee wished to do was
split up the act. They did not all live in the same school district where they
would naturally enroll. After some consultation, they decided they wanted
to stay together and play together throughout high school. That meant
they had to find a high school that would take them as a package deal.
In more innocent times, students usually attended the school where
they lived. Over time, that simple approach has changed. Street agents
help steer star players to high schools to play for a specific coach. Sometimes
a brother or cousin could come along, too. Sometimes adults overwhelmed
the player. This time the players were in charge. They wanted
to stick together and by selecting a private school with no geographical
boundaries, they could. LeBron James was the prize catch, but the others
were also first-class players who would be welcome additions to just about
any high school team.
During their Sunday night pickup games at the Akron Jewish Community
Center, the players were tutored by Keith Dambrot. Dambrot had
already been an NCAA Division I head coach and, among other jobs
in his apprenticeship, had served as an assistant coach at the University
of Akron. He had been a 32-year-old head coach at Central Michigan,
labeled an up-and-comer in the profession. But then he made a terrible
14 LeBron Jam es
mistake. In the heat of a game he unprofessionally uttered a racial epithet.
He had naively attempted to bond through language with black players
but was roasted for his choice of words. Dambrot opened a tinderbox that
brought national negative attention to him, his team, and his school. He
was at first suspended and then fired by the university. Once a shooting
star himself, Dambrot was living in Akron teaching basketball to the
Shooting Stars in his spare time. The players who absorbed his knowledge
were mostly black.
Dambrot agonized over his careless mistake and for a while it seemed he
was blacklisted, untouchable, and unhirable for any basketball coaching
job. He tried to obtain a public high school coaching job in Akron, but
was rebuffed. Finally, Dambrot’s road to resurrection began when Akron’s
St. Vincent-St. Mary High School hired him for the 1998–99 season. By
the standards of his previous career path, he was accepting a minimumwage,
bottom-of-the-totem-pole job. But to Dambrot, after five years of
working as a stockbroker, the job represented a fresh start doing the thing
he loved most—coaching basketball. It is a tribute to Dambrot, LeBron
James, and James’s friends, that leadership he provided, coupled with the
close relationships formed, provided a rehabilitation forum for Dambrot
and glory for all.
Dambrot’s coaching debut at St. Vincent brought the team to the regional
finals—without the fab four. Then Dru Joyce III, known as Little
Dru, the most involved of the four players in Dambrot’s Sunday night
basketball clinics, decided he wanted to play for the coach in high school.
If he had stayed home, Little Dru would have played for Buchtel High,
where his father was an assistant coach. In what had to be an uncomfortable
conversation, he had to inform his dad he would rather play at
another school.
“I just thought Coach Dambrot was a good coach and I could learn a lot
of stuff from him,” Little Dru said. “That all four of us could.”1
In a sense, Little Dru had made the decision for all four friends. They
were all on board. Once the players committed, Dru Joyce Jr., his father, and
Lee Cotton, Sian’s dad, hired on at St. Vincent as assistant coaches. This
type of mass commitment, with parents coming along, too, creates hard
feelings in the coaching world, and suspicion of recruitment and illegal
incentives. Gossip was rampant in Akron, but no evidence of wrongdoing
surfaced. Any illegal activity would have been suicide for Dambrot, who
was aching for a fresh start, and would have made no sense. The boys were
sincere about staying together and they found a way to make it happen.
LeBron James and his gang enrolled in the Catholic school with a student
body of about 500 in the fall of 1999. Tuition was $4,800, far from a
trifling for single mom Gloria James. But the school granted scholarships
High School Days 15
to worthy students and James by then had proved his prowess in the classroom.
St. Vincent had a sound athletic reputation, but it was assumed
that its basketball team was certain to rise in stature. Not foreseen was the
impact that a 6-foot 14-year-old LeBron James would have on the football
team’s fortunes.
Football
James was blessed with large hands. That physical attribute not only
helped him control a basketball when dribbling, it also enabled him to
pluck flying pigskins out of the air. In football parlance, he had great
hands. When he ran his receiver routes, James made acrobatic catches
and held onto the ball as if his fingers were coated with Super Glue. He
started for the St. Vincent-St. Mary Irish his freshman year and became
an all-state wide receiver as a sophomore.
Spending much time as a decoy his first season, James made a limited
impact as a freshman. As a sophomore, however, he caught 42 passes for
840 yards and 11 touchdowns. Such statistics ignite interest in college
recruiters. Although he was raw at football compared to basketball, it has
often been suggested that James would have become a college star and
might have had pro capability in that sport.
By the end of James’s sophomore year of high school, he was nationally
known for his basketball talent. Basketball observers began to fear that he
was jeopardizing a multimillion-dollar future by playing the high-risk sport
of football. Everyone knew that just one misstep, one awkward landing, or
one ferocious tackle could ruin a knee. Even Gloria was edgy. Mother and
son suffered through deprivation together. She had not known she was
raising a prodigy whose basketball skill could forever end their economic
woes. James, they were being told by basketball people in the know, had
the skill to set himself up for life. Why risk that now? She hoped her son
would forgo football after his sophomore year. In keeping with James’s
character, attitude, and outlook, however, at the last minute in the fall of
his junior year he joined the team again. Protecting LeBron the only way
she could, his mother took out an insurance policy that guarded against
career-ending injury.
James made up his own mind about football and chose to stay a kid in
an extracurricular activity rather than sideline himself and eliminate a
pursuit he enjoyed. “People can say I’m stupid,” James said. “But it’s my
decision to make and I feel it’s the right one.”2
James was better than ever that season—the key offensive weapon on the
St. Vincent football team. James missed the first game of the season because
he did not have the Ohio high school minimum number of practices under
16 LeBron Jam es
his belt, but in a 10–4 season that led to a regional title and concluded in a
state championship semifinal game, James caught 52 passes for 1,310 yards
and 15 touchdowns. Considered one of the fastest and most agile of players
in the NBA today, James exhibited those traits running downfield back
then. In a football-mad state, James had some coaches salivating, even if it
was understood that basketball was his top priority.
The Irish’s head football coach was Jay Brophy, a former member of the
Miami Dolphins. An assistant coach was Mark Murphy, one-time safety
with the Green Bay Packers. They both believed that James had the potential
to play in the National Football League if he stuck with football.
Brophy said James’s all-around competitiveness was unrivaled. “If you
challenged him in racquetball and you beat him,” Brophy said, “he’d be
a gracious loser. He’d go practice for a week, then call you for a rematch
and kick your ass.”3
Football was a bonus. In terms of an orchestra warming up its instruments,
it was the vamp-till-ready. Football was the appetizer; basketball
was the main course.
Freshman Hoops
St. Vincent-St. Mary was coming off a 16–9 basketball season when
James and his friends joined Dambrot and a roster with some carryover
talent. The Irish roster was loaded with good players, but in James
Dambrot inherited an exceptional talent. James stood 6-foot-4 for his
freshman basketball season and weighed a still slender 170 pounds. It has
often been noted that James looks much older than his years, but in pictures
taken during his first two years of high school he looks very much
the teenager still growing into manhood and into his body.
Dambrot’s basketball instincts kicked in and he almost immediately
realized that James was more than good. He told his old coaching friend
Ben Braun, now the head man at the University of California at Berkeley,
about James, summing up his glowing report by noting, “This guy is going
to be the best guy I’ve ever seen.” When Braun saw James play in person
he promptly told Dambrot James was too good to ever play in college and
that he would go directly to the NBA.4
James’s freshman year began with a game against Cuyahoga Falls. He
scored 15 points in his debut and the Irish won. In December of the 1999–
2000 season, James scored a season high of 27 points. He also recorded a
high school career low of 8 points in January of that season, the only time
in his four-year prep career that James failed to score in double digits.
James averaged more than 18 points per game as a freshman.
High School Days 17
James demonstrated his flair for spectacular shots and for making the
timely pass. Dambrot became most impressed with James’s on-court cool
and his decision making. “I knew he was really good when we got him off
the football field,” the coach said, “and he started practicing with us and
I saw how smart he was.”5
The Irish took a 20–0 record into the Ohio postseason playoffs and
worked their way to the finals. In between, a deeply affected Dambrot
lost his mother to cancer. Exhausted and distracted, he spent nights with
her in Hospice care, worrying that he wasn’t fulfilling his obligation to
his players. Emotionally on edge, the players, who also liked Dambrot’s
mother, advanced to the championship game at Ohio State University’s
Value City Arena.
This was far from a one-man team. James led St. Vincent with 25 points,
9 rebounds, and 4 assists, the type of across-the-board statistical line for
which he became famous. His buddy, Little Dru Joyce, scored 21 points
by making seven 3-point field goals. Senior center Maverick Carter, a
future college player, was actually chosen the Cleveland Plain-Dealer’s
player-of-the-year. There were kudos and trophies for all when the Irish
defeated Jamestown Greenview High, 73–55, to finish 27–0. Still a freshman,
James was selected as the playoffs’ Most Valuable Player and he was
chosen first-team all-state.
Although the press built James up as a basketball prodigy, Gloria James
kept telling reporters that LeBron was still a typical teenager and she had
to get after him to make his bed. She also told reporters how endearing it
was when he pasted up handmade Mother’s Day cards for her. King James
was all of 15 years old.
Despite the growth in attention, the clamoring for interviews, and the
comments of scouts, as James matured on the basketball court, he insisted
that he was more of a normal kid than most people thought. He told
sportswriters that he liked to hang out with his friends, watch movies, and
participate in all the regular high school activities.
James freely discussed his mother’s influence and how they had battled
through hard times together, but he never talked about girls. During high
school, while being a regular guy at school dances and pep rallies, James
did meet an Akron girl named Savannah Brinson. She became his steady.
From the beginning, Brinson maintained the lowest of low profiles,
never appearing at press conferences either in high school or during other
developments in James’s career, such as his decision to go pro, or to sign
with a shoe company. James and Brinson as a couple stayed out of the
limelight. It was as if he had compartmentalized sections of his life, one
being for fans, the other being for family.
18 LeBron Jam es
Ultimately, as years passed, and James and Brinson stayed together, she
made very brief appearances in public. Only after James became a pro was
Brinson sometimes seen in public at his side, or in the family section at
Cleveland Cavaliers games. Periodically, a photograph appears of the twosome
on a celebrity Web site, but Brinson does not show up in entertainment
publications answering 20 questions about LeBron.
Virtually the only time Brinson was in the public eye with any regularity
was when she was about to give birth to the couple’s children.
And even then, James did all the talking. The always visible James has
done a masterful job of keeping his private life private. Only once did
the James–Brinson relationship make waves. In 2007, sportswriters and
gossip reporters were surprised to hear their voice mail boxes fill up with
venom from strangers who said they should be chastising James “the
role model” for having children out of wedlock and not marrying his
sweetheart.6
It was rare public backlash against the popular athlete, although James
shrugged off the criticism. If he and Brinson had plans to wed, they kept
it to themselves. But as high schoolers none of that could be anticipated
and it all lay in the future.
Second Time Around
LeBron James had arrived. Sophomore slump? Not likely. The St.
Vincent-St. Mary Fighting Irish bench was not as deep as it had been
during James’s freshman year, but the freshmen players were now immeasurably
more mature, not only from succeeding at the state championship
level, but because they once again stayed together to play
another AAU summer ball season. Playing 27 games together at the
high school level was one thing, but the fabulous foursome had played
hundreds of games together spread over a period of years. They learned
and improved on the job.
James also got a chance to show his stuff on the road, spending a small
portion of the summer at the Slam N’ Jam camp in Oakland for a team
known as Soldiers I. Chris Dennis, operator of Akron’s most prominent
summer tournament, made it his mission to promote James. Dennis placed
James in California and then tripled his efforts to make James a known
commodity to basketball shoe manufacturers, their representatives, and
summer camp planners. Although the Nikes, adidas, and Reeboks of
the world were not yet clamoring to convince James to join their starstudded
lineups, their early exposure to him laid the foundation for a future
sneakers war.
High School Days 19
The touting of LeBron paid dividends. During the summer after his
freshman year, James was invited to participate in Howard Garfinkel’s
famous Five-Star basketball camp. The five-day event involved instruction
and pickup games and served as a showcase for up-and-coming stars.
The list of future luminaries who passed through as campers read like a
basketball all-star roster and included Michael Jordan, Stephon Marbury,
Grant Hill, Christian Laettner, and Rasheed Wallace. All of them had
been college stars and successful professionals.
James and his cohorts worked for years to put Akron basketball on the
map as they piled up age-group championships. But James did as much for
the city’s hoops reputation—and his own—as all of his contemporaries
and predecessors combined during a week in Pittsburgh. The camp was
generally divided between upperclass juniors and seniors and underclass
sophomores like James. James was so good that he split his time between
his own age group and the older players when roster spots opened as a
result of injury.
He totally dominated. When the camp ended, James was selected for
the all-star team of his own division and the older division. It was an unprecedented
achievement and it announced to the basketball world that
young LeBron was the real deal. Between his freshman year enrollment at
St. Vincent and the start of his junior year in high school, James had gone
from a player known only to the best-informed followers of high school
ball to a hometown hero revered throughout Ohio, and he had begun
registering on name recognition charts throughout the sports world.
Athlon, for years the publisher of preseason football and basketball annuals,
rated James as the top high school sophomore in the country. The
Sporting News ranked him second. There were no secrets left in the sport.
If you played in the mountains, the desert, in the snow of Alaska, on the
beaches of Hawaii, in the swamps of Mississippi, scouts found you. Similarly,
if college coaches saw your name on any kind of ranked ability list,
they were likely to become pen pals. Just in case you had any interest at all
in matriculating at their campus, they didn’t want to make the mistake of
overlooking you and make you think you would not be welcome.
Going National
James received hundreds of pieces of recruiting mail. “Dear LeBron, we
love you, come to our school. We have a spot for you at Hoboken State
Technical School, if you want it.” That was the general thrust of the mail.
When you are a 15-year-old boy, and only recently escaped from a life
of poverty, that kind of overwhelming flattery can spin your head. And
20 LeBron Jam es
that’s even if you have no intention of ever setting foot on the campus of
an obscure school in New Mexico. The mail at least showed James that
coaches knew about him and respected what he had done. But he had two
more years to pad his resume, and in an age when high school athletes
were making the jump directly to the pro ranks, there was no guarantee
that James would be enticed into playing college basketball for a minute
even at a traditional power like North Carolina, Duke, or Indiana.
The buzz about James and the St. Vincent basketball team spread far
beyond the borders of the high school’s campus. School officials examined
the publicity evidence and made a bold business call. Instead of confining
home games to the small, on-campus gym, they rented the Rhodes Arena,
the 5,900-plus seat basketball building that hosted University of Akron
games. St. Vincent had become a regionally popular team. Spectators
wanted to see the Irish and star LeBron James in the flesh, not just read
about them in the newspapers. Fans were not going to show up on the
doorstep—at least not yet—from Florida, Texas or New York, but plenty
of high school hoops fans from Ohio were just an hour away.
Showing an understanding that they also had a special product with
James gracing the court, Dambrot and school officials scheduled six
games against teams from other states. Older fans who think back to
their own school days are surprised to hear this, but high school teams
routinely have been taking special trips, especially over holiday vacation
times like Thanksgiving and Christmas, for well over a decade. Sometimes
the games are one-time showdowns featuring two teams highly
rated by USA Today, the national newspaper that publishes high school
rankings. Sometimes the games pit private powerhouse schools that are
not subject to the same travel restrictions as public schools governed
by state boards. And sometimes a school is sought because it features
a once-in-a-lifetime player who single handedly temporarily raises the
reputation of his team.
The defining moment of James’s sophomore season came in a game
against Oak Hill of Virginia. The Irish were coming off a 27–0 season
and started the next campaign 9–0. James and his buddies were 36–0
over two seasons when they faced Oak Hill in mid-January of 2000 in
Columbus, Ohio. Oak Hill had finished 30–2 the year before and was
17–0 in the new season and ranked No. 1. Oak Hill also featured future
NBA player DeSagana Diop, a 7-foot center, and other players destined
for high-caliber NCAA Division I programs.
James, who had grown to 6-foot-6 by his sophomore season, scored
35 points in the game, but St. Vincent lost, 79–78. Technically, it was a
neutral court game, but the fans favored the Irish. In defeat, James gained
more luster. No one could question whether he was piling up statistics
High School Days 21
against middling opponents. He had played his best against the best. Future
Kentucky player Rashad Carruth, one of Oak Hill’s stars, called James
“the best I’ve ever played against.” And James said his ability to perform at
such a high level under pressure against such a fine team gave him more
confidence. “The way I played that game, it just felt like, ‘Can’t nobody
stop me,’ ” he said.7
Sometimes when a young athlete talks brashly like that he is considered
arrogant. James’s forthright, but wry delivery—coupled with the fact
that everyone recognized the statement as the truth—generally kept criticism
to a minimum when he spoke out strongly.
Despite the loss, St. Vincent was possibly better than in James’s first
year. The close foursome had become a quintet. Romeo Travis, another
accomplished player, transferred to St. Vincent and after an uneasy start
became pals with the core of the team and a major contributor.
The Oak Hill game represented St. Vincent’s only loss during the regular
season. The Irish were 19–1 when the state playoffs began and, for the
second year in a row, they blitzed the best of the rest of Ohio competition.
The Irish won, 63–53, over Casstown Miami East in the championship
game, and this time Value City Arena was sold out with about 18,000
screaming fans. The increase of nearly 5,000 fans for the title game paralleled
the increase in St. Vincent’s national profile.
James exulted when St. Vincent won again, proud of putting a second
straight Ohio title on the team’s resume.
Again showing that he was more than just a scorer, James compiled
averages of 25.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 3.8 steals per game.
James could knock ’em dead by putting the ball in the hoop, disrupting
opponents defensively, collecting the ball off the glass, or by simply finding
his open teammates who took advantage any time another team was
reckless enough to double- or triple-team him. James was the first sophomore
chosen Ohio player of the year and the first sophomore chosen as a
first-team All-American by USA Today. The Sporting News tabbed James
the national sophomore of the year.
There was no more fervent or visible LeBron James rooter in the stands
than his mother. Because she stood barely more than 5-foot-5, it is possible
that fans would not otherwise recognize her, but Gloria James regularly
wore a “LeBron’s Mom” T-shirt. Sometimes she draped his letter
jacket over it. She always appreciated it when a journalist commented on
James’s good manners.
Writer B. J. Robinson described James as more than the All-American
player on the court, but as more or less the All-American boy, too, who
worked overtime to get his teammates involved in play. “Who wouldn’t
want such a player on their team?”8
22 LeBron Jam es
Accolades poured in. James and his team had reached the summit of
the mountain in the playoffs twice. The attention, the praise, and the
evaluations of James’s talent were usually reserved for seniors. He had just
completed his sophomore year. James and the Irish had two more years
together. They were definitely planning to win four straight Ohio high
school basketball titles. None of them expected much of a change—only
more of the same and better—for their junior year.
Exit Coach Dambrot
Little remains static in the sports world. Players graduate. Players get
injured. Coaches depart. Never is one season the same as another. The
upheaval that faced St. Vincent after James’s sophomore year was unexpected.
Coach Keith Dambrot made the most of his second chance. In
his three seasons at the helm, he won about 90 percent of his games and
led the school to two consecutive championships. Long ago he had been
on the fast track in college basketball. Now Dambrot was redeemed, and
the same college basketball world that had turned him into a virtual nonperson
eight years earlier came calling. It was not a long distance call,
either. Watching St. Vincent-St. Mary progress closely from a few hills
over (and sometimes in their own building) officials at the University of
Akron in need of a new head coach dialed Dambrot’s number.
In the summer after James’s sophomore year, Dambrot announced he
was leaving St. Vincent to return to college. He said the players were
grumpy about his decision, although they later told him they understood.
Dambrot departed with the most lavish praise for James, comparing
various facets of his game with superstars Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant,
and Tracy McGrady. Dambrot knew that James was on his way to the pros
and that he would not be coaching him again unless he could fast-talk
him into attending the University of Akron for a year for old time’s sake.
The odds of that occurring were worse than the chances of breaking the
bank at a major Las Vegas casino.
Notes
1. Ryan Jones, King James: Believe the Hype—The LeBron James Story (New
York: St. Martin’s Press, 2003), p. 31.
2. David Lee Morgan Jr., The Rise of A Star—LeBron James (Cleveland: Gray &
Company Publishers, 2003), p. 84.
3. Morgan, p. 85.
4. Morgan, pp. 60–61.
High School Days 23
5. Jones, p. 35.
6. Connie Schultz, philly.com, June 19, 2007.
7. Jones, p. 55.
8. B. J. Robinson, LeBron James—King of the Court (East Cleveland: Forest Hill
Publishing, 2005), p. 34.
24
25
Chapter 3
Beyond His Years
By the time LeBron James was a junior at St. Vincent-St. Mary High
School, he was as well known to basketball aficionados as Meryl Streep
is to the Academy of Motion Picture Sciences. And in a way he had won
his own Oscar, too.
Although the phrases that have come to describe future basketball stars
such as “The Next Great Thing” or “The Next Michael Jordan” have
been almost automatically applied to young men on their way up, by the
time he celebrated his 17th birthday, James had become the most highly
publicized high school junior in history.
Michael Jordan was not MICHAEL JORDAN until he scored the winning
basket to give North Carolina an NCAA title. Kobe Bryant was
not KOBE BRYANT, or “the next Michael Jordan,” until after he moved
directly from high school to the Los Angeles Lakers and put in a couple of
hard-work seasons. James’s reputation preceded him in basketball hotbeds
before he came close to finishing high school.
Probably the most “normal” thing that happened in LeBron James’s life
during his junior year in high school was breaking a finger while playing football.
It was a relatively minor injury, but it served a major purpose. All along
his mother and other well-meaning friends lectured James about risking
serious injury while playing football for fun when by doing so he could be
throwing away a magnificent basketball career. The injury made an impression
on James, and he decided he had too much at stake to continue in the
sport. He never played organized football again after his junior season.
Given the way the rest of James’s high school days played out, it would
have been difficult to make time to play football. James had almost no
26 LeBron James
privacy; he was sought after constantly for interviews. His play was scrutinized
by coaches and scouts. Any move either he or his mother made
that would go unremarked-upon involving another athlete was critiqued.
Still, James exhibited grace under pressure. He may have felt the object
of prying eyes and the object of attention by those who had no business
with his business, but he either shrugged things off and remained affable,
or directly dealt with sports writers’ observations.
At St. Vincent, Dru Joyce II was promoted from assistant coach to take
over from Dambrot. This change involved little adjustment by James or
the other players, for Coach Dru had already been Coach Dru to them,
not only at school, but over a stretch of several summers. The showing
the Irish made in their Ohio state tournaments against Oak Hill Academy
and other big-city teams meant that the team was in more demand to play
big-name schools nationwide.
The Hype Takes Off
It is one thing to be noticed, quite another to be hyped. By his junior year,
James was a staple of sports page stories in Akron and vicinity. He had also
been written up in SLAM, a basketball magazine that approaches its subject
matter with a more hip style than mainstream media. That SLAM featured
James so early in his high school career anointed him as cutting edge.
There was still one way to trump SLAM, however. There are ways to
measure that you have really made it in the United States, and when it
comes to the sports world nothing is more impressive than being a cover
topic for Sports Illustrated. Sports Illustrated is the most respected print medium
in the sports writing field, and being featured on the cover is for
many athletes a once-in-a-career pleasure. For the older sports fan who
might never read a copy of SLAM, it is also a sign that the athlete is pretty
special. In the case of someone as young as James, it was also advance advertising.
Sports Illustrated told its few million readers that this was a fresh
face to be reckoned with.
High school athletes had periodically been exposed to the masses on
the cover of Sports Illustrated since the magazine’s debut in 1954, but all of
them were seniors. When James was introduced to America at large on the
Sports Illustrated cover for the February 18, 2002 issue, he was the first high
school junior to make it. James wore a green St. Vincent basketball jersey
with the team’s “Irish” script on the front and a headband, something
that has since become a well-known trademark. In case anybody was silly
enough to miss any allusions to Michael Jordan, further examination
of
the picture reminded them that James also wore No. 23. As if the fact that
Beyond His Years 27
James was on the cover, rather than simply being discussed in an inside
story, did not sufficiently support the idea that Sports Illustrated was going
whole-hog in predicting a brilliant future, the succinct, but direct, cover
headline made that clear. It read: “The Chosen One.”
James’s background was duly reported, but the story also quoted several
basketball experts with NBA know-how who could barely contain themselves
in analyzing James’s place in the basketball firmament. Reviewing
the piece let the previously unsuspecting reader in on a secret—if James
was available right then and there, NBA teams would fight and claw to
sign him. All of this fuss was being made over a junior in high school, and
the only reaction plausible for the sports fan that had been previously
unfamiliar with Ohio high school hoops was: Holy moley.
The Sports Illustrated splash ratcheted up the attention—and the
pressure—on James and his team. They became targets. Opposing teams
used the article as a psych measure for motivation. If they contained
James and beat the Irish, they knew they would gather extra attention.
James, Joyce, Cotton, Travis, and McGee were too good to be
threatened by most teams. In games that might be closer, however, the
extra incentive couldn’t hurt. Foes that were outclassed in basic skills
sometimes resorted to more physical play. James was faster and taller
and could out-jump most of the high school players he faced, but they
all owned elbows. They could jab him, poke him, and try to slow him
down. If physicality didn’t work, they could at least irk him verbally to
try to throw him off his game.
Gloria James sometimes grew apoplectic at what seemed to be the uncalled
for hammering of her baby. In one game against George Junior
Republic in Pittsburgh shortly after the Sports Illustrated story appeared on
newsstands, she ran out on the court yelling about the treatment of James.
James, who did not lose his cool, gently guided her back to her bleacher
seat. Incidents like that played poorly with a skeptical media that did not
know the whole story of Gloria’s life with her son, how she loved him and
how she had sacrificed for him. She was sometimes portrayed negatively
as a stage mother. Hard-nosed strategy worked that day—St. Vincent lost,
58–57, in overtime.
It would have been easy for James to blow up in such situations, but
there is no account suggesting he ever did. James never seemed particularly
bothered if opposing fans ragged on him. He maintained his equilibrium,
never mouthing off to them, or retaliating with negative gestures.
He just ignored the clamor around him.
Attention on James and St. Vincent never receded. More and more
reporters clamored for interviews. The team’s locker room became off
28 LeBron James
limits, much like for major college programs, and James greeted the media
in press conferences seated at a table rather than by his locker, a foreshadowing
of his pre-game future pattern with the Cavaliers. So many people
wanted a piece of him.
“He has no life now,” Coach Dru Joyce II said of James’s situation.
“Fame has its price. If grown men have trouble dealing with it, how do
you prepare a kid for it?”1
Coach Joyce repeatedly told reporters that James had a supernatural maturity
and a built-in sense of how to cope with the crazy level of attention.
Autograph collecting inhabited a different sphere in the sports memorabilia
subculture in the 2000s than it did in 1960s America. For decades,
obtaining autographs was an activity for young sports fans waiting outside
the gates of a stadium, darting down to the railing at a baseball park,
or shouting out a player’s name. Kids handed over notebooks, scraps of
paper, or collector cards and cherished the signed sheets they received
for a while, before they grew up, became distracted by girls, and lost them
or tossed them. No more. Autograph hunting is big business. Adults are
much more engaged. More often the signature is prized for the price it can
fetch at auction or at a sports collector’s show than for the feel-good way
it was obtained. Youngsters are raised to be discerning, to go after big stars
and save the booty for later sale, perhaps to finance their college educations.
It is rare indeed to come across the true-blue innocent collector
seeking something to be signed simply for the thrill of interacting with a
sports hero.
James had always been obliging, scrawling his autograph for anyone
who asked. But the lines hadn’t been long, nor the demands intense.
Once the Sports Illustrated cover story appeared, he was besieged. And
if James was an innocent, thinking everyone who lusted after his signature
did it because they liked him, that innocence was quickly lost. He
watched from a distance as adults sent small children with little knowledge
of who he was to obtain autographs on their magazines. He saw
through their ploys.
“Everybody comes up to me,” James said, “all these grown folks, asking
for autographs talking about it’s for their kids, next thing you know,
they’re selling it on eBay.”2
Making New Friends through Basketb all
The frenzy over James and the basketball squad challenged the school
administration. There were about 490 students who did not play basketball
and who were trying to get an education, and the members of the
Beyond His Years 29
boys’ basketball team were fighting through their extracurricular lives
to obtain a diploma, too. Demands on the team became so great and
distractions so frequent that the school banned all media from the premises
until after 3 p.m., when classes were out. The average citizen sometimes
claims that celebrities get special treatment. It is often true in ways
they do not suspect. James needed protection. He was too “special” to be
left to his own devices, for he would be mobbed by admirers and diverted
from actually being able to graduate from high school.
Doors closed to others do open to the gifted, however. In 2001, during
the summer leading up to his junior year, James was invited to attend informal
workouts at Hoops The Gym, the Chicago basketball haven where
Michael Jordan trained and legendary pickup games involving him and
other pros were conducted out of public view. At the time, Jordan was
working in the front office of the Washington Wizards. But it was apparent
to Jordan watchers that the gathering was all about getting Jordan into
shape for another shot at the NBA. Among those joining James in games
were Charles Barkley, Antoine Walker, Michael Finley, Juwan Howard,
and Penny Hardaway.
This was fast company for a high school junior. By then James was writing
a regular diary for SLAM and discussed the experience. “It was cool,”
he said. “I got to run with a lot of the other NBA guys, and I talked to
Jordan a little bit.”3
These were not the consorts of the typical high school player. Later,
there would be allegations that James must have done something illegal by
working out with those players that negated his amateur standing since he
was still talking about his favorite colleges. Those schools included Florida,
Duke, North Carolina, Michigan State, Ohio State, Cincinnati, and the
University of California. The precedent of heading right from high school
into the NBA draft had been well established, but James at least gave those
college coaches hope. Even he was startled, though, when people openly
talked of James seeking to breach NBA rules that forbade a high school
player whose class had not yet graduated from entering the league.
The coming out parties in different forums such as practicing with pros
were shelved in time for James to play basketball his junior year. Stories
about LeBron James were no longer rudimentary, explaining that there
was this guy in Akron who could be something terrific. Analysis had progressed
far beyond that, raising the issue of just which former NBA star
James compared most favorably with. Was it Magic Johnson? Was it Kobe
Bryant? Was it Tracy McGrady, the Houston Rockets star? James never
exhibited a swelled head over being named in such fine company, but he
did say he was pleased to be mentioned.
30 LeBron James
“I work so hard to be noticed as the next Kobe or T-Mac,” James said.
“And I’m going to keep working hard so that one day they say, ‘This player
reminds me of LeBron James.’ ”4
Junior Year Adventures
On one level it was deemed ludicrous for LeBron James to be listed as a
professional basketball prospect before finishing high school. On another
level it seemed the perfect progression along the road of basketball insanity
where elementary schoolchildren and junior high players were being
ranked.
The National Basketball Association used to forbid teams from drafting
any player whose college class had not graduated. It was a way to
keep peace with the NCAA, the governing body of college sports. Similarly,
other professional sports leagues had their long-established practices
in the distribution of young talent. The closest parallel to the NBA was
the National Football League, which also had rules in place banning the
drafting of players while they were still in college.
Over time, however, the basketball rules loosened. Using the argument
that the United States is a free country and that players should be allowed
to pursue their vocation without restriction, basketball players challenged
the rules in courts.
Spencer Haywood, an immensely talented 6-foot-8 sophomore forward
at the University of Detroit, felt he was good enough to play in the NBA
immediately and should not have to wait until his college class graduated.
Haywood took the league to court in 1970 and the legal judgment led to
exceptions in the NBA policy.
The NBA created a “hardship” clause that enabled financially challenged
players who were not finished with college to declare for the draft.
Eventually, all such limitations were tossed out and players coming directly
out of high school became free to declare their interest and eligibility
for professional ball. That rule was in effect as James was completing
high school. A subsequent regulation, however, was approved through
the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement between players and owners,
raising the minimum age for new players to 20.
No player had ever attempted to try to turn professional in the NBA
before his high school class graduated—it was already frowned upon in
many quarters that 18-year-olds were draft eligible. Experts said, however,
that LeBron James was so good by his junior year he was capable
Beyond His Years 31
of playing
in the league immediately. Boston Celtics general manager
Danny Ainge, quoted in the Sports Illustrated article, suggested there were
only a handful
of active NBA players that he wouldn’t trade for James
right then and there. James and his mother put the kibosh on any wild
rumors he might come out. To reach an exalted status to even be discussed
in such a context meant James produced a spectacular junior year
of basketball achievement.
Go ing Pro Extra Early?
One thing that seemed to be overlooked by those making clinical analyses
of whether James had the goods to go pro as a 17-year-old was his
personality. Yes, he took basketball seriously and felt his future lay in the
game. But part of him also wanted to stay a kid for as long as he could. “I
love high school,” he said. “You can go back to college, but you can’t go
back to high school.”5
Once again, St. Vincent-St. Mary would play home games at the University
of Akron’s gym. It was the only practical solution, as there was
more demand than ever from the casual fan not affiliated with the school
hoping to capture a glimpse of James and his cohorts on the court. There
were also more teams than ever from other parts of the country interested
in match-ups for the 2001–02 season. The Fighting Irish had become one
of the teams USA Today considered in its national rankings. At the beginning
of James’s junior year, the Irish were rated No. 6 nationally by the
national newspaper.
St. Vincent won the first game of James’s third varsity season by a score
of 81–40 over Avon Lake, another Ohio school, and that was after only
one full week’s worth of practice with the entire team present since the
football season ran deep into the playoffs. St. Vincent plunged into serious
competition in its second basketball game, facing USA Today’s No.
5 ranked team, Germantown Academy of Pennsylvania, and winning
70–64. James made an impression with 38 points.
This was the Irish’s first season under Dru Joyce II, but there really
wasn’t much adjustment period for the new coach. Joyce was thrust into
the white hot spotlight. More and more media members wanted a piece of
LeBron James and more and more fans expected mythical performances.
There was a danger between the written hype and the verbal descriptions
that James was coming to be seen as superhuman. Joyce sensed this, perhaps
as quickly as James.
32 LeBron James
It was after the Germantown victory that Joyce thoughtfully said out
loud what only a few close James observers had whispered—the public
was demanding more and more from LeBron shows.
St. Vincent had become a national touring team as much as an Ohio
team. The Irish mopped up on Buckeye state opposition and survived
tense challenges from other top teams across the country for a 6–0 start
before competing in a Christmas tournament in Delaware.
James routinely scored 25 or 30 points in a game without forcing shots.
St. Vincent had balance and other talented players. Although everyone
knew James was the superstar, he was always generous on the court. A superb
passer, he collected assists by feeding his teammates. In close games,
when foes were better than advertised, or good enough to keep the score
close, the Irish naturally looked to James to lead them and score the decisive
points. He had the gift of being able to turn up his play a notch and
make something happen when his team was threatened. Frank Lupica,
the coach of the Walsh Jesuit Warriors Ohio team, said all James’s teammates
had to do was “dial 1–800-LeBron” and he rode to the rescue.6
Some top high school scorers never develop a complete floor game.
What distinguished James was that he innately possessed the all-around
instincts of a more experienced player. He knew that sometimes circumstances
meant he could help his team with passes instead of shots.
St. Vincent-St. Mary beat teams from New Jersey, Michigan, Kentucky,
Missouri, and Ohio. Wherever the schedule led the Irish, they came, they
saw, they conquered. The Irish, however, did lose by a single point to
Amityville High School from Long Island, in the Delaware Slam Dunk to
the Beach Tournament, even though James scored 39 points while suffering
from an illness.
Every once in a while, an interview was given by some NBA expert
who couldn’t stop gushing over James’s potential, occasionally casually
throwing in that James would be the first choice in the entire pro draft if
he left high school. James reiterated that he wasn’t going anywhere except
St. Vincent-St. Mary the next year. The 2002 NBA draft came and
went and Yao Ming, the 7-foot-6 Chinese phenom, was the No. 1 player
selected. Ming turned out to be a fine choice for the Houston Rockets as
he blossomed into an all-star center and helped the league develop new
marketing opportunities in the world’s most populous country.
NBA observers (usually anonymously) could make fantastic comments
about James and not blush because of the combination of his physical and
mental maturity. Not only did James seem poised in interviews, not only
did he seem to have fun on the court while playing unselfishly, but he had
grown to 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds. He was a teenager in a man’s body and
Beyond His Years 33
all evidence indicated he knew how to use his size. Even James, though,
was mindful of the millions of eyes of the world on him that left him little
escape from public inspection. In one interview with a sports Web site,
James was quoted as saying, “Sometimes it feels like I have the whole
world on my shoulders. I know I’m under a microscope with everything
I do.”7
James couldn’t afford a misstep. He had a solid support system between
his mother, coaches, teammates, and other friends. They wanted to protect
him from the glare of publicity at the same time they wanted him to
enjoy the liberating ride. By the nature of his expanding reputation and
occasions like the off-season workout in Chicago, basketball stars took
an interest in James. Antoine Walker, who had been an All-American at
Kentucky and an all-star in the NBA with the Boston Celtics before he
eventually won a world championship ring with the Miami Heat, was on
James’s speed-dial, just to offer life advice. Walker hoped to impart some
of the wisdom he had gained in the sport to smooth the young man’s
entry into the big time. James had always been fundamentally sound on
the court. People like Walker were attempting to ensure that he remained
fundamentally sound off the court.
In February of James’s junior year, St. Vincent journeyed to Trenton,
New Jersey, for another tournament. Waiting was old nemesis Oak Hill
Academy of Virginia. Not only was Oak Hill as powerful as ever, the team
featured another soon-to-be household name—Carmelo Anthony. It was
a wild game, a shootout par excellence between two phenomenal young
players. Anthony, who attended college for one season and led Syracuse
to the NCAA title as a freshman, before turning pro with the Denver
Nuggets, scored 34 points. James scored 36 points, but Oak Hill prevailed,
76–66.8
The game partially overlapped the nearby NBA All-Star game, which
was being held in Philadelphia, and the release of the famous Sports Illustrated
issue. Kobe Bryant, the Lakers star who had gone from high school
to the pros, asked what it would have been like if his picture appeared
on the cover of Sports Illustrated when he was a junior. “As a junior?” he
repeated. “I never would have gone to class.”9 Bryant noted he was joking,
but it was an indicator of the temptation for an athlete to become swellheaded.
James never showed that tendency. He went to class and there are
no accounts of fellow students referring to him as too big for his britches,
regardless of how large they were.
The schedule was more difficult and demands on the group of high
school players more intense, but St. Vincent-St. Mary lost three games
during the regular season of James’s junior year. The Irish were still
34 LeBron James
undefeated
in Ohio and ranked No. 1 in the state going into the state
tournament. St. Vincent was a two-time consecutive state champion and
expected to win a third straight time.
James seemed philosophical in admitting that not everybody was rooting
for the Irish. “Everybody wants to see the giants fall, I guess.”10 It
was unclear how that opinion jibed with the belief that thousands upon
thousands of fans turned out around the country to see James do fabulous
things on the basketball court. But that is how he saw it.
The Irish won their regional opener by 60 points. In the second
game, rather recklessly if a team was trying not to motivate James and
Company, Hoban came out for warm-ups wearing “The Chosen One”
T-shirts, making fun of James’s Sports Illustrated cover. St. Vincent won
by 39 points. The Irish won its quarterfinal game by 5 points and its
semifinal by 29 points. The same decisive results were posted in the
regional final and in the state tournament, leaving St. Vincent one win
from a three-peat.
Upset at St ate
James, always confident, but usually more circumspect, mimicked
Joe Namath who had issued his bold prediction that the New York Jets
would knock off the favored Baltimore Colts to win Super Bowl III. Like
Namath, James promised victory.
In a stunning upset, despite James’s 32 points, the Irish lost to Roger
Bacon of Cincinnati, 71–63, a team that had played them closely during
the regular season. When the game ended in disappointment, James graciously
proclaimed his respect and admiration for Roger Bacon’s achievement.
He did not hide from questions and he did not sulk.
“I’m a little bit upset with myself because I guaranteed a victory,” James
said. He said the loss would motivate him more for his senior year when
he hoped to be the top player in America and see St. Vincent ranked
Number 1 nationally as well.11
For the first time in their high school careers, the globetrotting Irish
lost to an Ohio team; and for the first time in their high school careers,
LeBron James, Dru Joyce III, Romeo Travis, and the others ended a season
without a new state championship banner to hang in their gym.
Later, James blamed himself for the loss. “That was on me as a leader,”
he said.12 It was a mature response, but the final loss in a 23–4 season was
probably more attributable to overall team fatigue and the pressure on the
team to always be up for every fan and opponent. And then there was the
Beyond His Years 35
simple fact that in team sports competition, the end is not scripted like a
Broadway play, and the underdog sometimes does win.
More Excitement
LeBron James may only have been entering his senior year in high
school at St. Vincent-St. Mary, but he had already entered the world of
celebrityhood. That curious American status wrenches a person’s life from
his own grasp and propels him into the realm of public property. It can
be a joy ride at best, but it can be humbling and gossipy at worst. Anyone
anointed by the hype machine as worthy of celebrity attention is going to
have to accept the bad if he appreciates the good. There is a bizarreness
associated with being unable to walk down the street unrecognized. It is
unnatural to be mobbed at all times, to be begged for autographs or just “a
moment of your time” incessantly. Often escaping into a cocoon of friends
and relatives, such an adored person can become removed from reality.
Such an admired person can become so important in his own mind that
he acts selfishly not out of malice, but because his world has shrunk.
Many Americans will do just about anything to be viewed as celebrities,
if only for a moment. That wish explains the popularity of so many
reality television shows. Most Americans believe that any tradeoff in loss
of privacy would be worth the fawning of the multitudes. Many celebrities
have been too immature to handle the role, however. It takes a grounded
person to skate through the firestorm of attention, to make it all work for
him rather than let it overwhelm him. The pressures are intense on anyone,
but especially on someone as young as LeBron James when his name
was promoted to a place of honor in the basketball and sports world.
After problems early in his public school career when he and mother
Gloria were moving from home to home, James became a solid student.
He also sought normalcy in high school when he was walking the halls
or removed from basketball. He attended school dances, he dressed up
for pajama day, and he described school hours at St. Vincent between
8 a.m. and 3 p.m. as his “comfort zone.” “A lot of people say high school
was hard, but for me it was easy,” James said. “When you have friends and
people there with you that you love, it makes it a lot easier.”13 The school
administrators who were accused of exploiting James because they moved
games to the Akron arena and allowed some of his games to be televised
worked hard to protect James from intrusions during school hours.
As he embarked on another summer tour showing off his skills for basketball
fans around the country, James faced a number of risks. He could
let his celebrity stature change him and take over his life, removing him
36 LeBron James
figuratively, if not literally, from his teammates. He could be carelessly
wooed by dollar-bill waving agents into accepting cash payments and losing
the rest of his high school eligibility. Or on a rough-and-tumble play
on the court, James could be injured and perhaps jeopardize his entire
basketball future.
There is no evidence that James ever let his growing fame change his
personality or serve as a wedge between him and his teammates. There
is no evidence he succumbed to any type of illegal financial inducements
bestowed on him because of his basketball talent (although there was
some dispute about this). But during an early off-season game in Chicago,
bad luck did arrive for James in the way of unanticipated injury.
Fame Fo llows on the Ro ad
In early June the summer after his junior year in high school, James and
his guys, representing the Shooting Stars, were entered in the Mac Irvin
Summer Basketball Classic in Chicago. James was back in a basketball
milieu. NBA scouts were on hand taking notes and several pros, from
Eddy Curry to Shawn Marion, dropped by to investigate the doings. The
Shooting Stars opened with a 68–64 victory over Team Minnesota and
James pleased the crowd of about 1,000 spectators by scoring 17 points
and passing for 10 assists. He posed for pictures and also signed autographs
on T-shirts, dollar bills, and a woman’s pink gym shoes.
The Shooting Stars’ second tournament game began about 90 minutes
later in a match-up against The Rising Stars (of north suburban Chicago).
After a play at the defensive end, James was fed a pass for a fast break. One
thing that provoked gasps from fans was the sight of James in the open
court, dribbling at full speed with either no defenders or one defender
between him and the basket. On this play, planning a thundering dunk,
James leapt from the foul line. About 15 feet from the hoop, one player
on defense held his ground. James flew high, but the defender stood still.
The two collided and James flipped and landed on his back, hitting the
hardwood forcefully.
James did not rise quickly. He rolled onto his stomach and his face
displayed agony. The gym at Julian High School hushed as teammates ran
to his aid. James was led off of the court and soon was taken to a hospital
a short distance away by a fire department emergency technician. Later
after James was transferred to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, a nurse
told reporters that James had suffered a broken left wrist. At the time,
11 minutes and 19 seconds remained in a game that the Ohio club was
winning, 53–22. After James was escorted from the premises, play was
Beyond His Years 37
not resumed, the Chicago team coach said, because some fans were making
threatening statements to the player whose accidental defensive stop
knocked down James.14
James’s left arm was in a cast and his summer basketball season was over
just as it was starting. Doctors predicted he would be unable to play ball
for between six and eight weeks. Although he had already decided not to
play football, the basketball injury was a reminder of the type of risk he
would have run in that sport. As everyone told him, there was too much
at stake in basketball to bother with football anymore except for watching
it on TV and listening to John Madden.
If James was off the summer circuit playing for the Shooting Stars, he
never sank below the radar in the basketball world. Fans did not see him
in games and sports-page readers may not have paid any attention to details
of off-the-court games swirling around James, but there were James
developments. Although he couldn’t play basketball anymore during the
summer before his senior year, the injury was not expected to have longterm
effects. James was just as hot a commodity for the future as he had
been. Although James had followed protocol and taken the ACT test
required for college-bound students in Ohio, by then everyone knew that
James was less likely to become a Tar Heel than a Celtic.
Instead of playing basketball, James received full-court lobbying treatment
from Nike and adidas, both basketball shoe companies seeking the
inside track to sign him up for millions of dollars once he was no longer
an amateur. James had been scheduled to play at the adidas summer camp,
but once he got hurt, he decided to attend both the adidas and Nike summer
camps in person—in street clothes. It was one of those wisdom-of-
Solomon decisions designed to avoid showing favoritism.
That was a good idea in theory, but for once James miscalculated media
and public reaction when he agreed to appear for a press conference at
the adidas camp. He arrived an hour late, wearing an adidas headband
and Nike wrist bands (so good so far), but also displaying a “King James”
T-shirt. The combination of tardiness and the T-shirt did not make a good
first impression on media members who did not know James and were
predisposed to think of him as arrogant or spoiled. When James and his
mom checked into the hotel, the King James T-shirt awaited him. James
flippantly commented that it was in his room, and added, “God gave it
to me.”15 No one at the press conference would have disputed a James
statement that he had God-given talent, but some took offense to this
so-called God-given gift.
“The reviews were brutal,” early James biographer Ryan Jones wrote.16
James has always been honest and his answers to certain questions were
38 LeBron James
read differently by those who had never heard him talk before. “The shoe
companies flew him back and forth across the country, the media put
demands on his time and made money off his fame,” Jones wrote, “potential
agents whispered promises and introduced him to their star clients—
and through it all, LeBron James was supposed to act like the same poor,
anonymous kid from Akron, grateful for the attention and content to go
quietly back to that same small apartment every night.”17
If James was bruised by the brief media onslaught, he did not show it
much. By the middle of August, the cast came off his wrist. It had healed
as quickly as possible. So James immediately returned to the court to test
the bone’s strength. There was nothing scheduled for the Shooting Stars,
but James was invited to a Michael Jordan kids’ basketball camp in Santa
Barbara as a counselor. James’s old St. Vincent teammate Maverick Carter,
who had played one season for Western Michigan and then transferred to
the University of Akron and had become an even closer friend, was there,
too. Gradually, Carter evolved into James’s man Friday, a buffer separating
him from pushy fans, a helpmate who could watch James’s back. Carter
later said that James was as popular in some ways as Jordan at the camp.
“He signed more autographs than Mike,” Carter said.18
Sometimes forgotten was the fact that James had come from nothing,
that only a few years before he became the basketball world’s darling, he
and Gloria had shuffled from house to house trying to escape poverty. But
James never forgot. Even though he was not raking in cash yet since he
was still a high school player, whenever he could he participated in charitable
activities. Near the end of his junior year, James arrived at school
toting a bag of various types of basketball shoes and sweat clothes. Conducting
a trivia contest in the cafeteria at lunchtime, James gave all of the
goodies to his schoolmates.
Famo us Everywhere
In late summer, just before the beginning of senior year, James and
his mother organized another kind of LeBron giveaway. Approximately
600 youngsters at the Akron Community Service Center and the Urban
League were presented with James’s autograph, a message on the importance
of education, LeBron bookmarks, plus backpacks, folders, and notebooks.
The shoe companies paid for everything. The bookmarks have
taken on a bit of fame in James lore, not because of the item, but because
of what he had imprinted on them for the kids. He wrote, “My achievements
in basketball have made me famous, but if I didn’t do the work in
the classroom, you would never know who I am.”19 Many athletes say that
Beyond His Years 39
children should have role models and heroes besides sports figures. James,
who had a 3.0 grade point average on a scale of 4.0, embraced the idea of
being a role model from an early age. Even as a 17-year-old he understood
that some kids were going to look up to him regardless of what other
adults or athletes advised.
After James’s truncated summer because of the broken wrist, and without
football to occupy him in the fall, James was anxious for basketball
to begin. Early in the school year, St. Vincent-St. Mary made basketball
news without James’s involvement, even though the developments were
totally built around him. The school announced that once again home
games would be played at the University of Akron’s Rhodes Arena. No
surprise there. It was reported that the high school took in $268,735 in
gate receipts from the Ohio games during James’s junior year. In addition,
the school received as much as $10,000 in appearance fees for competing
in those tournaments around the nation.20
Senior year was definitely going to be a frequent-flyer season for James
and his friends. The Fighting Irish were scheduled to play in Los Angeles,
Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New Jersey, and North Carolina. There were
six teams on the schedule ranked in USA Today’s top 25, including No. 1
Mater Dei of California. St. Vincent-St. Mary was ranked No. 10 and
James, Joyce, Cotton, McGee, and Travis wanted the chance to prove
themselves and move up to the top ranking. They had the chance to
see the country and play many of the nation’s best high school teams.
If newspaper columnists thought this was exploitation of James and his
teammates, the players loved the idea of how much fun travel would be.
Some clamored about St. Vincent “greed.” Some games at Rhodes Arena
cost $50 for selected tickets. And 10 St. Vincent Ohio games were to be
shown throughout the region on pay cable TV.
St. Vincent school officials defended the moves by saying more local
fans wanted to see LeBron James play high school basketball than even
the move to the larger Akron arena could accommodate. And the players
deserved to test themselves against the best competition available at
their level of play. Just try convincing 17-year-old high school basketball
players that regularly showcasing their talents on TV was a bad thing!
Not es
1. David Lee Morgan, Jr., The Rise of A Star—LeBron James (Cleveland: Gray &
Company Publishers, 2003), p. 90.
2. Morgan, p. 89.
3. Ryan Jones, King James: Believe the Hype—The LeBron James Story (New York:
St. Martin’s Press, 2003), p. 87.
40 LeBron James
4. B. J. Robinson, LeBron James—King of the Court (East Cleveland: Forest
Hill Publishing, 2005), p. 50.
5. Robinson, p. 49.
6. Robinson, p. 58.
7. Robinson, p. 56.
8. Robinson, p. 66.
9. Jones, p. 112.
10. Morgan, p. 92.
11. Jones, p. 115.
12. Morgan, p. 96.
13. Barry Temkin, Chicago Tribune, June 9, 2002.
14. Temkin, June 9, 2002.
15. Robinson, p. 82.
16. Jones, p. 138.
17. Jones, p. 140.
18. Jones, p. 140.
19. Robinson, pp. 83–84.
20. Morgan, p. 100.
41
Chapter 4
Senior Year
Basketball Circus
There are many ways to measure success. Some people add up dollars.
Some people figure fame tells all. Some people rate status symbols, like
how many big toys a guy can fit into his driveway, from a fancy car to a
boat. And then there are smaller measurements that resonate in the telling
if not in the bank account. James could claim something that possibly
no other high school athlete in history could—there was a LeBron James
bobble-head doll for basketball fans. James said having a bobble-head of
his likeness made him very proud.1
The schedule, the pay TV (at $7.95 per game), the high ticket prices,
the bobble-head doll, all heralded a wild and frantic senior year for James.
But not even he could have guessed how crazy things would get.
As the start of the 2002–03 Ohio high school basketball season approached,
St. Vincent came under attack from an unexpected source. Clair
Muscaro, the commissioner of the Ohio High School Athletic Association,
the governing body that oversees all high school sports in the state,
was annoyed by the Fighting Irish’s ambitious schedule. He did not like the
idea of Ohio high school players gallivanting around the country playing
teams from other states in front of big arena crowds. He suggested maybe
the school was overdoing things. Muscaro was a powerful man, not someone
to cross if a school wanted to stay eligible for playoffs, or to make sure
its players were eligible.
“I felt (LeBron) was exploited through all the travel out of state and
across the country,” Muscaro said. “It’s not what we are about. It should be
about hopping in the yellow school bus and going 30 to 45 miles to play
42 LeBron Jam es
in a gym and then coming home again. It should not be about flying and
limousines and promoters making money.”2
Muscaro’s stern comments proved inflammatory among those who felt
they were in the midst of the time of their lives lapping up heretofore
unheard of opportunities for a small private school in Akron. But his comments
appealed to high school sports purists who felt things had gotten out
of hand with James and other teams in other sports. Sports had lost their
proper place in the curriculum, they felt, and some applauded Muscaro. On
the other side of the argument were people who felt Muscaro was hopelessly
out of date, that what St. Vincent-St. Mary was doing was simply
taking advantage of invitations to participate in high-profile events open
to high schools who were good enough. This was the modern way of doing
things and it wasn’t fair to hold back James or St. Vincent. There was an
undercurrent of belief that Muscaro was also the front man for coaches,
players, and parents affiliated with other Ohio schools that were jealous of
the praise and attention lavished on James and St. Vincent, that he was
the mouthpiece for the under-the-surface complainers about James’s stature.
Whispered about, but left unsaid in public, was whether race was an
issue. Would suspicions have been raised if James was white?
Muscaro’s first volley incited a war of words with St. Vincent Coach
Dru Joyce II, who defended the school and his players vociferously. “Clair
cannot look me in the eye and tell me to my face that I exploited LeBron
James or my players,” Joyce said.3
Joyce knew how much sweat and work went into molding this team.
He was there from the beginning, when the same youngsters won agegroup
titles. He knew these guys better than anyone else, and it was no
stretch or fib for him to point out that although they might be having fun
as they toured the country, they were mostly motivated by the chance
to become a national high school champion. Besides, from a technical
standpoint, unless St. Vincent broke rules, Muscaro and his association
shouldn’t have a beef with them.
Certainly, any old-fashioned high school fan could not identify with the
royal treatment received by James and his teammates as they moved about
the country. By the time they reached Los Angeles to play Mater Dei, the
Fighting Irish were ranked No. 1 in the nation. They were transported
by limousine. The game was scheduled for 14,000-seat Pauley Pavilion,
home of storied UCLA. The team dined at Lawry’s prime rib restaurant in
Beverly Hills. It would not be hard to ask, how much is too much? And it
was not out of line for an official like Muscaro to examine reports of such
a trip and wonder if such fancy treatment was appropriate for high school
boys. But were any high school association rules broken? Not to anyone’s
knowledge.
Senio r Year Bas ketball Circus 43
Still, there were valid questions. LeBron James was in the right place at
the right time, with the right school, and the right talent. It was almost as
if high school basketball had been waiting for a messiah to come along and
make the final breakthrough to the national mainstream stage. Although
it was suggested that James was packaged by his coach and school, such a
thing cannot be simply arranged. The player at the vortex of the issue and
in the forefront of the promotion must be the real deal or he will quickly
be exposed. James was not a natural self-promoter. He was thrust into
the role and grew practiced at dealing with the media and in accepting
the platitudes and his exciting opportunities. Although cynics abounded,
James managed to keep up with his school work and post good grades. As
James’s reputation as a top-notch player spread, and as the opinion that
he was someone who could become the next great NBA player became
ingrained in public consciousness, the demand to see him play exploded.
Early in the summer, before he broke his wrist, James had participated
in a workout with the Cleveland Cavaliers at the invitation of Coach
John Lucas. Although James showed well and established players raved
about him, this was against the rules. The NBA had a rule against working
out players who were not draft eligible. Lucas compounded his error
by telling the Cleveland Plain Dealer, “We got to have him.”4 NBA Commissioner
David Stern fined Lucas $150,000 and suspended him for the
first two games of the league season when it began in November. No one
could blame the Cavaliers for wanting a close-up look at James, but cynical
Cavs fans figured this was just another screw-up by a team that seemed
to lead the league in bad luck and costly mistakes.
Was James wrong for accepting an invitation to test himself against the
local pros? It was only a workout and he did nothing wrong in the eyes of
high school authorities. It was Lucas who was smacked with the penalty
because he was supposed to know NBA rules.
There was a natural progression in the attention on James. First, St. Vincent
games sold out the tiny home game at the school. Then St. Vincent
games sold out the larger University of Akron arena. Then St. Vincent
games sold out major city arenas around the country. There was more demand
than supply. More fans than could readily drive to a LeBron James
game in person wanted to see LeBron James play right now, not wait until
he turned pro. That’s how it came to pass that St. Vincent-St. Mary’s third
game against Oak Hill Academy in late 2002 was televised by ESPN2.
Big-Time National TV
The game was scheduled for December 12, 2002, at the Cleveland State
University Convocation Center. Scouts from 10 NBA teams attended,
44 LeBron Jam es
presumably to watch championship caliber basketball and to take notes
about up-and-coming talent on the two teams. If LeBron James had been
sunning himself on a beach in Florida, however, none of them would have
come. The network’s choice of announcers advertised that the event was
of major import in the basketball world. Dick Vitale, the prominent voice
of college basketball, teamed with Bill Walton, the former college and
pro star who analyzed NBA ball. The Fighting Irish had lost twice to the
Virginia school in recent years and really felt this time it was their turn to
post the victory.
And that’s how it played out. James scored 31 points to lead the Irish to
the revenge win, 65–45. He seasoned his performance with the occasional
spectacular dunk that made fans spill their popcorn, but kept his cool
and his statements low key when asked about his starring role. The selfeffacing
comments struck the right tone. James might showboat with a
fancy shot once in a while for fun, but the buying public really did think it
was all about James putting on a show. That’s why they spent their money.
Quite a few did plunk down some bucks to watch, too, including 11,523
in the building and another 1.77 million on television.
Vitale, who has spent a quarter of a century as the colorful commentator
on college ball and who long ago coached in the NBA and in college,
was pumped for his thoughts as a man who has seen every player of stature
for so long. “The curiosity is overwhelming,” the enthusiastic Vitale said.
“It’s a runaway train because of the hype, but he’s even better than I expected,
and I expected a lot.”5
In other words, if you asked the most authoritative voice in college
basketball if LeBron James could play, he was going to tell you to buy
season tickets to your favorite NBA team because James was never going
to spend a minute in college. Ironically, although he was only turning 18
two weeks after the Oak Hill game, James looked much older. Pictures
of James as a freshman and sophomore, before his body filled out with
muscle, before he attained his full height, and before his face lost some
of its softness, make him look like an overgrown kid. By his senior year,
James had matured in every way, and he resembled a college senior going
on 22. This appearance was appropriate, though, as his game was at least
four years ahead of his age in quality.
For better or worse, the spotlight never shone brighter on any high
school athlete than on LeBron James. “It is hard to remain just a kid,
though, when you are acclaimed as the No. 1 high school basketball
player in the nation and deemed to be so gifted you might have been the
No. 1 pick in last June’s draft had you only finished high school and been
therefore old enough to enter it,” wrote Chicago Tribune high school sports
Senio r Year Bas ketball Circus 45
columnist Barry Temkin at about the time James geared up for his national
television debut. “And so it is that the life of LeBron James, high school
basketball player, has become a maelstrom of activity unprecedented in
high school sports.”6
According to Temkin’s perusal of eBay, the Internet auction site, at the
moment he wrote his story, there were more than 200 LeBron James items
up for bid, including an autographed basketball that had passed $300 in
bidding. There was a better than even chance that James did not even
remember where he signed the ball or for whom.
At about the same time, St. Vincent-St. Mary officials were shaking
their heads over the extent to which James had become a phenomenon.
Given that no high school athlete had been the subject of so much whitehot
focus, it was a mere formality to state that they had never been through
this type of attention blitz. “I know he’s that good, but I’m still amazed at
the amount of attention focused on one high school basketball player,”
said Dave Rathz, the school headmaster. “We were not ready for this. We
have been overwhelmed and surprised every step of the way.”7
Each time St. Vincent took the court to play basketball under the big
top (and the tops were pretty big in major city arenas), it was almost as if
the circus had come to town. The atmosphere was expectant—show me a
good time—as the audience asked for thrills more than victories. Arenas
and gyms were crammed with fans on hand to see the spectacular, not
necessarily to see St. Vincent win a well-played game. In many places,
outside of their desire to have James show his stuff, the fans might not be
rooting for either team.
“James has taken the hype to a new level,” Temkin wrote, “perhaps
because he is viewed as that player who finally may become ‘the next
Michael Jordan’ and partly because of the unrelenting media spotlight
that has trained its sights on him. Whether James is better than the phenoms
that came before him is yet to be seen. But he certainly has benefited
from being at the right moment in time, with technology and the
Internet fueling his mystique.”8
Sports have become such a national mania that a player like James
could be celebrated into mythical status before finishing high school. But
the same hype machine and scouting of youngsters extends to other sports,
as well. Baseball players are no longer discovered on sandlots, but spend
all of their youth competing in summer leagues beyond Little League and
attending instructional camps. James made the leap into national consciousness
more readily because basketball is not only a wildly popular
game at several levels of competition, but because games can so readily be
affected by a single player. With only five men on the court at once, the
46 LeBron Jam es
contribution of one superstar is far more likely to make an impact than in
other team sports.
LeBron James was neither the brashest nor the shyest of basketball players.
He was confident in his abilities because he had proven himself repeatedly.
He had been told innumerable times how great he was and how great
he would be. Some athletes wilt under pressure and some cringe in the
floodlights. By the middle of his senior year, James had clearly grown into
his celebrity status. Rather than be cowed by all of the adult activity that
might have swallowed him up, James remained calm, but he also made the
most of his fame. He took the easy-going approach of “What’s not to like?”
If James was in the spotlight, so was his team. The USA Today ratings
said St. Vincent-St. Mary was the top-rated team in the land, not LeBron
James.
Hummergate
Every high school kid wants wheels. He wants to be able to drive his
own car. He wants to be the one in his group who can give the rides.
He wants the freedom that sitting behind the steering wheel symbolizes.
LeBron James was no different than the typical teenager in that way. Sure
he wanted his own car and if he was going by the sobriquet “King James”
it should be a suitable chariot.
For most of his life, James and his mother Gloria would not have been
able to afford any kind of car. Not even a $400 junker. But given the hype,
the attention, and the focus on his basketball talents, it somehow would
be a letdown for James to tool around Akron on the city bus. On the other
hand, NCAA investigators are trained to look for such flagrant signs of
moola changing hands that indicate a young player is being inappropriately
enriched. Often the smoking gun shows up as a fancy vehicle seemingly
out of the price range of the player’s family. Although James would
likely never be subject to NCAA scrutiny since he was unlikely to play for
an NCAA institution, high falutin’ styling cars had become tip-offs to the
cynical that something shady was up.
It was understood that within months, after he completed his senior
year of basketball, James was going to be a millionaire, signed to a multiyear
contract by some lucky NBA team that would pick him in the June
draft and that some basketball shoe company would reward James with
additional millions.
Still, it raised eyebrows and piqued curiosity when LeBron James’s 18th
birthday present at the end of December 2002 turned out to be a $50,000
platinum-colored Hummer H2 with chrome rims. It was a show vehicle,
for certain. For those who considered James too good to be true, this was
Senio r Year Bas ketball Circus 47
an “aha” moment. If James and his mom were so poor, how could they
afford a fancy vehicle?
The Hummer was something worthy of being seen in. If people didn’t
recognize the guy at the wheel before, they definitely did as soon as the
gift became the object of media attention. The story, as told by James and
his mother, was that she wanted to get him something special and was
able to take out a bank loan for the purchase price. It was lost on no one
that, probably only two years before, her financial circumstances would
have precluded Gloria taking out any type of substantial loan. This could
be termed rags to riches, literally. If the simplest story the Jameses told was
the whole truth, then Gloria was putting up her son’s basketball ability as
collateral. And the bank most assuredly saw it as a good risk.
“Hummergate” would not rest there. Once again the Ohio High School
Athletic Association showed interest, wondering if James’s amateur standing
was compromised. Did some professional agent buy it for him? If so,
his high school career could be ended abruptly by an ineligibility ruling.
“The thing I’m concerned about was that it was a gift from the outside,”
said Commissioner Clair Muscaro. “When our association sees something
like that it throws up a red flag.”9
St. Vincent-St. Mary officials agreed to investigate and report to the association.
Whether or not the gift was an innocent gesture made possible
by Gloria’s newly appreciated status as LeBron’s mom, it was in some ways
an inadvisable purchase, certain to provoke inquiries. James, who by this
time in his high school career was a seasoned interviewee by the media
and believed he had been through every type of inquisition, dreamed up
his own casual response to the controversy. At a Rhodes Arena game
against an Ohio team as the questions unfolded, James appeared on the
floor and raced a toy Hummer around the court using hand-held controls.
The real Hummer, he joked, while laughing.
The James Hummer caper was front-page news in the Cleveland Plain-
Dealer. That put pressure on the Ohio association to look into the matter,
whether or not Muscaro was disposed to do so—though he seemed perfectly
willing to play the heavy. The better part of a month went by, taking
the season to the end of January, before it was announced that no rules
violations were found. There was no proof that James was given a valuable
present by anyone other than his mother. It was just another chapter in
the ongoing soap opera of Life with LeBron.
Playing th e Best in th e U.S.
Between fending off rumors about his life and going to class, James
played some basketball. The Fighting Irish seemed to be as good as USA
48 LeBron Jam es
Today advertised, whipping past opponents with ease, whether they
were from Ohio or other parts of the country. The Irish crushed Detroit
Redford, 76–41, in Cleveland (30 points for LeBron), and mashed Mentor
High, 92–56, in Akron. That was the night James played with his remote
controlled Hummer on the gym floor. Then he toyed with the opposition,
scoring a high-school career high 50 points. In Greensboro, North
Carolina, St. Vincent overpowered RJ Reynolds High School, 85–56.
Back in Ohio, the Irish thumped Walsh Jesuit, 98–46, in their final home
game in Akron, and bested Buchtel, 82–71.
The more famous an athlete, actor, or other celebrity becomes, the more
likely his movements are compared to those of Elvis Presley and the Beatles
when they were in their primes. It has become part of the lexicon to
say that someone is being accorded “rock star” treatment. In other words,
every move made is subject to being overrun by mobs. Those who make
big money and are concerned for their safety hire bodyguards. James was
still a high school basketball player without an income, but as time passed
he needed help to squeeze through crowds.
Darrell Hill was chief of security at the apartment building where the
Jameses lived. Sometimes he even traveled on the road with St. Vincent.
Tellingly, as an indicator of just how big James had become, media were
often camped outside his front door. To help James elude the onslaught,
Hill sometimes abetted a subterfuge, placing James body doubles in the
Hummer and driving it out to the street. The car left and so would the
reporters. Then James was free to go as he pleased.10
Jerseygate
Soon routine stakeouts of James’s home were the least of his worries.
At the end of January 2003, James, who was partial to the type of athletic
“throwback” jerseys popular among sports fans, joined some friends on
a visit to Next Urban Gear and Music, a Cleveland store. Throwback
jerseys depict former uniform styles of professional sports teams and sometimes
feature the name of a famous retired or deceased player on them.
The trend is to make old-fashioned stuff seem fresh. James had been in the
store before, and being sports fans themselves, the operators recognized
him. They cut a deal with James. In exchange for some autographs, they
traded him some jerseys. It sounded fair to James and he consummated
the agreement.
The arrangement quickly became public and once again the Ohio High
School Athletic Association opened an investigation into James’s behavior,
declaring that if he had accepted something of value for free, he could
be suspended for the rest of the season. James was given a replica jersey of
Senio r Year Bas ketball Circus 49
former Chicago Bear Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers and former
NBA star Wes Unseld valued at a combined $845. Within one day the
association ruled that James was guilty of violating its rules, and he could
never play again for St. Vincent. The association also demanded that St.
Vincent forfeit its win over Buchtel because the infraction occurred before
that game.
“In talking with the store’s personnel, I was able to confirm that on
January 25 the merchant gave clothing directly to James at no cost,”
Muscaro said. “This is a direct violation of the OHSAA bylaws on amateurism
because, in fact, LeBron did capitalize on athletic fame by receiving
these gifts.”11 There was no report indicating the merchants returned
the autographs, and if so, Muscaro’s thoughts represented a dramatic misreading
of the sports memorabilia market. It’s probable in the presentday
marketplace that James autographs are now more valuable than the
jerseys.
The incident confirmed just how much James was under public scrutiny
and how his behavior had better be on par with a choirboy’s if he was
to avoid criticism. There were always morality police on guard. In this
instance, James displayed unsophisticated judgment, and he paid a price.
James returned the jerseys and issued a public apology. Fred Nance, a
well-known community lawyer, appealed the case for the Jameses while
St. Vincent kept James on the sidelines for its next game against Canton
McKinley, another Ohio school. Outside the school, one protester wearing
a paper bag over his head held a sign reading, “Free LeBron.”
With James in street clothes acting as a cheerleader in the first missed
game of his high school career, the Irish outlasted their foe, 63–62. Athletes
and sports writers railed against the James season-long suspension.
One basketball agent suggested it was like trying Al Capone for income
tax invasion. Some writers suggested James was being persecuted by the
envious.
Summit County Court took up the case and issued a temporary ruling
that allowed James to play again. The Court upheld forfeiture of the
Buchtel game and determined justice would best be served by a two-game
James suspension, the missed game against Canton McKinley, plus one. It
was somewhat of a Solomonesque ruling, not absolving James of wrongdoing,
but sentencing him to time served, while overruling the state association’s
broad punishment decree.
An oth er Title
Once James was out of the courtroom and back on the court, he
shone brighter than ever. His first game following the newly christened
50 LeBron Jam es
“Jerseygate” affair was actually played in New Jersey. The Irish faced Los
Angeles Westchester in the Prime Time Shoot Out in Trenton, New
Jersey. A fired-up James, wanting to show that he was back operating on
all cylinders, pumped in 52 points, his new career high, as St. Vincent
won, 78–52. Before the state tournament Coach Dru Joyce II scheduled
an extra game against Akron Firestone to fulfill the last of James’s suspension
requirements. James did not play, but his high school No. 23
jersey was retired at the game. Before the state tournament the court
issued a final ruling allowing James to play and indicating James and
St. Vincent had been punished sufficiently by the Ohio association.
Burned in the finals the year before, St. Vincent was on a mission to
win its third state title during the four years of the LeBron era. The Irish
opened with an 84–30 victory over Kenmore, won their fourth straight
district championship, and worked their way to the state final once again.
The Irish were focused, hustled on defense, and deferred to James on offense
while playing Kettering Alter at a slowdown pace. It was not a game
for the highlight films, but St. Vincent prevailed, 40–36. James scored 25
of the winning team’s total.
The result of the game mattered far more than the ugliness of play, and
the days surrounding the March 22, 2003, championship contest were
significant for LeBron James in many ways. He had ascended to such stature
in his sport that, as his high school career wound down, the Naismith
Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, requested one of his
game jerseys. One day it would be a throwback jersey itself. Ohio school
athletic officials voted James the boys’ high school basketball player of
the year for the third time. It was an unprecedented accomplishment.
And despite all of the ups and downs with the forfeit, Hummergate, and
Jerseygate, USA Today declared St. Vincent-St. Mary the No. 1 high
school team in the nation.
LeBron James’s high school basketball career—for that matter, his
life—already had been a longer journey, with strange interludes of both
magnificence and disappointment. It was easy to forget he was still just
18 years old. But no one forgot for a moment that he was on a path that
would likely lead to great riches and great sporting achievements. James
sounded reflective when reviewing his high school experience.
“I think of my career as a roller coaster,” he said. “There’s been ups,
there’s been downs, there’s been double loops.” When asked what was
next, James laughed and said, “What’s next is . . . party tonight!”12
Four years of high school were in the books. The country could calm
down, except for the fans who couldn’t wait to see LeBron James on a
basketball court playing for a professional team.
Senio r Year Bas ketball Circus 51
Notes
1. Mark Stewart, Star Files—LeBron James (Chicago: Raintree Publishing,
2006), p. 20.
2. David Lee Morgan Jr., The Rise of A Star—LeBron James (Cleveland: Gray &
Company Publishers, 2003), pp. 99–100.
3. Morgan, p. 100.
4. Ryan Jones, Believe the Hype—The LeBron James Story (New York: St.
Martin’s Press, 2003), p. 130.
5. B. J. Robinson, LeBron James—King of the Court (East Cleveland: Forest
Hill Publishing, 2005), p. 92.
6. Barry Temkin, Chicago Tribune, December 6, 2002.
7. Temkin, December 6, 2002.
8. Temkin, December 6, 2002.
9. Robinson, p. 107.
10. Jones, pp. 168–169.
11. Robinson, p. 111.
12. Robinson, pp. 120–121.
52
53
Chapter 5
The LeBron Sweepst akes
By the spring of 2003, it was apparent that the worst (or no better than
second worst) team in the NBA was the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron
James’s hometown team and, at 40 miles away, the team closest to his
home of Akron. The Cavaliers finished their 82-game season with a record
of 17 wins and 65 losses. That record equaled the Denver Nuggets
for futility.
Descriptions of the Cavaliers’ competency ranged from “horrible” to
“terrible” to “hopeless.” If you wanted to watch bad basketball, you journeyed
to Ohio and purchased always-plentiful tickets to Cavs games. It
was more painful than putting up with a toothache. It is easier for a team
to get well in professional basketball, however, than it is in other professional
sports because only five men can play at once. A single important
draft pick amounts to 20 percent of the starting lineup. In football, there
are 22 starters, counting offense and defense. In baseball, it often takes
several years for a first-round draft pick to mature into an on-field talent.
Although the situation in the National Hockey League has been changing
lately, historically, first-rounders need a couple of years of seasoning to
make it.
For decades, the NBA had a clear-cut rule—the team that finished
with the league’s worst record during the regular season had the overall
first pick in the next draft. Over time, however, league officials grew
suspicious of the effort being put into the season’s final games by bottom
feeders with nothing to lose in the standings, but everything to
lose by suddenly playing themselves out of the top draft pick. Therefore
the league instituted a draft lottery. All of the teams weak enough to
54 LeBron James
miss out on the playoffs were lumped together. Gradually, the procedure
evolved into a system with ping-pong balls. The team with the
worst record had its name written on the largest number of ping-pong
balls, giving it the best odds to gain the best reward. There were 1,000
balls and the team with the worst record was awarded 250, a 25 percent
chance of gaining the top pick. Because Cleveland and Denver tied,
they each were given 225 balls (a 22.5 percent chance of obtaining the
first selection). But some mediocre team that missed the playoffs by a
hair and had its name written on many fewer ping-pong balls could still
win the top prize.
In some years, a franchise-saving player may not be available and it
might not make much of a difference if a team drafted first, second, or
third. The 2003 draft was not one of those years. The presence of James’s
old competitive friend Carmelo Anthony, who entered the draft after playing
one season for Syracuse, notwithstanding, it was obvious that LeBron
James was the consensus No. 1 pick, the player who could alter a team’s
destiny. It was coincidental that nearby Cleveland was the team most deserving
of the first pick. James had national basketball fame by the end of
his high school career, but he was very much a household name in the
Cleveland-Akron area. Not only did James, who averaged 31.6 points, 9.6
rebounds, and 4.6 assists his senior year, possess the type of talent that
could quickly turn around the team’s fortunes on the court (with a little
help from his friends), but he had the charisma and name recognition to
produce major box office rewards instantly.
Although James occasionally floated names of colleges on an everchanging
list, hardly anyone believed that James intended to play college
basketball. The controversial, seemingly nit-picking officious acts that
dogged him because he drove around in his mother’s flashy birthday present
and the hassles that followed over Jerseygate virtually sealed the deal.
If that was the situation in high school, what type of battle would it be
to retain eligibility in college with the NCAA breathing down his neck
all of the time? It was also apparent that a basketball shoe company was
prepared to pay James millions of dollars as fast as a wire transfer could be
accomplished after he announced he was turning pro. The money was too
great to bypass.
If anyone needed a hint on the direction James intended to take, no
road map was necessary. Under NCAA rules, James could play in only two
summer all-star games after his senior year if he intended to be eligible
for college play. Before the end of the school year, James announced that
he planned to play in three all-star games that summer. He could always
change his mind. He could always back out of one game. But playing in
The LeBron Sweepsta kes 55
all three indicated to those in the know that James was going to be in the
NBA, not under the jurisdiction of the NCAA, the next fall.
Baby Needs New Shoes
Escalation in the shoe wars followed. James was coveted by Nike,
R
eebok, and adidas, all key players in the basketball shoe marketplace.
Those major companies wanted James’s name on a long-term contract
to endorse their shoes. For years the companies made deals with famous
pro players; Michael Jordan’s association with Nike was the most prominent
and lucrative. They also made deals with college coaches to outfit
their teams. The biggest market was tapping the wallets of the average
Joe, the average player who wanted to wear the best shoe for his game,
or who wanted to make the loudest fashion statement in his neighborhood.
Typically, the shoes were manufactured overseas with cheap labor
and sold for $100 to $200 to the American consumer. That combination
produced huge profit margins. Jordan was retired and the shoe companies
sought the next Jordan, the player whose name would be flashed in the
brightest lights and whose performance, personality, and charisma linked
him to the have-to-have-them trendy teenage shoe buyer. It didn’t really
matter to a shoe company what team LeBron James played for (although
they would have been thrilled if he landed in New York or Los Angeles)
because they were sure his name and game transcended location.
The companies wooed LeBron and Gloria in a variety of ways. Adidas
actually put up subtle billboards around Akron (if such an action can be
termed subtle) containing low-key messages urging James to choose that
company. Consumer advocate Ralph Nader, angered by the shoe companies’
dependence on overseas low-paid workers, lobbied James to join him
in a global fight for justice.1 That would have been a biting-the-handthat-
feeds-him approach for James, as he was not even under contract to
a shoe company at the time.
In his spare time, in-between visiting shoe company headquarters and
taking meetings with shoe company executives, James played in three
(count ’em, three) high school all-star games. He competed in the
M
cDonald’s All-American game in Cleveland, the Roundball Classic in
Chicago, and the Jordan Brand Capital Classic in Washington, D.C. James
had not announced his plans to declare himself eligible for the NBA draft
as the May 12 deadline loomed, but by participating in all three contests,
he had all but officially announced his intentions in another manner.
James’s high school career was over. He would never have a college career.
The 18-year-old Ohio star was going pro.
56 LeBron James
James was constantly asked about his professional preferences, as if he
could close his eyes, point his index finger at a map and choose a city
to play in. He was careful to respect all the contenders and joked that it
would be nice if the NBA put a franchise in the Bahamas.
Other big-name athletes have not been above orchestrating trades to
cities where they preferred to play from cities where they had no desire to
put down roots. Denver Broncos football Hall of Fame quarterback John
Elway refused to report to the Baltimore Colts. Current quarterback Eli
Manning told the San Diego Chargers not to draft him because he didn’t
want to play in the California city. He was traded to the New York Giants.
When Chinese center Yao Ming entered the draft, his country’s officials
threatened to hold him back if he was not drafted by a team in a city that
seemed right for him.
In time for the NBA May 12 deadline and in time for the May 22 lottery
distribution of picks, James made his commitment to go pro. He held
a press conference at St. Vincent-St. Mary, standing in front of a podium
and in front of a backdrop cloth with the words “LeBronJames.com” plastered
all over it. There was now a James Web site with all the news that
was fit to print about the hoops star available 24 hours a day.
He was not alone, either. James signed with agent Aaron Goodwin to
represent him not only with his first NBA contract, but in sifting through
and choosing the proper endorsements offering the best deal, shoe contract
and beyond. Goodwin was a lower key agent with a less flamboyant
reputation than some other agents for NBA players, but he had enough of
a stable of good players to make an impression on James and his mother.
Among Goodwin’s other hoops clients were Gary Payton, a likely future
Hall of Famer, and Jamal Crawford. Goodwin said he quietly spent a year
lobbying James and his mother, all of the wooing going on out of the
spotlight.
LeBron James had spent four years tantalizing basketball coaches, fans,
and scouts, showing off his precocious play for St. Vincent and eventually
making news wherever he traveled. But with Goodwin in his corner,
James was about to drop a bombshell. Peace ended the shoe wars, a winner
had been declared. James was going Nike, the powerful Oregon-based
company that already owned about 39 percent of the sports shoe market
according to an industry source, Sporting Goods Intelligence.
That Nike had beaten out adidas and Reebok was not earth shattering.
But the price was boggling. The player who had never spent a minute on
a college court and didn’t even know which professional team he would
be affiliated with signed a seven-year, $90-million deal with Nike that
included a $10 million signing bonus. The poor little boy who had been
The LeBron Sweepsta kes 57
shunted from home to home with his mom as a youth was now a rich
man. For nearly a year there had been newspaper speculation that LeBron
James’s signature on a shoe contract might be worth $20 million or so.
Riches beyond most people’s comprehension, for certain, but that proved
to be a gross underestimate, practically pocket change in comparison to
the reality. James might be able to afford to buy the Hummer factory before
he ever played a minute of NBA ball.
James was joined in sponsorship partnership not only with Nike, but
with his long-time basketball hero Jordan, and Tiger Woods, the best
golfer on the planet. That wasn’t all. As an aside, James signed a contract
with Upper Deck, one of the sports card manufacturers that made basketball
cards, for $1 million.
James had not yet graduated from high school, and on the day the Nike
agreement was announced he did not skip school. He drove to classes in
his Hummer and for one more day tried to be a normal high school student.
Later that day, the NBA conducted its draft lottery. There were 13 teams
in the lottery, the bottom segment of the league. Lottery day is peculiar. It
is televised, as are so many off-the-field professional sports moments these
days. Unlike the draft, when general managers and team presidents confer
on hotlines and handle the serious business of improving their franchises,
team officials take a lighter approach to lottery proceedings. Because the
outcome depends on chance, there is nothing they can do to affect it. In
recent years it has become trendy to send someone to represent the franchise
that is lower on the masthead than general manager or president.
Sometimes it is a player. Sometimes it is a former player. Sometimes it is a
broadcaster. It is a treat, a reward of sorts, to let that person be the face of
the franchise nationally, if only for a day.
Staying Home for the NBA
Similarly, NBA Commissioner David Stern did not do the heavy lifting
when it came time to assign the teams their draft spots. Then-deputy
Commissioner Russ Granik opened envelope after envelope in reverse
order, with the 13th selector first.
The winner of the right to pick first was . . . the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Some basketball observers had been saying that Carmelo Anthony might
be the first pick in the draft over James, but the Cavaliers didn’t care if
President Grover Cleveland was available, they were committed to James
all the way. A team that had fallen on tough times saw the light at the end
of the tunnel and that tunnel was lit by a miner’s headlamp mounted on
the headband of LeBron James.
58 LeBron James
The Cavaliers’ Good, Bad, and Ugly
The Cleveland Cavaliers were born out of optimism as an NBA expansion
team in 1970 and had reached a level of desperation harkening back
to their inept rookie year by 2003. When the Cavs entered the league
for the 1970–71 season the majority of their players were castoffs from
established teams, players who were made available for free by the older
teams. The NBA followed the same basic guidelines other professional
leagues follow when welcoming a new team into the brotherhood—the
league gouged the Cavs for exorbitant entry fees and permitted the club
to choose 10th, 11th, and 12th men who had been sitting on benches for
the Seattles, Portlands, and New Yorks.
Major league baseball, the National Football League, and the National
Hockey League operate in much the same manner. The theory is that new
owners are so thrilled to be accepted into the exclusive league club that
they will accept pretty much any onerous conditions placed on them that
ensures their new team will not become a winner any time soon. Simultaneously,
the new owners are taught that they cannot expect any favors
from their fellow owners. This general type of procedure has been followed
over and over again in all four leagues for decades. The established owners
and leagues hold all of the cards and have the right to grant approval or
the power to deny admission to owners of new teams. So the new owners
always take what is dished out, grateful to be allowed into the league, but
knowing it will be a long haul to build a winning team. As a backdrop to
the owner muscle flexing, it is generally understood that the fans in a new
city will be so happy to have a team to call their own that they will turn
out and fill the arena anyway, even though the team is a loser.
The Bad News Cavs
The Cavaliers made their debut in the NBA during the 1970–71 season
under coach Bill Fitch, who soon enough upon escaping from Ohio won a
world title as coach of the Boston Celtics. The Cavs finished with 15 wins
and 67 losses, a winning percentage of just more than 18 percent. The
truest indicator of just how bad the Cavs were compared to the rest of the
league was the team’s road record. Playing on opposing courts, Cleveland
was 2–37. That really meant that whenever the Cavs traveled there was
a much better chance that room service would be delivered in a timely
manner than they would win a game. No one was surprised.
More than 30 years later, when the Cavaliers again descended to become
just about the worst team in the league, they finished with 17 wins
The LeBron Sweepsta kes 59
and 65 losses, a winning percentage of just more than 20 percent. Cynical
observers suggested that nothing had ever changed, but that was too
simplistic a viewpoint. A lot had happened in the Cavaliers’ world, even
if the team came full circle with disastrous on-court results.
Fitch, a hard-nosed, frequently sarcastic, but funny leader, was determined
to make something out of the shaky Cavs’ roster. He was a sports
lifer, considered to be knowledgeable by NBA administrators, but grumpy
by some of his players. Fitch guided the Cavaliers through their first nine
seasons in the league, a long tenure for a coach starting out with an expansion
franchise. Cavs ownership showed patience as Fitch built. A high
point came during the 1975–76 season, when Cleveland finished first in
its division with a 49–33 record, made the playoffs, and won a series—
each for the first time.
Between the departure of Bill Fitch and the ascension of LeBron James,
the Cavaliers employed a creditable cast of winning coaches. Among
them was the old point guard genius Lenny Wilkens, who eventually became
the winningest coach in league history and one of only three men
enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and a coach. Besides
Wilkens, whose 1991–92 team finished a club best 57–25 (for the second
time), Mike Fratello turned in noteworthy work from the bench, although
the future TV commentator sometimes made as big a splash with his wardrobe,
his suits repeatedly making him a candidate for the tongue-in-cheek
league best dressed award. George Karl claimed a seat on the bench for a
couple of years, but he had not yet made his breakthrough as an esteemed
coach.
Of the 17 men who have held the title of Cleveland Cavaliers head
coach from Bill Fitch to current occupant Mike Brown, only Wilkens
and Fratello departed with winning records. Except for a few highlight
seasons and games, the Cavaliers became synonymous with losing. When
the Cavaliers were at their best in the 1990s, they couldn’t get past the
Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls in their own division.
Until downtown renovation and refurbishment took hold, complete
with the addition of a new baseball park, football stadium, and major indoor
arena for winter sports, Cleveland itself wallowed in an era of selfdoubt.
The city was the butt of jokes, ranging from statements that there
was nothing to do there, to the long past civic embarrassment (impossible
to forget or live down) tied to the time when the Cuyahoga River
caught on fire in Cleveland because it was so polluted. Bordering Lake
Erie, the city was also insulted by such pithy phrases as “The Mistake on
the Lake.” And none of that even took into account the horrible psychic
blow delivered by the football Cleveland Browns, the real soul of the city,
60 LeBron James
and the local pro team with the grandest heritage, when it packed up its
helmets, shoulder pads, and yard markers and fled to Baltimore to become
the Ravens. The populace was infuriated and team owner Arthur Modell
was hung in effigy.
From a highly regarded sports community, Cleveland had devolved
into the city cited by national broadcasters as the town that had gone the
longest in crowning a champion in any major sport. When was that? the
question went. The answer was, long, long ago, in what seemed to be a
galaxy far, far away. There was no NHL hockey in Cleveland, so that was
out. The Cavaliers had never won a title, so that was out. The Browns,
who were replaced by an expansion team also called the Browns, last won
the NFL championship in 1964. And the Indians, the oldest team in the
mix, last captured the World Series in 1948. Except for the Chicago Cubs,
the Indians were the Major League team that had waited the longest for
a title.
Around the league, fans either felt sorry for the Cavaliers because they
never accomplished much as a team or didn’t think much about them
at all, simply relegating them to the bottom of the heap each year as a
team that would not make the playoffs. The Cavaliers would have put a
sexier model on the floor if they had a superstar whose achievements transcended
wins and losses, but despite having high draft picks frequently
because of the poor or mediocre record, the Cavaliers seemed unable to
select a player who made fans’ pulse rates race on a consistent basis.
During Cleveland’s inaugural season, 7-foot center Walt Wesley, a nice
player, as the phrase is often used, but no star, poured in 50 points in a
February game against the old Cincinnati Royals. That stood as the Cavs’
single game scoring record for 34 years, until LeBron James cracked it.
Wesley had been acquired from the Bulls in the expansion draft.
Among other players who had excelled in college or who had made notable
contributions to their NBA teams, but were now expendable because
their skills were eroding with age, were Len Chappell, Don Ohl,
and Johnny Egan. Guard Butch Beard was a solid player with Atlanta
and Bobby Smith, who was nicknamed “Bingo” and came over from the
old San Diego Rockets, was a valuable pickup. Smith was the gem of the
expansion draft. He played 10 seasons with Cleveland and eventually had
his No. 7 jersey retired by the team. The first player ever drafted by the
franchise was forward John Johnson, who came out of Iowa.
The theory about how fans would come out to watch poor performance
just for the thrill of being able to identify with a professional team never
took hold in Cleveland. The novelty of professional basketball in a town
featuring the best players in the world (at least on other teams passing
The LeBron Sweepsta kes 61
through) was something that wore off quickly—like after opening day.
Or perhaps before the opener. The Cavs’ home gym was the ancient Cleveland
Arena, a Depression-era facility that seated 11,000 for basketball.
The Cavaliers opened for business on October 28, 1970, in a game against
San Diego. The Cavs lost 110–99. If ever a game should be a sellout, the
first home game in the history of a franchise would be it. The Cavaliers did
not even come close. The game attracted 6,144 fans. It didn’t help any that
Cleveland immediately established just where it fit in the NBA firmament
by losing its first 11 games and 14 of its first 15. Not once during the first
season did Cleveland sell out at home. The largest crowd was 8,429, and
the average for 41 games was 3,518 fans. In today’s NBA, such attendance
numbers would provoke emergency meetings of the board of governors despairing
over what was to become of the team. There would be suggestions
that the Cavaliers be moved to Oklahoma City or Mexico City.2
Some Cheery Cavs Times
Things did improve after the first season and although the Cavs spent
four dismal seasons playing in the Cleveland Arena, attendance jumped,
with the occasional sellout. Team owners realized almost instantly that
the dusty old arena was no place to sell a spanking new product, but it
took until the 1974–75 season for Cleveland to move into a new building.
The Richfield Coliseum, located in the Cleveland suburbs, never received
rave reviews from architectural critics and there were complaints about it
being located in the middle of nowhere, about 20 miles from downtown,
but the place was serviceable. At capacity, the Richfield site could hold
20,000 people and once in a great while that many showed up.
Over time, the team beefed up with some popular and accomplished
players. The first big-name rookie addition joining the Cavs in their second
season was Austin Carr, the fabulous scorer from Notre Dame who
was famous as an All-American and as a player who helped end one of
UCLA’s tremendous college winning streaks. Carr, a 6-foot-4 guard, averaged
21.2 points per game as a rookie and became a status player. Not only
was he talented, but other teams feared his game and local fans believed in
him. Although Carr played very well for Cleveland for a few years, a knee
injury slowed him down and eventually curtailed his career.
The injury occurred in 1974 and that served as foreshadowing. It
seemed whenever something good happened for the Cavaliers, something
bad happened to the Cavaliers as a counterbalance. Much like Carr, North
Carolina center Brad Daugherty shone, then petered out prematurely because
of injury. The 7-footer was a five-time all-star for Cleveland and
62 LeBron James
was the cornerstone of the lineup in the early 1990s, but was forced to
retire because of chronic back problems.
Mark Price, the former Georgia Tech playmaker, was one of the best
free-throw shooters in NBA history and the four-time All-Star graced the
Cavaliers’ roster for nine years, although he also suffered a debilitating
knee injury. Power forward Larry Nance was an all-star and forward Craig
Ehlo was a super substitute. But sometimes it seemed that years passed
without any Cavalier highlight to cheer about. Exciting moments were
tarnished by painful memories, particularly the injuries to popular players,
but also in selected games.
The all-time Cavalier “ouch” moment in a big game was delivered with
hammer-like ruthlessness by Michael Jordan. It was 1989, during the playoffs
capping the Cavaliers’ then-best-ever 57–25 regular-season. Meeting
in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Cavs and Bulls
were tied with two victories apiece. The winner of the next game—a Cavs
home game in Richfield—on May 7, would capture the best-of-five series.
In a tight game, with the clock running down, Cleveland, which had an
eight-point lead earlier in the fourth quarter, took the lead with three
seconds to go. Jordan, who scored 44 points, got the ball just where he
wanted to and put up a 15-foot jumper at the foul line that fell through
the net at the buzzer, giving Chicago a 101–100 victory.
Jordan had predicted the Bulls would win the series in four games, and
he had missed a chance to clinch it the game before. When Craig Ehlo
made a lay-up the Cavs believed they had salted away the series and made
Jordan eat his words. Instead, a game late, Jordan came through, burnished
his legend and tarnished the Cavs’ self-esteem.
“I just can’t believe he made that shot,” Cleveland’s Brad Daugherty
said. “We did everything right. I just can’t believe it. I don’t see how he
stayed in the air so long. It’s the most outstanding shot I’ve ever seen.”3
Jordan’s timely game-winner was henceforth labeled “The Shot” and
is regarded as a great moment in Jordan and Bulls dynasty lore as the
Chicago
team compiled its six NBA championships. The fact that Daugherty
raved about Jordan’s air time also meshed with the gushing descriptions
of Jordan’s style as “Air Jordan.”
For the Cavaliers the play went down as a heartbreaker, a what-if moment
that was a bull’s-eye shot through the chest and wounded the entire
franchise. It was a shot that seemed to symbolize the jumpstarting of one
team for a glorious, years-long ride, and the demoralization of another
team for a years-long decline.
If ever a team hungered for a savior to relieve years of disappointment
and frustration, it was the Cleveland Cavaliers as the 2003 NBA
The LeBron Sweepsta kes 63
draft approached.
They did not want LeBron James to change zip codes to
Beverly
Hills 90210 or anyplace else swanky. They wanted him to stay right
at home in Ohio.
The Cavs Go for It
In the NBA there is such a thing as being a bad team at a good time.
If you win the lottery and gain the No. 1 overall draft pick, it is possible
that all of the pain and suffering of a terrible year might pay off. If the
future was built on a single day, then maybe the past would be quickly
forgotten.
There is no overstating how badly the Cleveland Cavaliers’ management
team wanted the rights to LeBron James. It was enough that he was
seen as a budding superstar, a difference maker who could create instant
box office. But the fact that he was local, as well, was too good to be true.
Cavaliers’ officials prayed, schemed, imagined, and willed it to be true
that they would obtain the No. 1 pick. They dreamed that they would
be outfitting LeBron James in Cavalier red and gold for the 2003–04
season.
The stress of waiting to learn if they would receive the top pick in
the draft almost overpowered some Cavaliers’ administrators. They knew
what the addition of James meant to the team. Carmelo Anthony was
wonderful and if they picked Anthony they couldn’t go wrong, but James’s
name made them swoon in anticipation.
By the end of the Cavaliers’ disastrous 17–65 2002–03 season, Ohio
basketball fans were openly rooting for the team to lose games to ensure
the worst record and enhance their chances to get the top pick. Leading
up to the last game of the regular season, Cleveland Plain Dealer sports
columnist Bill Livingston wrote that it was a “must-lose” game.4 The
Cavaliers defeated the Toronto Raptors, which at least proved to Commissioner
David Stern that they weren’t tanking games to finish higher
in the James sweepstakes. That victory created the tie with the Denver
Nuggets for the worst record and lowered the percentage of likelihood for
Cleveland picking first.
For some reason—fan cynicism being the best explanation—conspiracy
theories have surrounded the NBA draft. Some fans, who no doubt root
for teams that are not often big winners, express the opinion that the
NBA wants all of the biggest stars to play in the biggest markets. They say
the draft lottery is rigged in favor of New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
This body of thought may have its origins in the 1985 draft when All-
American center Patrick Ewing was coming out of Georgetown and every
64 LeBron James
team wanted his services. The New York Knicks won the rights to Ewing,
and some said the draft was rigged so the league could have a strong team
in the Big Apple. But despite the Ewing instance, there is overwhelming
evidence that the NBA does not influence outcomes and the conjecture
is simply based on fan paranoia. In the 2007 draft, much like 2003, the
top two picks, like James and Anthony, were regarded as franchise makers.
Greg Oden, the Ohio State center, went to the Portland Trailblazers.
Kevin Durant, the Texas forward, went to the Seattle Supersonics. Neither
franchise is considered a glamorous one and neither city is considered
a major market in the league’s hierarchy.
The actual lottery event took place on May 22, 2003, in Secaucus,
New Jersey. Cleveland team owner Gordon Gund attended, accompanied
by Tad Carper, Cavs vice president of communications. Rarely have so
many fans and team officials put up with sweaty palms for so long. As the
lottery show dragged on and one team after another learned its numbered
fate, the fact that Cleveland’s name was not called was good news, but
nerve-wracking news nonetheless. It was like being named Miss America.
Five left, four left, three left, two left, first runner-up. And when there is
only one name left, everyone knows who wins.
Finally, Good Luc k
The Cleveland Cavaliers won the first pick in the 2003 draft. They won
the best possible scenario for a vibrant future. The moment the Cavaliers
won by losing, Carper burst from his seat and revealed the contents of a
mysterious briefcase he had toted around—it contained a LeBron James
No. 23 Cavaliers jersey. So much for the idea that the Cavaliers might
consider choosing Carmelo Anthony. The Cavs knew who they wanted
and now that they acquired the rights to pick James, they held tight with
both hands. The jersey display was a broad act of showmanship (something
sorely missing in recent Cavaliers’ seasons), but it struck the right
tone and it laid Cleveland’s cards on the table. Not only did the jersey
explain exactly what the Cavaliers planned to do with the No. 1 pick, its
presence sent a message to other team owners not to even bother to call
the Cavs’ office to ask about trading for the pick.
Gordon Gund, the charismatic, blind owner of the Cavaliers, was on
the scene because he recognized how big a victory this was for his team
and its future. He later reflected on the power of luck and lotteries and
what adding LeBron James to the team meant. “I was tremendously excited
because I had a very good feeling for what this could mean to the
marketplace, for the team, and for our employees,” Gund said. “We really
The LeBron Sweepsta kes 65
needed a pickup, and we couldn’t have asked for a better one. There are
lots of lotteries—and some of them with very big pots—but I don’t think
any is bigger than that one.”5
Instantly, the phones began ringing at Cavaliers’ headquarters. A
month after the season ended dismally, with an awful record, and no playoff
games scheduled, fans were dialing in to buy season tickets. In the
month-plus between the moment the Cavaliers won the draft lottery and
the time they announced the first pick, they sold thousands of season tickets.
Home games would no longer be a lonely experience in Cleveland.
Gund spoke as someone who was invested in the team and had a lot
to gain from the acquisition of James. Most of James’s friends, relatives,
coaches, and teammates were happy that he looked like a sure bet for the
Cavaliers. That meant he would be staying in the same back yard and they
would be able to watch him play.
It was as if the Cavaliers had won the Powerball lottery. In a way they
had, but since Gund already possessed mega-millions, he won something
that money couldn’t buy. LeBron James was going to make the jump directly
from high school basketball to the best league in the world. Even
for a guy as smooth and talented as James, that figured to be a problem.
Over the years many players had attempted to make the leap. Most of
them were centers, very tall, some with prematurely powerful bodies.
Moses Malone was the first player to successfully shift from high school
to pro play in 1974. Malone was 6-foot-10 and muscular. He had played
high school basketball in Virginia and committed to the University of
Maryland. At the last minute he went pro and achieved success. A much
lesser known name who took the same chance more than 30 years ago
was Bill Willoughby. He would have been better served matriculating at
a college. Darryl Dawkins also came out of high school in the 1970s and
enjoyed some solid seasons. He emerged as a super personality, if not a
superstar, during his days with the Philadelphia 76ers.
More recently, the list of high school players who declared for the pro
draft rather than spend a year or more in college included the Los Angeles
Lakers’ Kobe Bryant and the Boston Celtics’ Kevin Garnett. Bryant,
a
guard from Pennsylvania, was a backup as a rookie and averaged
7.6
points a game. He was only 18 and his youth showed on the court. Bryant
matured into perhaps the best player in the league, but it took a couple
of seasons. The lanky, 6-foot-10 Garnett averaged more than 10 points as
a rookie for Minnesota and quickly adapted his style to become a perennial
All-Star. What the numbers indicated, however, was that there was
a blending-in period, an adjustment time for high school players to learn
the faster-paced NBA game and adapt to playing against bigger, stronger
66 LeBron James
opponents. No one doubted that James would be able to make the necessary
adjustment, but no one could predict how long it would take.
Some looked as young as they were when they took the court against
veterans who had been in the league for years and who knew the ropes.
Some, like Willoughby, were willowy. One thing James had in his favor
was his body. He weighed 240 pounds. He was only 18, but he already had
a man’s body that would enable him to withstand many of the rigors of
being pushed around in the foul lane where the rebounding action was at
its most furious, and by defensive players. But if basketball in high school
had been fun and games (and James tried to portray it that way), basketball
where big money is involved is very much a business. There is no rule
against having fun, but players at the highest level of the sport are paid
millions of dollars to take their competitions seriously. Bill Walton, the
former UCLA All-American and pro star turned TV commentator, added
a dose of realism to the Cleveland giddiness. “Expectations of LeBron
will be huge,” Walton said. “It’s no longer about milk and cookies. This is
about men playing for the ultimate prize in a big man’s game.”6
The Cavaliers had just lived through a depressing season. The franchise
was aching for change and James represented an opportunity to put
a new face on things and to boost optimism. But one other notable event
was taking place at the same time the Cavaliers learned they would be
able to draft James. The Cavs fired Coach John Lucas (with a record like
his it was probably inevitable) and had a vacancy. James had been friendly
with Lucas and appreciated the chance Lucas gave him to work out with
Cavalier players, even if it cost the coach big bucks.
The Cavs Make a Big In vestment
The Cavaliers worked quickly to find a suitable replacement, a coach
who could help James grow, a coach with experience and a winning background.
This was an important hire. The man who got the job would be
the person most directly supervising James during his day-to-day formative
stages as a rookie. To a large extent, this person would determine
James’s playing time, and would make choices about when to leave him in
to combat foul trouble and when it was more fruitful to learn by watching
from the bench. The Cavaliers wanted to be careful and bring in the right
wise man.
When they announced who the new coach would be, heads nodded.
Paul Silas was well respected around the league, both from his years
as a player with the Boston Celtics and then as a head coach with the
Charlotte
Hornets. When he was active, Silas was regarded as a hardnosed
player who was an excellent rebounder for his size—6-foot-7. He
The LeBron Sweepsta kes 67
was seen as a team player willing to sacrifice his own scoring statistics to
do the dirty work in the paint, rebounding, playing defense, and going
head-to-head with other tough guys. He was a member of Celtics world
championship teams and then coached young teams. Silas promised to be
a good fit, but this was no ordinary rebuilding job, a tough enough task
in any circumstances with a losing team. Silas was also being trusted with
the family jewels. He had to both guard them and increase their value. He
would be judged not just on his won-loss record, but by how he handled
LeBron James’s seemingly unlimited potential.
When the actual moment arrived for the NBA draft on June 26, 2003,
it seemed as if it had been years in the making, even though it had only
been a month since it became known that James was going to be chosen
by the Cavaliers. In some ways, it was a long-term production, for James
had been playing basketball since he was a toddler and he had been on the
national scene for more than three years.
On draft day, James pulled on a white suit over a white shirt, complemented
by a white tie. It was a bright outfit and his entire body gleamed
as brightly as his smile. James was literally the white knight riding to
the rescue of the Cavaliers. The NBA draft was conducted at Madison
Square Garden in New York and, as usual, was televised by ESP N. In
Cleveland, the Cavaliers hosted a special draft party in the then-named
Gund Arena, inviting fans to watch in the confines of the home court.
Attendance was 10,017, more than had attended Cavaliers games in person
during the early days of the franchise. Every one of those fans knew
who the Cavs were going to select, so there was no suspense. But when
the choice became reality, and Commissioner Stern announced that indeed
James was the property of the Cavaliers, supporters in Cleveland
seemed to be reliving New Year’s Eve in Times Square. Streamers and
confetti were dropped from the ceiling, fans roared, and a band started
playing music.
When Cleveland made it official, selecting James with the first pick in
the 2003 draft, the player shook hands with Stern and slapped a Cavaliers’
baseball cap on his head. He smiled one of his 1,000-watt smiles and posed
for still and television cameras. Unlike most players joining the pro ranks,
James had already become an instant millionaire through his splashy shoe
contract and his deal with Upper Deck sports cards. Officially joining the
Cavaliers expanded James’s bank account even more. Under the NBA
players’ union collective bargaining agreement contract with owners,
James was locked into a four-year deal with a total value of $12.96 million.
He would be paid $4.02 million as a rookie, $4.32 million as a second-year
man, and $4.62 million in his third year. The fourth year was an option
year. If the team was only mildly satisfied with James’s performance, he
68 LeBron James
would get another $4.62 million. If, as expected, James became a superstar,
negotiations would begin for a much longer and richer contract.
On the night LeBron James was drafted, he was a happy young man.
His career in high school had outstripped his imagination. He had supreme
confidence that he could do the job on the basketball court that
others felt was worth millions of dollars in salary. He was a homegrown
player who knew quite well what was expected of him—and he promised
he would come through.
On draft night, James pledged to light up Cleveland “like Las Vegas”7
with his basketball prowess. It sounded brash, but few doubted he would
deliver.
“I think I’ll be able to do enough on the court to lift the city of Cleveland,”
James said in his postdraft news conference.8 It was a daunting assignment
for one so young, but he was a Hercules of the basketball court
and since LeBron James had made the aging rust-belt city of Akron feel
good about itself, why couldn’t he do the same for Cleveland, just up the
turnpike?
Austin Carr, the one-time Cavs top scorer whose own injury contributed
to the team’s hard-luck outlook in the 1970s, cried when Cleveland
won the first pick and reflected on the meaning of LeBron the moment
Cleveland won the lottery. He felt it was a sign from the basketball gods,
he said, that it was at last “Cleveland’s turn. You couldn’t ask for a better
shot in the arm. What happened was like a miracle. The first thing I
thought was, ‘We finally beat the other cities, we finally are starting to
head in the right direction.’ ”9
Notes
1. David Lee Morgan Jr., The Rise of A Star—LeBron James (Cleveland: Gray &
Company Publishers, 2003), p. 156.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers 2006–7 Media Guide.
3. Sam Smith, Chicago Tribune, May 8, 1989.
4. Roger Gordon, The Rookie Season of LeBron James (Champaign, IL:
Sports
Publishing, 2004), p. 3.
5. Gordon, p. 7.
6. B. J. Robinson, LeBron James—King of the Court (East Cleveland: Forrest
Hill Publishing, 2005), p. 133.
7. Gordon, p. viii.
8. Gordon, p. vi.
9. Gordon, p. v.
69
Chapter 6
A Rookie, Not a Beginn er
Two things were instantly established when LeBron James made his professional
debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 29, 2003, in an
NBA game against the Sacramento Kings in California. James was not
your average rookie. He scored 25 points, passed off for 9 assists, and gathered
6 rebounds in the season opener. And the Cavaliers were not going
to be contenders overnight. They lost, 106–92.
Neither the Kings nor the Cavaliers were among the league’s elite at
the time, and the game drew much more attention than it ordinarily would
have by marking a milestone in James’s career. There was no mistaking
that the spotlight was on James. For years, James dreamed of becoming a
professional basketball player. For what seemed like a century, basketball
observers had speculated about his future in the pros. Now it was here.
Now it was the time to show people what he had. Although James always
said he was not fazed by external pressure, there was some pressure on him
for his first game. The pressure wasn’t so much to lead Cleveland to victory
in what was just another regular-season game. Nor was the pressure
about his numbers in the box score per se. The pressure was about James
fitting in, looking like he belonged, looking like a player who was no
longer a high school player, but a prime-time player. James was one of the
best players on the court, if not the best, from the get-go. Question No. 1
was answered. Yes, he was ready for the NBA.
“He just mesmerized everybody,” said new Cleveland Coach Paul Silas.
“He handled everything so well. I just said, ‘Wow, if this is the way this
is going to be, this kid is just going to set the world on fire.’ I had never
expected, or really seen, anything like that.”1
70 LeBron James
Silas was just another in a long line of coaches, fans, scouts, and basketball
junkies seduced by the big-time talents of LeBron James at a big-time
moment. Of course, Silas hadn’t just seen James perform for the first time.
In the months after his selection as a Cavaliers draft pick, James spent
innumerable hours working on his game, trying to improve, and doing
everything he could think of to ready himself for the NBA. It was not as
if he lay around on a beach sipping Kool-Aid.
In recent years, NBA clubs have sponsored summer teams for a short
season of competition. The rosters generally consist of freshly drafted
rookies and free agents who hope to wrangle an invitation to fall training
camp and obtain a shot at making the team. In 2003, the Cavs placed
James on their summer league team. James had been a fixture on the high
school amateur circuit for several summers, but this was different. No longer
were his teammates the boys from Akron he grew up with. These
teammates were college All-Americans, high pro draft picks, and former
college stars trying to break into the NBA after seasoning in Europe or in
one of several American minor leagues. Most were hungry players, trying
to make a good impression on management. James did not have to worry
about that. There was no more of a sure thing that could be bet on in Las
Vegas than James making the team. The only thing Cavaliers administrators
were interested in was James’s showing as a progress report.
The NBA track record on the drafting of high school players was
sketchy. Few were an immediate sensation. Some were outright busts.
Some clearly needed several years of seasoning and were regarded as players
who made the wrong choice to enter the draft and who would have
been better off going to college. A few years before James was chosen
No. 1, the Washington Wizards had selected another player right out of
high school, center Kwame Brown, who averaged only in single digits for
points scored. Brown did not do well as a rookie and has never blossomed
into an NBA star. Cleveland was not comparing James to Brown, but
it did want an early peak at its multimillion-dollar investment in game
situations.
James turned in solid games in the summer league, scoring 14 points
here, 17 points there, and 25 points there. The numbers weren’t eye-
popping,
but he also collected better than average numbers of rebounds
and assists. In an intriguing experiment, the Cavaliers tried James at point
guard. James was normally a forward, and the maneuver was aimed at
learning how he would react if he had the ball in his hands almost all
of the time and had the responsibility of involving teammates in the offense.
James had always excelled at that role. He was regarded as a brilliant
A Rooki e, Not a Beginn er 71
passing
forward who generally recorded as many assists as a guard, so it
was easy to understand why the Cavaliers would try this approach. During
the 11-game summer league campaign, James averaged 15.7 points and
4.3 assists a game. The point guard role was not completely abandoned,
since the Cavaliers subsequently used James in the job periodically during
the ensuing regular season, but it was not a slam-dunk success, either.
James made his greatest impression by the maturity he showed in making
judgments on the court, knowing where to throw the ball, when to
shoot, and when to pass. He dazzled with his ball handling and slick moves
and always lit up the crowd. Officials from other NBA teams, who might
not have seen James quite so often as a high schooler or scouted him so
heavily since they knew they were not going to receive a high draft pick,
marveled at the way he handled himself as an 18-year-old and how he
connected with the crowds.
Pat Williams, general manager of the Orlando Magic, raved about
James. “He has three attributes that are hard to find in anybody, much
less a teenager—maturity, talent, and charisma.”2
Once the short summer league season wrapped up, there was a lull
in James’s hectic schedule. He actually had time to rest up before Cavs
training camp began on September 26, and he took a vacation in Hawaii
between filming some commercials for his new sponsors. Occasionally,
however, he emerged from hibernation. James did promote education (as
well as dispensing Nike shoes) to fourth and fifth graders in Akron. James
and his agent Aaron Goodwin dropped another bombshell when they announced
the signing of a six-year endorsement contract with Coca-Cola.
The deal called for a $2 million-a-year payment to James. Coca-Cola was
a blue chip company and, by declaring its love for James, it made a loud
statement in the business world. Companies like Coca-Cola do not take
on just any athlete. The contract was a signature statement of belief in
James as a national pitchman who could transcend basketball and sports
fans with his style, smile, and personality.
An additional sign of how happy the Cavaliers were to select James
surfaced when the NBA’s television schedule was released for the 2003–
04 season. As a team that shared one of the two worst records in the
league the season before, the Cavaliers would ordinarily be looked on
as one of the league’s bottom feeders, a team with little national viewer
appeal. The signing of James transformed the Cavaliers’ status. Nobody
expected Cleveland to challenge for a title in James’s first season, but it
was expected that he would be the most talked about player in the league
and that fan curiosity would demand putting some of his games on TV.
72 LeBron James
The schedule listed Cavaliers games on national television 13 times, remarkable
for a team following up a last-place finish.
Blending with the Guys
One of James’s most admirable attributes as a young player, even as people
wrote and talked about how great he was and how great he was going
to be, was his aggressiveness toward working on his game. After sampling
some NBA level competition, James realized he had to improve the accuracy
of his outside shot. In high school, he was stronger and quicker than
most opponents and could drive to the basket and dunk over them, almost
at will. In the NBA he would become a more dangerous offensive weapon
by expanding his shooting range. Similarly, in the summer league, when
he played the point, James ran across some guards who were faster than he
was and challenged his defensive skills.
It is a long-held tradition in professional sports that rookies, no matter
how heralded or important to the success of the team, are treated as
rookies. They are humbled by the veterans and made to perform menial
tasks, to help with minor chores, and sometimes sing their college fight
songs. The newcomers may be millionaires and the future of the team may
be riding on them on the field and at the bank, but rookie razzing is one
minor way to keep those players grounded. One practical joke became
very public when Cavaliers vets orchestrated a scene where James and
fellow rookie Jason Kapono were told to run out onto the court first at
the start of an exhibition game. The players dashed onto the floor, only to
discover their teammates failed to follow. They floundered around alone
on the floor in front of the crowd wondering what happened to everyone
else. The other Cavaliers had a good giggle.
James also revealed that his teammates decided it was his responsibility
to bring the Krispy Kreme doughnuts to practice every day (he could
afford it) and in another time-honored rookie tradition, they forced him
to carry their luggage in hotels and to the bus while on road trips. Once
in a great while, prima donna rookies try to shun the role because their
egos can’t handle being treated like bell boys. Recognizing it was important,
with all of the attention he garnered, not to come off as spoiled,
James good naturedly played along and avoided bucking the system. The
Cavaliers knew, he said, that he was not trying to usurp locker room
authority.
James remained self-effacing in press conferences, telling the hordes of
reporters who turned up for practice that he was not the big man on the
team. He pointed to the top returning veterans, singling out guard Ricky
A Rooki e, Not a Beginn er 73
Davis, a potent outside shooter, and 7-foot-3 center Zydrunas Ilgauskus.
The acquisition of the big Lithuanian was touted as a major coup for the
Cavs in 1996, but he seemed jinxed. Ilgauskus averaged a useful 15 points
a game when he was healthy. The problem was that the big guy missed two
complete seasons and parts of others with injuries. His feet were particularly
fragile and at times it was suggested he might have to retire young.
These were gracious comments from James—and wise ones from a
spectacularly hyped rookie trying to make friends with and mesh with
teammates—but everyone knew that James had been brought in to be
The Man. After all, the others collectively had failed dramatically the
year before. There was no harm in being polite, though, and in stroking
other egos as well. During training camp, James, as he had been so often
elsewhere, was the main focus of attention from the media. He would not
have been worth his salt as a confident professional athlete if he had not
said it, but some eyes rolled when James predicted that the rejuvenated
Cavaliers should make the playoffs.
James’s comments might have been a subtle challenge to his teammates.
If so, that was a sign of leadership that James’s coaches and bosses could
appreciate. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was any professional
sports team. The building blocks for both had to be in place and the hands
of craftsmanship at the controls, but these things took time. As befitting
what they hoped would be a new era with LeBron James, the Cavaliers
designed and unveiled flashy new uniform jerseys. They were splendid in
burgundy and gold and they were striking in white with burgundy trim.
When he was still in high school, reporters making James’s acquaintance
for the first time often gushed about how mature beyond his years
he seemed. Now traveling in the adult world, the same observations were
generally made. Still, once in a while James let some of the “gee-whiz”
nature of his personality come out. He seemed more like a high schooler
for a minute when the Cavaliers met the Los Angeles Lakers of Shaquille
O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Gary Payton in an exhibition game and he
said, “Last year I was just watching them every night on TV.”3 And now
he was trying to outplay them.
The NBA exhibition season is about tuning up for the regular season.
It allows coaches to experiment with lineups and decide who should be
starting and who should be playing what role. It provides fringe players
with the chance to make the 12-man active roster. It allows rookies to
gain game experience. Wins and losses are virtually irrelevant. At the end
of training camp Silas named James as one of his starters. The coach decided
against starting James at point guard and put him at his most natural
position of small forward, or scoring forward.
74 LeBron James
The day before the Cavaliers were scheduled to start the season, James
had lunch with Moses Malone, the first truly successful player to jump
right from high school play to the pros. Although 30 years had passed,
Malone realized James would face some of the same challenges he took
on. Malone wasn’t worried about James’s talent. He wanted to proffer advice
on day-to-day NBA living.
James shrugged off any pressure in his debut. He was subdued because
the Cavaliers lost, but in becoming the first player to score as many as
20 points and record 9 assists in his first game in 22 years, or since Isiah
Thomas did it with the Detroit Pistons, James had proven himself ready
for NBA competition.
Instant Impact
Every team in the NBA hopes that its No. 1 draft pick is good enough
to start and contribute. It doesn’t always work that way. But the No. 1
pick overall in the draft should be ready to go. LeBron James was ready,
but in his first several games in Cleveland’s lineup, it was not immediately
apparent that the Cavaliers were.
It took six tries for the Cavaliers to win a game. They were 0–5 when
they finally bested the Washington Wizards, 111–98, during James’s rookie
year. James turned in a box score line that was every bit as diversified as
the ones he recorded for St. Vincent-St. Mary. He scored 17 points and
added 9 assists and 8 rebounds.
Eyes from many walks of life were on James, not just the basketball
world. From the moment he signed his huge Nike contract and followed
it up with deals for other products, marketing and business experts debated
whether James was worth it. Rick Burton, executive director of the
Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon, compared
James to the movie character Neo played by Keanu Reeves in “The Matrix.”
“There are a bunch of people who think he is ‘The One,’ ” Burton
said. “They think he will lead them back to that time when there was that
dominating player that the whole league revolved around.”4 It was clear
that basketball people had already anointed James with that cache since
he had been carrying around the nickname “The Chosen One” for two
years by that point.
Regardless of a player’s talent, the move to professional sports, blending
with a team at the highest level of play, is going to involve some glitches.
James was not going to be perfect every game. He was not going to lead
his team—a weak one at that—to victory every night. To a degree, he
was going to be a work in progress his entire rookie year, with flashes of
A Rooki e, Not a Beginn er 75
brilliance,
games of competence, and days when things didn’t go right.
Even the best athletes in every sport who play long seasons have off days.
It was bound to happen to James and it did.
As usual, media patience was in short supply. Depending on the game,
sports reporters either praised James to the heavens or suggested he had
much to learn. Mostly, those were snapshot observations, cases of checking
in on James for one night’s play. Newspaper critics said James was not
as good as advertised. Those who took a step back and watched James in
more than one game and recognized the pressures and attention focused
on him offered more level-headed appraisals. Before a Cavaliers-Chicago
Bulls game in mid-December of James’s rookie year, it was noted, “If you
want to see a remarkably mature rookie laboring with a bad team under
unreasonable and unyielding expectations, then James is the ticket. He
is a young man destined to be very good with a sophisticated all-around
game.”5
If fans were disappointed that James did not slam down a flashy enough
dunk to make it onto the ESPN Sports Center highlights every night, it
was their own fault for expecting it. James was doing what he always had.
He was playing basketball the way he had been taught. He was never a
ball hog. He rarely scored on designed spectacular moves, but rather made
spectacular moves to avoid the defense. He still passed up shots to feed
teammates on the Cavaliers the same way he had with the Fighting Irish.
James was just being himself and those who knew the sport best realized
it and marveled at it.
Not Much Learning Curve
“He thinks the game better than anyone his age,” Bulls general manager
John Paxson said. “You watch him and the first thing you notice is
how unselfish he is. Every kid who comes into this league wants to score.
The only thing they know is to play with the ball in their hands. They
don’t care about getting others involved. With this kid, that’s his first
thought. He’s not given enough credit for that.”6
Attracting nearly as much scrutiny was James’s old friend Carmelo
Anthony,
who was drafted by the Denver Nuggets. They were being hailed
as the game’s great new twosome, the most significant linked new faces
since Larry Bird of the Celtics and Magic Johnson of the Lakers showed
up to pump up a fresh team rivalry nearly 25 years earlier. Every athlete
needs a foil. It’s good for business when rivalries generate emotion and
competition. The James-Anthony rivalry would be limited—at least for
the present—because the two stars played in different divisions and would
76 LeBron James
play few regular-season games against one another. When their teams advanced
to the playoffs they would be on opposite sides of the bracket, too,
so they could only meet in the finals. Those days were expected to be far
in the future for both clubs still reeling from their 15–67 records of the
year before.
Every professional basketball player was a star somewhere along the
line, usually in high school or college, or in a foreign league if they are
from overseas. Chances are they were the best somewhere and when they
reached the NBA they still expected to be the best. Reality sets in abruptly
or gradually. A player might find he is lucky to make the 12-man active
roster. A player might find he is lucky to be one of the five starters. But
there are only about 25 all-stars and barely more than a handful of superstars.
From the beginning of James’s NBA career, other players recognized
that he was going to be one of those superstars. Part of the reason was his
raw talent. Part of it was his demeanor and work ethic. And part of it was
that until December 30 of his rookie year, he was still 18 years old. For the
second half of his debut season, James was all of 19.
“He is a complete basketball player,” said Avery Johnson, then a veteran
guard with the Golden State Warriors who became coach of the
Dallas
Mavericks. “He can do things that you just cannot teach. When I
was 19 years old, I was just trying to pass a geometry class in college.”7
The most complex geometry problem that James would have faced that
year was the triangle offense. But his team didn’t use it. That offensive set
was not in Coach Paul Silas’s bag of tricks. Silas, however, was the man
who most closely watched James day-to-day in practice and in games,
judging his effectiveness, his hustle, his fatigue, and his defensive capabilities.
Silas saw the future and made a breathtaking prediction. In all
of NBA history, only one player has averaged in double digits in points,
rebounds, and assists for an entire season. That was Hall of Fame guard
Oscar Robertson, who in his prime during the 1960s may have been the
best player who ever lived. Halfway through James’s rookie season, Silas
uttered his brash statement. “Eventually, I think he can average a triple
double,” Silas said. “He’s 6–8, so he should rebound. But 10 rebounds is
not out of the question. He’s going to have the ball, so 10 assists isn’t out
of the question. And he’s going to score in double figures.”8 Silas made
the observation so casually, so routinely, that it did not receive inordinate
attention. Not only was Robertson the only player to accomplish the feat,
no other coach was on record talking about any player suggesting that
another star would pull it off.
By the time James made a circuit around the league, opposing coaches
and players who had not studied up on his high school career had become
true believers, and they were not just talking about pure basketball
A Rooki e, Not a Beginn er 77
prowess.
They could see that he possessed innate court vision and they
could see why corporations wanted to attach their names to his. “Go beyond
the individual, the guy has it,” then-Houston Rockets Coach Jeff
Van Gundy said. “He has it. He’s got poise. He’s got presence. He’s got
vision. He’s got command of his game. He’s one of those guys who’s just
an intelligent basketball player, on top of being a superior talent. So, what
do you have? You’ve got greatness.”9
Making It into LeBron’s Team
In mid-December, the Cavaliers traded guard Ricky Davis, one of their
high scorers, to Boston in a six-man deal that also involved a draft pick.
In a sense this was a vote of confidence in James’s offensive skills. It was
time, Silas and the team was saying, for him to score more. Whether it was
the prod from management or the fact that there were more opportunities
to shoot with Davis gone, James immediately became a scoring machine.
He scored 36 points in an 88–81 victory at Philadelphia on December 19.
He scored 32 points with 10 assists in a 95–87 victory at Chicago. He
scored 34 points in a 113–101 overtime loss to Orlando on Christmas Day.
Traditionally, the NBA schedules only prime-time teams for its Christmas
extravaganza. The Cavaliers had not been televised on Christmas in
14 years. On December 28, James scored 32 points and added 10 rebounds
and 9 assists in an 86–74 victory over Portland.
Some NBA players were only vaguely aware of James’s high school exploits
and heard more about his problems surrounding Hummergate and
Jerseygate. They didn’t know what type of guy he was and wondered if
he would be haughty because of all the advance attention. Teammate Ira
Newbie, a much less publicized 6-foot-7 forward, was impressed by James’s
sincerity. “LeBron just wants to fit in and contribute, basically give his
heart to win,” Newbie said. “It’s completely genuine.”10
As much as the NBA relies on big-name stars to sell its product to the
public, it is common knowledge that superstars need strong supporting
casts to make the playoffs and win championships. Michael Jordan was
a super player for the Chicago Bulls for several years before he became a
super winner. Bulls management had to build a good team around him. At
the height of his fame, some made fun of the other Bulls as “The Jordanaires,”
suggesting it didn’t really matter who the other four players were
on the floor with Jordan. But it did. B. J. Armstrong, a guard on some of
the Bulls’ title teams, said very few players can single handedly improve a
team by as much as 10 games in the standings: “That’s the barometer in
this league.”11 The Cavaliers’ win-loss record improved by 18 games during
James’s rookie year.
78 LeBron James
James continued to excel as a rookie and sometimes crossed over to
the spectacular. He scored 38 points in a Cavs win over Washington on
February 1, and 32 points in a win over the San Antonio Spurs on February
20. It surprised many fans when neither James nor Carmelo Anthony
was selected to play in the annual mid-season All-Star game. James was
averaging 21 points per game at the time and Anthony was right behind
him at 19 points per game. Instead, they were both invited to play in the
Rookie Challenge game against a team of NBA second-year men. That
was not the main stage, but at least it involved them in the festivities.
James scored 33 points in the rookie game.
Under the direction of Silas, LeBron James and the Cavaliers were actually
steadily improving. James had pledged to bring Cleveland into the
playoffs, and for the last month of the regular season, the Cavs contended
for the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. But the Cavaliers
had dug themselves a hole with their 6–19 start, so while hope beat in
the breast of long-disappointed Cavaliers’ fans, the odds were still against
Cleveland making the leap from last to the playoffs.
Even Silas was pleasantly surprised. “No, I didn’t expect to be where
we are now,” he said. “There’s no way I thought we’d be anywhere in the
hunt now.”12
A new measure of James’s popularity popped up in popular culture. For
a March 3, 2004 game against the Atlanta Hawks at Gund Arena, the
Cavaliers gave away thousands of LeBron James bobble-head dolls, replicas
of the player standing 7 1/2 inches tall. Players and even Coach Silas
scooped them up as souvenirs. In the current sports marketplace, that is
a prized item. Milking every moment of the occasion for fun-and-games
publicity, the Cavaliers had the bobble heads delivered to the arena by armored
truck and assigned team mascot “Moondog” as one of the security
guards to accompany the mini-statues into the building. They were as hot
as Beanie Babies or any other collectible oddity.
During the ensuing stretch of March, as they galloped toward what
they hoped would be a playoff reward, the Cavs won seven games in a
row. James’s 41 points on March 27 keyed a 107–103 victory over the New
Jersey Nets.
Winning more games featuring one of the most charismatic players in
the league and putting together a run at a playoff position was refreshing
for Cavaliers fans and paid off at the box office. During the depressing
2002–03 season, pre-LeBron, the Cavaliers averaged 11,497 fans per
game at Gund Arena. The next season, James’s rookie year, the Cavaliers
averaged
18,288 fans per home game. In 20 years in Richfield, the Cavs
averaged better than that twice, and in both instances, by less than 100
A Rooki e, Not a Beginn er 79
fans per game. Only the 1994–95 first season played at Gund, exceeded the
Cleveland average for a single season with 20,338 spectators per game.
“I can remember coming in here when there were 5,000 at the most,”
Silas said of his coaching days with the Hornets. “That (the new crowds)
is exciting and it just shows you the fans like to see good basketball. I
think we’re beginning to provide that.”13
The Cavaliers could not maintain their steam and did not qualify for
the playoffs James’s rookie year. They finished 35–47, a record that did not
strike fear into the hearts of the league’s best teams, but did instill a sense
of optimism in Cleveland’s devoted fans. They could see better times on
the horizon. James averaged 20.9 points per game as a rookie and contributed
5.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists. He was voted NBA rookie-of-the-year,
becoming the first from the Cavaliers selected for the honor. And at 19,
James was the youngest player ever to win.
The award winner was announced about a week after the Cavaliers’
season ended and in one of his few faux pas of the season, James was 45
minutes late to the press conference. He tried to make light of it, saying
he was so tired from the season he didn’t want to get out of bed.
The long-awaited LeBron James rookie season was officially over. The
long-awaited rest of his basketball career was just beginning.
Notes
1. Roger Gordon, The Rookie Season of LeBron James (Champaign, Ill., Sports
Publishing LLC, 2004) p. 83.
2. B. J. Robinson, LeBron James—King of the Court (East Cleveland, Forest
Hill Publishing LLC, 2005) p. 140.
3. Robinson, p. 152.
4. Ralph Frammolino, Los Angeles Times, May 23, 2003.
5. Sam Smith, Chicago Tribune, December 19, 2003.
6. Smith, Chicago Tribune.
7. Gordon, p. 18.
8. Smith, Chicago Tribune.
9. Gordon, p. 39.
10. Gordon, p. 50.
11. Robinson, p. 15.
12. Sam Smith, Chicago Tribune, March 1, 2004.
13. K. C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune, December 27, 2003.
80
LeBron James as a high school
star for St. Vincent-St. Mary’s
of Akron, running downcourt in
one of the biggest games of his
high school career for the Irish
against Oak Hill Academy of
Virginia in a clash of nationally
rated schools, Dec. 12, 2002.
James’s team won 65–45. AP
Photo/Mark Duncan.
Gloria James, who raised LeBron
as a single mother, wearing a jersey
representing her son’s high school
team and holding up ping-pong
paddles with his face superimposed
at an intersectional
game
in Greensboro, N.C., Jan. 20,
2003, against Reynolds High
School. AP Photo/Chuck Burton.
80a
Representing his country, LeBron James makes a
flashy shot for the United States in the team’s bronze
medal victory over Argentina in September 2006 in
Japan. He is scoring over Luis Scola. AP Photo/
Dusan Vranic.
80b
Explosive scorer LeBron James drives to the basket in a November
9, 2006 game against the Chicago Bulls as Bulls forward P. J. Brown
commits a foul while trying to stop him. AP Photo/Mark Duncan.
80c
LeBron James (left) and teammate Drew Gooden watch James’s son LeBron Jr. dance
to arena music during a timeout of a 90–68 blowout triumph over the New York Knicks
on March 23, 2007. AP Photo/Tony Dejak.
80d
81
Chapter 7
Red, White, and Blue
For decades, Americans dominated Olympic basketball. All it took for the
United States to win the gold medal was to show up. Basketball is an American
game, invented in the United States in Springfield, Massachusetts,
and it seemed as if the U.S. men’s team in the Summer Games had a divine
right to the gold.
By the end of the 1990s, however, the rest of the world showed signs
of catching up. Games in international play were closer. U.S. representatives
began losing games, then losing the gold. By the time the Olympics
in Athens, Greece turned up on the schedule in the summer of 2004,
rather than being universally praised as the best team in the world, the
domestic hoopsters were the object of queries such as, “What’s wrong
with the Americans?” Where once it was believed that any thrown-
together
team of U.S. amateurs could conquer the world, it was well
known that not even a squad of the best American professionals had a
lock on the gold medal. Committees representing USA Basketball met
for hours debating the type of coaches and players to choose to represent
the country. They performed these services well aware that they would
be scrutinized by dissatisfied and disappointed American basketball fans
who had not yet grasped the situation about the depth of talent being
produced by other nations. They still felt that the gold was their birthright
in this sport.
Soon after LeBron James’s rookie season with the Cavaliers concluded,
James was issued an invitation to join the U.S. Olympic team for the
games in Greece. It was an honor to be selected and for the first time in
his basketball career, the placement of James on a basketball team did
82 LeBron Jam es
not guarantee playing time. He was joining up with a full roster of older
players with more experience who had been around the NBA. James was
still 19 and the youngest player on the team. For the first time in years,
since his freshman season at St. Vincent-St. Mary, James was assigned a
different uniform number than his traditional 23. In the Games, James
wore No. 6. When the U.S. team roster was solidified in mid-summer,
Carmelo Anthony became a squad member, too. They represented the
young guns whose NBA careers were just beginning.
This was an American all-star team and members of the squad were NBA
all-stars. Among the other U.S. players were Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson,
Shawn Marion, Stephon Marbury, and Amare Stoudemire. Dwayne Wade,
the former Marquette star who was a member of the same NBA rookie class
as James and Anthony, and who startled fans with his sterling play, was
also an Olympian. Was this the absolute finest American team that could
be put together? No. Some pros opted out of playing for a variety of personal
reasons. This was a new look for the United States, relying mostly on
young players on the cusp of superstardom, and trying to mesh a unit that
could contend with and defeat teams from other nations that had shared
the court together for years.
The man who was handed the reins to this youthful team was Coach
Larry Brown. Brown was coming off a season where he had led the Detroit
Pistons to the NBA title. He has long been highly regarded as a teacher
of the sport, but he is also regarded as a coach who can be hard on his
players. One question was whether Brown and his players could get along
well enough to bring home the spoils. Could the players brush off Brown’s
sharp comments to perform? Could Brown overlook the frequent mistakes
a young team would make? James, for one, was constantly asked about
being the youngest member of the team. “I’m still young,” he said, “but
I’ve learned so much in the 19 years I’ve been alive. I’m a teenager in age,
but I’ve been a man a long time.”1
The United States—the team and the fans—found out early that this
was not going to be one of the country’s old-fashioned cruises to the gold
that so many in the basketball world were used to seeing. The Americans
were thumped, unexpectedly, by a solid Puerto Rican team, 92–73. It was
the United States’ first loss in 25 Olympic contests. The defeat was a
shock and it exposed weaknesses Americans felt had been overcome by
the choice of players and the Larry Brown drills. The United States shot
poorly, especially from the three-point arc, and did not jell as a team. The
game was a portent of a very frustrating, disappointing Olympic experience
for Brown, the players, and the United States.
R ed, Whit e, and Blu e 83
After the stunning loss, the United States bested Greece and Australia,
but fell to Lithuania, before topping Angola. The Americans then deposited
a key victory over Spain in the win column, setting up a semifinal
match with Argentina. A win would have kept the United States
alive for a gold medal, despite early erratic play, but the Americans lost by
eight points. In a society where a gold-medal performance was really the
only acceptable result, the United States was out of the picture before the
final game. The team rallied and scored the bronze medal by taking out
Lithuania in a rematch to avoid going home empty-handed. But bronze
medals in Olympic basketball are more frustrating consolation prize than
achievement in the United States. Rather than be applauded for winning
a medal, the Americans, who fell short of their own expectations, were
quizzed on why they “failed.”
View from the Bench
For the first time in his life, LeBron James was a non-factor on a basketball
team and was used only selectively. He spent most of the U.S. games
hanging out at the end of the bench shooting the breeze with Anthony
and cheering for teammates on the court. Frequently, James’s line-score
contributions were summed up in single digits for minutes played and in
single digits for points scored. Once in a while he broke loose, contributing
11 points in the Angola victory. He also scored 10 points against
Greece.
James had opportunities to criticize the way he was used in the games,
but took the high road and didn’t complain. He was gracious and told
reporters he was proud to represent his country, and that he was learning
from the experience of being on the U.S. team.
It was an unusual situation for James. He was making news by not
playing. He didn’t want to make more news by opening his mouth and
saying something regrettable. As it was, USA Basketball men’s selection
committee chairman Stu Jackson said after the Athens Games that James
might be a prospect for two or three more U.S. Olympic teams.
By the next season, James was definitely thinking ahead to the 2008
Olympics in Beijing—he was taking Chinese lessons. When a film crew
from China interviewed him in the Cavs’ locker room in late 2006, James
said, “Nee-how,” or hello, in Chinese, on camera.2
When it comes to LeBron James, the public appetite for news, gossip,
or off-beat developments never ceases. A full-fledged professional, with
earning power stretching in all directions after signing his megabucks
84 LeBron Jam es
endorsement contracts with Nike, Coca-Cola, and beyond, James found
that his Olympic experience was bracketed by breathless breaking reports
that indicated he had become an “A” list celebrity whose every move was
monitored.
Selling LeBron
In late July 2004, a sports trading card that featured James and his idol,
Michael Jordan, printed by Upper Deck, sold on eBay for $150,000. That
was the highest price ever paid for a card printed since 1980 representing
any sport. The single most valuable sports card is a rare Honus Wagner
baseball card from 1906 that has sold for more than $2 million. The price
paid for the James-Jordan card stunned many because the card was manufactured
in 2004. Cloth NBA logo swatches were imbedded into the card,
driving up its value. A James-Kobe Bryant card of similar rarity sold for
$62,100 before the James-Jordan card hit the market.3
Not to be outflanked in the popular culture wars, about a month later,
Coca-Cola announced a deal with DC Comics (producers of Superman
and Batman comic books for decades) to print a LeBron James comic
book used as a vehicle to promote Powerade Falva23, a new sports drink
that James had input into inventing. The color was described as burgundy
and the flavor as “sourberry.” After the player saw the art work for the
adventures of LeBron James, he asked to be depicted with larger muscles.
Then he got behind the effort that was scheduled for a 3-million magazine
print run. “I mean, ripped muscles, impossible moves, scoring at will, and
beating the bad guys, who wouldn’t want to be a heroic basketball player
in a comic book?” James said.4
James had always been a fan of comic books, so it was a special treat
to be featured in one. Likewise, he had always been a fan of chewing
gum. His newest endorsement deal was a commitment to work with
Bubblicious gum and James got the chance to have his own brand called
“Lightning Lemonade.”
True to his word when he turned pro, James was still having fun.
Then things got more serious, although the event was a joyous one.
James’s longtime girlfriend Savannah Brinson, gave birth to his first child,
LeBron James Jr. The young man who had grown up without knowing his
genetic father and who had been mostly raised by single mother Gloria,
was very thoughtful about this new addition to his life. The baby was
born on October 6, 2004, and James said he was humbled by his new
role of fatherhood and the responsibilities he knew it entailed. “It’s really
calmed me down by being a father now,” James said on the cusp of
his second NBA season. “It keeps me grounded. I got to represent for
R ed, Whit e, and Blu e 85
my whole family now. I can’t, in no way, shape or form try to hurt my
name.”5
The man who seemed to have everything from riches and fame to a
good life served on the platter of professional sports talked about being
humbled in two ways—not playing much in the Olympics and being a new
dad. But he was still the same old LeBron in many ways. He watched long
hours of film to study his moves and improve his basketball skills. James
rode a bicycle for long hours to improve his stamina. He had learned so
much, paid many hardscrabble dues, but James was always the first to say
that he could get better. And it was his goal to show it to the world during
his second campaign with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Cleveland Part II
When LeBron James’s second season with the Cavaliers began, it was
apparent that all of the talk he made about practicing and working on his
game was not merely lip service. He wasn’t just uttering those statements
because they were politically correct, but because they reflected his beliefs.
It was easy to discern that he was telling the truth, because the Cavaliers
realized they had a new, improved LeBron. He was a better player than
he was as a rookie and there weren’t too many complaints about James’s
performance in his first season. If there was a gripe at all, it was that James
shot only 41.7 percent from the field his first year. Basketball people said
he must do better and James acknowledged that he wanted to do better,
pushing his shooting accuracy nearer to 50 percent.
Almost immediately, it was clear in the fall of 2004 that not only was
James a better player his second time around the NBA, but the Cavaliers
were a better team. With each early-season victory, a genuine sense of fan
excitement grew from a feeling of “One day LeBron James will lead us
through a special season” to “LeBron might be able to take us someplace
special right now.”
After James redoubled his efforts to make his jump shot sharper and to
work harder on his one-on-one defense, he sounded uncharacteristically
outspoken at the beginning of the Cavs’ 2004–05 season. “It’s going to be
a breeze for me,” he said.6 Maybe a breeze was an overstatement because
no one questioned how hard James sweated (he really needed his trademark
headband to keep the perspiration out of his eyes), but less than two
months into the new season James was shooting 49.3 percent from the
floor. The Cavaliers had also posted a record of 14–9. It was nearly four
years since Cleveland had been over .500 in the standings.
James was complimented so much when he was in high school that it
would have been easy for him to blow off extra workouts and arrive in the
86 LeBron Jam es
NBA ill-prepared. The history of some high school players looking lost
on the court as rookies made some basketball experts reserve judgment on
James before his rookie-of-the-year season. Once again James could have
rested on his laurels, but instead he returned for his second season ready
to move into the top echelon of league stars.
No one appreciated the new-look LeBron more than his coaches and
teammates. They practiced with him every day, watched him closely during
games, and could make easy comparisons in his play from one year to
the next. Coach Paul Silas marveled at the differences he saw in James’s
capabilities over a short time. “I have never seen a player learn so much
in one year,” Silas said of his star. “He is further ahead than I thought he
would be at this time. He’s so much more aware, so much better than he
was last year as a rookie.”7
When James first joined the Cavaliers, he was careful not to insult
veterans and step into their leadership territory. He was physically their
equal with his perfect forward height of 6-foot-8 and his hefty power build
of 240 pounds. James was rated a special talent, however, because he was
faster than most other players, especially on his first step to the basket
to drive for a lay-up, and he could out-jump most. In his second season,
James was no longer verbally reticent. He realized he was being looked to
as the team leader and although he did not turn 20 years old until the season
was about eight weeks old, he felt it was his responsibility to carry the
franchise to the next level of improvement. To James, the dream reward
for a last-place team of two seasons earlier was defined as carrying the
Cavs into the postseason. To him it was playoffs or bust. And he wasn’t
shy about stating that aspiration at the start of the season.
Getting Better All the Time
James began running up higher point totals in the Cavs’ games and
he gained more admirers. He raised his points per game to more than 27
and that propelled him into the league’s top five. When James scored
43 points in an early-season Cleveland triumph over Larry Brown’s Detroit
Pistons, it was speculated that James might have been out for revenge
for his Olympic benching.
James never said a word about showing Brown a thing or two, but if
he played extra hard to prove a point that would not have been surprising
and it would have paralleled the oft-reported behavior of his hero
Michael Jordan. Jordan regularly used slights—real or imagined—for motivation
when playing selected teams. Still, Brown had taken the time to
mail James a congratulatory present for his newborn son only a month or
R ed, Whit e, and Blu e 87
so earlier, and James hand-delivered a thank-you card to Brown before
the start of the game. The two acts of consideration implied that there
was no game of one-upmanship involved when the Pistons and Cavaliers
met, although from the outside James’s big night could be interpreted as a
vengeance performance.
Major league baseball is the king of all sports when it comes to keeping
track of statistics and numbers for its games dating back to the
nineteenth century. No other sport is as comprehensive. More arcane
baseball records are at historians’ and reporters’ fingertips than in any
other sport. Over the last three decades, however, basketball has become
much more efficient in tallying records of different sorts and in monitoring
statistics such as triple-doubles and blocked shots that once were
of no consequence to the NBA hierarchy. Some of this fastidiousness
affected James.
He celebrated his 20th birthday on December 30, 2004, and that
plunged researchers into a records search for a mark that had not been
long in the making. It was determined that James’s 2,362 points made
him the most prolific scoring teenager in NBA history. He was 503 points
ahead of Kobe Bryant. It is not a statistic that will be remembered by the
casual fan the way the breaking of a baseball home run record is, but it did
put in perspective that James had accomplished much professionally at an
early age. For one thing, his maturity at a young age meant that his team
did not worry about giving him more playing time as an 18- and 19-yearold
than Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and Tracy McGrady. Time on the court
led to shots through the hoop.
Complicating James’s swift second-year start, however, was an injury.
When he collapsed to the floor during a December 19 game against the
Houston Rockets, it was not immediately obvious how severely hurt he
was. Dikembe Mutombo, one of the NBA’s top defensive centers, has
always been very protective of the ball when he rebounds. He swung an
elbow and caught James in the face. The force of the blow knocked James
to the floor and he suffered a broken cheekbone. James did not permit the
injury to interrupt his hot streak. When he returned to the lineup a couple
of days later for a game against Charlotte, he wore a protective mask.
James also scored 26 points. The incident, James’s reaction to it, and his
response—returning quickly to play wearing an uncomfortable, awkward
looking protective device to shield his face—became another measuring
stick among NBA players. Some players are ridiculed for begging off
game action with injuries that others consider insignificant. Other players
gain admiration for their toughness by “playing with pain,” as the
phrase is used in conversation and among TV play-by-by broadcasters.
88 LeBron Jam es
The mask was a nuisance, because it somewhat limited James’s vision, but
he shrugged off the inconvenience and did not let the obstacle interfere
with his play. During a victory over Portland about a month after adapting
to the mask, James turned in a triple double of 27 points, 11 rebounds,
and 10 assists.
New Boss es
Early in that season, major changes came to the Cavaliers’ front office.
Gordon Gund sold his stake in the team and the club brought a
new owner, Dan Gilbert, into the NBA ruling brotherhood with the $375
million purchase. Gilbert operated a company called Quicken Loans and
soon enough the name of the home arena of the Cavaliers was changed
to Quicken Loans Arena, although many called it “The Q.” Coach Paul
Silas was dismissed and interim coach Brendan Malone took over the
team for the rest of the season.
James was not selected for the NBA All-Star game as a rookie and had
to be content competing in the rookie challenge against second-year players.
During his second year, however, James was too good to relegate to
that lesser show in the double feature. As a sophomore, James was invited
to the Big Show. He was one of seven first-time all-stars in the game that
season, provoking discussion about a changing of the guard among the
sport’s top players, and whether James in this particular all-star celebration
was actually experiencing a coronation as the real King James. When
asked if he was being passed the torch as superstar of the league, James
said, “Will there be resentment? I don’t know. It’s something that’s been
going on since I was a sophomore in high school.”8
A month after the All-Star game, James knocked down a career-high 56
points while shooting 18-of-36 from the field and 14-of-15 from the freethrow
line, although the Cavaliers lost the game to the Toronto Raptors.
The achievement made him the youngest player in NBA history to score
50 points in a game. A month later, James and others were caught off guard
when Time Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people
in the world. Not the basketball world, but the entire world—politicians,
economists, novelists included. There were only four other sports figures
mentioned on the list—Richard Pound, head of the World Anti-Doping
Agency, solo around-the-world sailor Ellen MacArthur, auto racing star
Michael Shumacher, and Roman Abramovich, owner of the English soccer
club Chelsea.9
On the basketball court, James indeed leaped into the rankings of the
top five players in the league. His individual brilliance showed game by
R ed, Whit e, and Blu e 89
game, and he uplifted the Cavaliers in the standings. Coming close to his
preseason prediction, Cleveland was in the hunt for a playoff spot until
the last days of the season. The Cavs’ regular-season record was 42–40, the
team’s first winning mark since the 1997–98 season, and they came within
a single win of what James had projected as minimally acceptable to him.
The season mark was the eighth best record in the Eastern Conference
and ordinarily would have given the Cavs the playoff spot they hungered
for, but the New Jersey Nets earned the berth based on tiebreakers.
The Cavaliers made noise around the league. They were viewed as a
much more dangerous opponent than they had been two seasons earlier,
and hometown fans recognized the changes and showed approval with
their ticket-buying habits, contributing to a season attendance average
of 19,128. All of the good numbers were on the rise for Cleveland, from
wins to spectators—and for James, too. During his second NBA season,
James averaged 27.2 points a game, third best in the league, 7.7 rebounds,
and 7.2 assists. He also used his quickness to make more than two steals
per game. In every measurable way during the 2004–05 season, James and
the Cavaliers were better. No longer would anyone scoff if LeBron James
mentioned the words “playoffs” and “Cavaliers” in the same sentence.
The player and his team had displayed enough for everyone to realize it
was not wishful thinking, but almost certainly a foregone conclusion for
2005–06.
Notes
1. B. J. Robinson, LeBron James—King of the Court (East Cleveland: Forest
Hills Publishing, 2005), p. 171.
2. LeBron James, pre-game press conference, Quicken Loans Arena, November
9, 2006.
3. Chicago Tribune Redeye edition, July 26, 2004.
4. Chicago Tribune, August 20, 2004.
5. Robinson, p. 179.
6. Sean Deveney, The Sporting News, December 16, 2004.
7. Deveney, The Sporting News.
8. Sam Smith, Chicago Tribune, February 20, 2005.
9. Time Magazine, April 11, 2005.
90
91
Chapter 8
Junior Year Pro
One man does not make a championship team, no matter how talented
he is. But one man can uplift a team, and entering the 2005–06 season it
was unclear whether LeBron James was going to be a one-man Cavaliers
club or whether the construction of a team around him was paying off.
Skeptical basketball observers still felt that Cleveland was a one-man
team, not a team ready for the playoffs or to make a run for Eastern Conference
supremacy. James thought differently. Once again he believed he was
improved and so were the Cavs. And once again he set out to prove it.
During the summer leading into his third season, James flexed his
muscles verbally. At the start of the NBA’s annual free-agent season, he
publicly urged the Cavaliers to be aggressive in seeking new faces and said
he would like his opinions to be considered when the team went after
guys through trades or free-agent signings. At the time, such luminaries
and potentially helpful players as guards Ray Allen, Larry Hughes, and
Michael Redd appeared available. The Cavs did sign Hughes, previously
of the Washington Wizards, hoping he could be a scoring point guard and
might work well with James.1 Despite some injuries, Hughes did play a
critical role with the Cavaliers once he joined the team. And Cleveland
also added forward Donyell Marshall, who left the Toronto Raptors.
Later that summer the impact of some of James’s endorsement deals
also went public when his face, drawn in a cartoon-like fashion, was
imprinted on NASCAR driver Bobby Labonte’s hood for a race. It was
part of James’s connection to Powerade through his Coca-Cola contract.
If anybody in North Carolina had not known about James before, they
did then.
92 LeBron James
James also poured himself into charitable efforts before Cavs training
camp, instituting a “LeBron’s King for Kids Bike-A-Thon” in Akron;
and after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf
Coast, he contributed his own labor to the relief work. James worked with
teams of people to load food, school supplies, and diapers onto trucks
bound for the South.
Cleveland fans lauded James’s public service efforts, but they worried
in October when he became sick and was hospitalized. The incident occurred
during Cavs training camp. James felt ill during practice. When
team doctors examined him it was originally believed that James suffered
a minor strain of a pectoral muscle. Upon further review, however, it was
determined that James had been struck by pleurisy, affecting his lungs and
chest. After Cavalier supporters passed through a short period of dread
and alarm, James resumed practicing and returned to full strength.
Scoring More Than Ever
Once the games began for real, James resumed doing what he does best,
scoring points and leading his team. About two weeks into the season,
James passed another milestone, although somewhat of an arcane one
that simply reinforced that he was accomplishing more at a younger age
than any previous NBA player. In a triumph over the Orlando Magic,
James became the youngest performer to record 4,000 points in his career.
He was 20 years and 318 days old, and he broke the record set previously
by Kobe Bryant, who was 21 years and 216 days old when he established
the old mark. “Unbelievable,” commented Cavs coach Mike Brown, who
had replaced Paul Silas, after serving as an assistant coach with the Indiana
Pacers and the San Antonio Spurs. “That kid is a talent. It couldn’t
happen to a better person. He’s a great person, a great leader and I enjoy
being around him. To be around him when it happened is a tremendous
feeling.”2
The mini-milestone was insignificant, however, compared to how the
Cavaliers were playing. They were starting to act like grownups, beginning
to jell as the improving team James had promised. During a December
showdown with the equally young and promising Chicago Bulls,
James was the difference maker. He scored 37 points to propel Cleveland
over Chicago, 108–100, and that was at the United Center, the Bulls’
home court, a difficult place to win. “We’re becoming a great team,”
James said. “Right now we’re a good team. I feel like we’re getting there
to be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.”3 The Eastern
Conference was in the midst of a lull between great teams. The Western
Junior Year Pro 93
Conference housed most of the best teams in the NBA at the time. There
was a vacuum in power at the top of the East and if James’s projections
were correct, the Cavs had just as good a chance to fill it as teams like
Chicago and Detroit.
As the calendar year came to an end, James turned 21. The toast of
Cleveland was thrown a glitzy, invitation-only party two days before December
30, where entry fees of $50 to $300 were charged at Cleveland’s
House of Blues and some of the proceeds were given to charity. James,
who had made a splash nationally when he received his first car, that
old Hummer, arrived at the party in a new vehicle, a black Rolls Royce.
In contrast to the car, James wore a white suit, a look he had already
displayed on draft day. The question of what to buy for the man who
has everything recurred many times. After all, James had the money to
purchase anything he wanted. One of the revelers was Cavs coach Mike
Brown, and when he was asked about the gift problem he said he had
referred the issue to his wife Carolyn. “What do you get LeBron?” Brown
said she asked. “I don’t know, babe,” Brown said he told her. “You can
figure it out.”4
Left unsaid was that the most satisfying present anyone could give to
James was a world championship. But such gifts do not change hands at
parties, and if James was going to be the recipient of such a prized present,
he was going to have to work for it.
James’s face and persona were becoming more widespread in the marketing
world as he continued to light up NBA scoreboards. At sports
memorabilia shows, James bobble-heads and framed photographs proliferated.
Stores sold LeBron posters. If that was not enough LeBron presence
for the true fan, it became possible to move James into your living room
or bedroom in giant-sized fashion. Called a Fathead, the James (and other
sports stars) human-sized stick-ons could be plastered to the wall almost
like wallpaper.
The vivid James Fathead measured 38 inches wide by 79 inches tall and
pictured him legs bent, leaping, cradling a basketball in his right hand,
poised to dunk. The cut-off could be slapped on between items of furniture
like bookcases, lamps, and chairs and the fan could have LeBron for
company in his very own home. The price was $99, plus postage and handling;
it was sold with the theme of “Get it. Peel it. Stick it. Five minutes
and you’re in the game.”
James seemed to make as much news off the court as on it, but almost
all things covered with a celebrity touch were light-hearted. Unlike
some of his fellow high-profile athletes, James never made negative headlines
because of run-ins with the law or security forces at nightclubs or by
94 LeBron James
cracking up his car. James continued to be a good-news guy with his signature
smile and his hardcore basketball work ethic. As the 2005–06 season
wore on, it became apparent that the Cavaliers were fielding their best
team in years and that a playoff run for success-starved fans was genuine.
On January 21, in a victory over the Utah Jazz, James fired in 51 points,
collecting 32 of them in the second half. It seemed as if no time at all had
passed, but James surpassed the 5,000-point mark for his career. Once
again he was the youngest to reach the goal.
Top All-Star
In mid-season, James once again adjourned for the All-Star game. This
was his second straight selection after being bypassed as a rookie to play
in the Challenge game. Less than three weeks after learning of the vote,
James emerged as the star of stars during the East’s 122–120 win in Houston.
James became the youngest player ever chosen as the Most Valuable
Player following his 29-point, 6-rebound game. For that night he was on
top of the world. Clouding the rest of the season and the Cavaliers’ ability
to make a run at a regular-season divisional title was surgery on a fractured
Hughes finger that KO’d him from the lineup.
Some key games in March, as the regular season approached its end,
signaled that the Cavaliers were ready to move to the hierarchy of the
NBA and compete in the postseason. On March 19, Cleveland trailed
the Los Angles Lakers by 18 points and rallied to win, 96–95. James was
Cleveland’s leading scorer with 29 points. Three days later, the Cavs came
back to force overtime against Charlotte and defeat the Hornets, 120–
118, with James exploding for 37 points. And a week later, Cleveland’s
107–94 triumph over Dallas clinched the team’s first playoff appearance
since the 1997–98 season. At that moment it was easy to reflect on the
tangible dividend of drafting LeBron James. The Cavs had become both
a ticket-selling and critical success, as much as can be hoped for by any
Broadway play. James scored 46 points and became the youngest player in
league annals to pass 6,000 points. James was notching points 1,000 at a
time, it seemed.
Playoffs!
The playoff clincher was notable for several obvious reasons but also
because the Cavaliers didn’t take the race down to the final days of the
season. They announced themselves as a postseason entry three weeks before
the regular season’s completion. The final regular-season record was
Junior Year Pro 95
50–32, the team’s first 50-win campaign since 1993. In the three seasons
since James made his debut, the Cavaliers had engineered a 33-game turnaround.
There was no doubt that James was the architect of the change.
And again, James had improved his on-court performance. He averaged a
startling 31.4 points per game, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.6 assists. Only all-time
greats Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, and Jerry West had put together
a trio of such impressive statistics in the three main measuring categories
of performance. James played in 79 of the Cavaliers’ 82 games and scored
at least 20 points in 70 of them.
Qualifying for the playoffs was a goal that both James and the franchise
had achieved. In the NBA they refer to the playoffs as the second
season, however, and the Cavs desperately wanted to win a series.
Cleveland matched up with the Washington Wizards in the first round
of the Eastern Conference playoffs and the Cavs controlled the opener,
97–86, with James contributing a triple-double in all of his favorite box
score categories.
The teams split the first four games, but the Cavaliers imposed their
will in the two rugged wrap-up games, winning both in overtime to capture
the club’s first playoff series since 1993. James averaged 35.7 points a
game for the six games and was in his own class during the series; performing
far above the competition. But James and Cleveland needed help,
and the supporting cast of Hughes (11.1 points), bouncing back from injury,
forward Drew Gooden (8.2 points) and center Zydrunas Ilgauskus
(10.4 points) ably aided the star.
The Cavaliers moved on with optimism and determination and played
a hard-nosed series against the favored Detroit Pistons. Detroit, led by
Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace, looked like too high of a mountain
to overcome. But just when analysts were proclaiming the Cavs finished,
they roared back and won the next two games to knot the series.
LeBron James, or not, however, the Pistons had too much depth for Cleveland
and they closed out the Cavs in six games.
The season lasted about as long as Cleveland fans and players could
have realistically wished, but the 50 wins and the postseason showing
whetted
James’s appetite for more, and it proved that the Cavaliers would
be a team to be reckoned with in the coming year. That is precisely what
James thought after making the playoffs for the first time and cruising
past the first round.
“It gave us a sense of confidence that we’re one of the better teams in
the league,” he said. “But you know, on the other hand, we’re one of the
targeted teams. We can’t sneak up on anybody, so that’s a different feeling
for us. We were able to sneak up on a few teams last year (2005–06)
96 LeBron James
because we weren’t as well known as we should have been. But now we’re
a better team and we have to uphold the standard that we have.”5
After years of wandering aimlessly in the desert, the Cleveland Cavaliers’
franchise had sipped greedily from a renewing reservoir of water—
and a child had led them there.
The League Takes Notice
In October 2006, LeBron James was back on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
His featured appearance, along with other young NBA stars
Carmelo Anthony and Dwayne Wade, represented something different
than his cover appearance in high school. The first time, James was
being announced to the world. This time, James, with his broad smile,
distinctive headband above his forehead, and elaborate tattoos decorating
his biceps, was truly being presented as King James, a leader of a
young generation of stars carrying the NBA to new heights of popularity
and accomplishment.
Having one’s visage flashed on the cover of Sports Illustrated still symbolizes
validation in the sports world that you are somebody special. But
James had long before passed through such a stage of recognition. Before
the 2005–06 season ended, he had been the subject of an extensive
feature story in GQ. The GQ imprint made a statement about style and
impact that goes beyond the basketball court. GQ readers are sometimes
too grandly attired to get sweaty, so some of them were a new audience
for LeBron examination. Splendidly attired in eye-catching suits on
other occasions, James showed up for his GQ interview wearing a casual
shirt that included the messages “Chosen 1” and “Gifted Child.”
The interviewer concluded there was still a bit of mischievous little boy
inside James, something James has never denied. For one thing, he was
accompanied to the GQ interview by some of his homeboys, basketball
playing teammates from St. Vincent-St. Mary. Some of those guys, Dru
Joyce and Romeo Travis, among them, got the opportunity to stay home
and play college ball for the University of Akron under old high school
coach Keith Dambrot. When he got the chance during the basketball
season, James dropped by to watch his old friends play.
James dined on pancakes, sausage, and bananas as he was quizzed, and
once more, as in almost all in-depth looks from journalists, James came
across as pretty much Superman on the court and preternaturally mature
off of it. He did note “the special powers that I have been given.” And he
explained how his court vision—so widely praised—works. “Once I get
comfortable with my surroundings out there, it seems like everything just
Junior Year Pro 97
slows down. I don’t want to sound cocky when I say this, but it’s like I see
things before they happen. I kind of know where the defenders are gonna
be. I kind of know where my teammates are gonna be, sometimes even before
they know. My game is really played above time. I don’t say that like
I’m saying I’m ahead of my time. I’m saying, like, if I’m on the court and
I throw a pass, the ball that I’ve thrown will lead a teammate right where
he needs to go, before he even knows that that’s the right place to go to.
I just slow things down to a point where I can control what happens. It’s
a God-given talent.”6
The Gifted LeBron James
The longer James played on the big stage, the more it became clear
to basketball people that he spoke the truth when discussing God-given
talent. Before James had completed his third season, Scottie Pippen, the
Chicago Bulls forward voted one of the top 50 players in NBA history,
and who was Michael Jordan’s chief assistant in bringing six titles to
the Windy City, saw James play. “He’s growing into the greatest ever to
play the game,” Pippen said. For several years there had been routine
pronouncements of players emerging as “the next Michael Jordan.” Few
dared whisper that there might be someone coming along so soon who
might be better than Michael Jordan.7
One thing on the minds of fervent Cavaliers fans after James led the
team to the playoffs at the end of the 2005–06 season was the fact that his
rookie contract was finishing up and James could contemplate becoming a
free agent. That was the worst nightmare scenario for Cleveland fans. The
idea of watching James go off to a New York or Los Angeles and leading
another team to a championship repelled them. James had that right. He
just didn’t have the inclination. He proved that his roots were as strong as
ever in the Akron-Cleveland area by signing a three-year, $60 million deal
locking him up with the Cavs through the 2009–10 season. The arrangement
also called for a fourth-year player option, meaning James could stick
around longer if he wanted. “Staying in Cleveland provides me with the
unique opportunity to continue to play in front of my family, friends, and
fans,” James said.8 Word of the contract leaked out about nine days before
James inked it. The Cavaliers were so anxious to gain James’s signature on
the pact that the package was finalized not in Cleveland, but in Las Vegas,
where James was practicing with the USA Basketball Men’s Senior National
Team, the squad competing in the World Championships in China.
The tournament site in Guangzhou served as a tune-up for China’s
scheduled hosting of the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008, and the fans
98 LeBron James
were rabid supporters of the home team when it faced the U.S. squad,
even in a sport not nearly as popular as others in the world’s largest country.
The Americans were tested, but prevailed and James starred. “We just
had to settle down,” James said. “They were riding high off the fans. We
wore them down in the second half. I don’t look at myself as a hero. I just
go out there and play my game and showcase my talent to the fans and
take care of business.”9 Following its recent pattern of stumbling against
other foreign teams, but playing just well enough to place, the U.S. team
took home a bronze medal.
From the occasional rest, to making the occasional commercial, from
representing his country on the basketball court, to working out for a
fourth Cavaliers season, James had a varied and interesting summer after
the 2006 playoffs ended. He found himself in situations that tested his
playing ability and his poise, and he kept passing the tests. In a widely
highlighted meeting, shortly before Cavaliers training camp opened in
October for the 2006–07 season, James broke bread with investment king
Warren Buffett, the Omaha, Nebraska business maven who is one of the
richest men in the world. During a stop in Omaha, James rendezvoused
with Buffett at the Crescent Moon Ale House to talk money. James, who
gave Buffett one of his Cavalier jerseys, ate a hamburger and French fries
and drank a milkshake. Buffett, who is regarded as one of the most astute
assessors of stocks and financial markets in the world, counsels many
wealthy investors. If anyone thought a tête-à -tête between James and
Buffett
was an odd-couple session, Buffett also previously met with New
York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and with a businessman who
bid $620,000 earmarked for charity to lunch with him.10 If anyone was
starry eyed walking away from the discussion, it seemed to be James, who
characterized the meeting this way: “He’s probably one of the best men
I’ve ever met and it was the greatest experience I ever had. He’s one of the
most level-headed guys I know. It was a great experience.”11 James did not
let listeners in on any stock tips.
Within days of meeting with Buffett, James made an appearance on
“The Late Show with David Letterman.” James shot hoops with Letterman
outside the Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York City. And James also
appeared on an MTV show called SportsBlender where he cracked jokes.
The topic of the automobile the Chrysler LeBaron came up. No, it was
not named for LeBron James.
During the prior season, Nike made hay with a clever group of commercials
built around depicting James playing four separate roles on screen
simultaneously. The shoe-buying public chuckled as James portrayed Wise
LeBron, Business LeBron, Kid LeBron, and LeBron James the basketball
Junior Year Pro 99
guy. Nike brought the same foursome back a second time for the 2006–07
season and also authorized a four-pack set of James in all guises as collector
statues. Michael Jordan symbolized the black athlete crossing over with
endorsement appeal to the white fan. James was following in his footsteps
the way no other black athlete was able to do. Michael Jordan’s popularity
seemed to transcend race. James seemed to have the same capability.
People liked him regardless of the color of their own skins.
Right before the regular season began, James also acceded to a request
to tape a segment of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” with host Jon
Stewart on The Ohio State University campus. In the parody news show,
Stewart enthusiastically reviewed many of James’s achievements and said,
“I don’t mean to be rude, but are you an alien creature?” Then Stewart
asked James if even Kryptonite (Superman’s weakness) could stop him.
“At this point I’m not sure anything can stop me,” James replied. Both the
Letterman guest spot (which he had turned down four years earlier) and
James’s appearance on “The Daily Show” were signs he was more comfortable
stepping out of the traditional role of a basketball player only. “I just
got a little older,” James said.12
Although he exhibited his playful moments with the television shows
on his days off, James was primarily focused on basketball once the Cavaliers’
preseason training camp opened on October 3. James, who before
previous seasons set goals of a winning campaign and making it to the
playoffs, was just as outspoken looking ahead. “We can win it all,” he said.
“We’ve just got to play well. Trying to win the whole thing is what’s on
my mind. There’s no reason to play in the NBA if you don’t think you can
win it all.”13
Time to Win Big
James admitted that going through the playoffs was an educational process
that would only help the Cavaliers in their quest to go beyond the
second round in the 2006–07 season, explaining how the intensity of the
postseason is different from regular-season games in the middle of the winter.
“Every possession counts,” James said. “You can’t take one possession
off. You really feel it if you gamble, or you don’t rotate on defense, or you
miss a lay-up.”14
As he began his fourth season in the NBA, James had grown into the
stature of his reputation. First he merely wanted to try to prove himself
on the court. Then he wanted to lift his team’s status to contender. Too
busy establishing himself among his peers and the public, James spent a
few years deflecting praise heaped on him suggesting that he was to be the
100 LeBron James
NBA’s savior. Before his fourth season, James all but announced he was
ready to accept responsibility for becoming a major face of the league, if
not the face of the league.
“Kids look up to us,” James said. “They love the way we play the game
of basketball, and they like some of the things we do off the court, so we
are role models.”15
For all of the respect shown to James by Sports Illustrated in its cover
story, the magazine picked the Cavaliers as only the third best team in the
Eastern Conference. Coach Mike Brown was depicted as looking through
rose-colored glasses (a play on his ownership of 22 pairs of eyewear) when
he said, “Last year was great, but our goal is to win the championship.
We’re going to try to get a little bit more movement, but make no mistake
the ball is still going to be in LeBron’s hands.”16
Despite James’s continuing improvement and Cleveland’s mounting
optimism, only the Cavaliers community foresaw a season where the Cavs
might sweep to the NBA Finals.
Notes
1. Chicago Tribune, June 26, 2005.
2. Chicago Tribune, November 14, 2005.
3. Sam Smith, Chicago Tribune, December 23, 2005.
4. Chicago Tribune, December 30, 2005.
5. LeBron James, press conference, Quicken Loans Arena, November 7,
2006.
6. Larry Platt, GQ Magazine, “The Fast Education of LeBron James,” April,
2006.
7. Sam Smith, Chicago Tribune, May 19, 2006.
8. Associated Press, July 9, 2006.
9. USA Basketball Web Site game report, August 7, 2006.
10. Brian Windhorst, Akron Beacon-Journal, September 21, 2006.
11. Branson Wright, Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 3, 2006.
12. Julie Carr Smyth, Associated Press, November 1, 2006.
13. Wright, Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 3, 2006.
14. Wright, Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 3, 2006.
15. Chris Ballard, Sports Illustrated, October 23, 2006.
16. Marty Burns, Sports Illustrated, October 23, 2006.
101
Chapter 9
Early Season Challenges
The action was hot at the Quicken Loans Arena—and the activity
wasn’t even on the court. Before the Cavaliers lined up for an early-
season
home game against the Atlanta Hawks, fans jammed the gift
shop, competing for the right to buy souvenirs for the kids at home or
the kids in the seats. It was possible to purchase a LeBron James anything,
it seemed.
To dress like LeBron in a No. 23 Cavaliers jersey cost $80 (toddler
size $60). A LeBron bobble-head doll sold for $28. Fans could buy a
LeBron Christmas ornament for $15, an 8 by 10 color picture of LeBron
for $6, an All-Star MVP pennant of LeBron for $8, or a mini-Cavs
SUV LeBron car for $12. The team was doing its best to recoup some
of its multimillion-
dollar investment in James’s contract. Whether it
was attributable to James’s personality and popularity, or a symbol of
enlightenment
in early twenty-first-century America, there were more
white purchasers of James memorabilia than black buyers. Had James
effectively
rendered Cleveland colorblind?
The mood was buoyant. On November 4, four days earlier, in the
second game of the 2006–07 season, the Cavaliers defeated one of the
league’s elite teams, the San Antonio Spurs, 88–81. It was the first
time since 1988 that Cleveland bested San Antonio in Texas. James
scored 35 points and said, “I was four years old the last time we beat San
Antonio
(there). I think for us to go out and be one of the powerhouses,
which we’ve been preaching, we’ve got to go out there and walk the
walk. We showed poise down the stretch. They made a run and we were
102 LeBron Jam es
able to withstand it.”1 When James first came into the league, any
Cleveland-San Antonio game would have been summarized as a mismatch.
To prove they belonged in faster company, the Cavaliers had to
beat teams like San Antonio during the regular season. So even though
the match-up occurred very early in the season it had psychic value for
the Cavs.
On the night of the Hawks game, James was thoughtful during his
meet-and-greet press conference outside the Cavaliers locker room. He
had much on his mind about recent NBA developments. The NBA introduced
a new basketball for the season, replacing the leather ball in use
for decades with a ball made of synthetic material. The players, who were
not consulted before the change, did not like the new ball. Most called
it slippery. James, who had experience with the new ball when it was experimental
in the prior year’s All-Star game, had been successful with it,
but disliked the feel.
“With the leather ball you know what you’re going to get every game,”
James said. “But the new ball, sometimes dribbling during the game, it
sticks to your hand. It doesn’t get as much bounce if you want to throw a
bounce pass. It will just roll on you, and it won’t bounce up in the air like
the old ball. Sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s not.”2 It was a significant
change for players whose livelihood depended on ball handling,
on being able to make sure passes, to control the ball on fancy dribbles,
and they were aghast when confronted by a poor grip when they rose for
a jump shot. The backlash, from stars like James, as well as other players,
grew so loud that midway through the season Commissioner David Stern
backtracked, removed the new balls, and replaced them with the triedand-
true standby leather balls.
A new rule for the season also seemed to give referees extra power
to crack down on demonstrative players. The league goal was to control
the number of technical fouls, prevent physical showboating, and players’
sassy responses to calls that seemed to flaunt officials’ authority. But
there had already been cases of overzealous whistling that put some players
on edge. An emotional player like James, who wanted to pump up his
team, worried that he could get slammed with a technical foul providing
the other team with a free foul shot and possession of the ball just by being
true to his feelings. “I’ve always been passionate about the game, but I
have to be cool,” James said, concerned that even a minimalist Peyton
Manning hands-raised, touchdown pass celebration would be deemed offensive.
Whether or not there was a directive from the league urging refs
to cool their jets, after the initial break-in period, the calls seemed to
Ea rly Season Chall enges 103
mellow
out and the threat of being whistled for technical fouls did not
bother James the rest of the season.3
New Habits
James revealed a secret—he had awakened barely an hour earlier. On
the day the Cavs faced the Hawks James had snoozed for hours. He was
practically rubbing the sleep out of his eyes when he reached The Q a little
bit after 5 p.m. He had a pre-game routine in place. After the morning
shoot-around focused on that night’s opponent, James developed the habit
of going home or to the team hotel for some shut-eye. “I am a nap guy,”
James said with a laugh. “I try to get four hours of rest before the game and
then I’m pretty well ready. If anything is going on between 12 and 4 p.m.
I’ll probably miss it.”4
Starting his fourth year in the NBA, James’s stature as one of the most
prominent players had been established. He had shown that he could
make Cleveland a winner. James had impressively shown that his high
school fanfare was not fraudulent. NBA veterans tend to be jaded when
they read in magazines or see on television about the latest phenom. They
have a show-me attitude because there is always a freshly hyped player
coming along who it is said will be one of the all-time greats. They disdain
such coverage and try not to be swayed by it. When the real deal does
show up, however, they recognize it. James had passed beyond the range
of skepticism.
“Until some guy comes along and proves it, it’s sort of ‘OK, I’ll believe
it when I see it,’ ” said Cavalier guard Eric Snow. “But playing with the
best guys, you’ve got a chance to win, to be out there and have a chance
to win every night.”5
James seemed aware that Snow was prone to make such diplomatic
statements. After James appeared on “The Daily Show” near mid-term
Congressional elections, he told Cleveland reporters he had no political
ambitions, but when they pressed him for an opinion on which teammate
would make the best politician, James replied, “E. Snow.”6 It was also
possible that James picked the wrong political teammate. Guard Larry
Hughes was asked what his campaign slogan would be if he ever ran for
governor in his home state of Missouri and he said, “Free money for everyone.
That would definitely get me elected.”7
Different players bring different perspectives to a team and to the outlook
of teaming up with a star who commands so much attention. Shannon
Brown, a rookie out of Michigan State, had just joined the Cavaliers.
Even
104 LeBron Jam es
though he knew all about James, he had not known him well and Brown
had not experienced the rock-star, circus-like atmosphere that follows
James everywhere on the basketball circuit.
“I was fortunate enough to come to a great team on the rise,” said Brown,
the Cavaliers’ 2006 first-round draft pick. “It’s really unexplainable
how
much he brings to this town. He brings a lot of excitement, as far as what
he does on the court, and how he carries himself. He’s just a cool, downto-
earth guy to be around, a great person.”8
Th e James Effect on Cleveland
Mike Brown was starting his second season as Cavaliers coach. He was
part of the new management team that took over the club after owner
Gordon Gund sold out to Dan Gilbert. Paul Silas got James in his growingpains
years. Brown was supposed to reap the benefits of James’s sophistication.
He had already guided the Cavaliers to their breakthrough play-off
appearance, with James averaging more than 30 points a game. Now more
was expected from both of them. Brown was the management bridge to
the star player. He was in closer contact, more often, with him than anyone
else connected to the front office. As coach, Brown was also the man
who had to be the most attuned to James’s circumstances, conditioning,
and health. Most of the time Brown deals with Xs and Os, but even he
could not stop marveling at the outsized impact LeBron James made on his
hometown team and his hometown area.
“It’s economically off the charts,” Brown said. “Not just Cleveland,
but Cleveland and the surrounding areas, I’d even say the whole state
of Ohio. He’s a fantastic draw to have and a homegrown product. I can’t
even explain what he’s done to the area. He’s also given the people a sort
of hope, or belief, or the confidence to walk around with their chests
puffed out knowing that LeBron James is from here and he plays here.
It’s a great feeling to have.” Brown said it is remarkable how many kids,
adults, grandparents, and fans walk around Cleveland wearing LeBron
James jerseys and offered a $100 reward if an observer could count the
number of spectators among the 20,000 fans in the building that night
wearing them.9 It proved impossible to make an accurate count, but neither
age nor skin color made a difference in the wearers. Cavs fans were
united by their James jerseys.
The Atlanta Hawks were a bad team at the beginning of the 2005–06
season, one of the teams that had replaced the Cavaliers of a few years earlier
in the basement of the NBA. The Hawks figured to be easy prey for
the Cavs early in the season, with a throng of fans screaming, fireworks
Ea rly Season Chall enges 105
going off in the arena, and flattering videos introducing the players flashing
on the scoreboard. The building was rocking and rolling and about
as loud as it would be for a rock and roll concert. Yet the Cavaliers had
trouble with the focused Hawks right from the opening tip. It was 20–20
after one quarter, a low-scoring 38–37 Cavs at the half, and 90–90 at the
end of regulation play. Cleveland was sent into overtime by the lowly
Hawks and lost, 104–95.
James was his usual lead-the-way self, with 34 points, 7 rebounds and 6
assists, but Hawks guard Joe Johnson’s 25 points and an unanticipated 19
points and 11 assists from Atlanta guard Tyronn Lue offset James’s showing.
James also hit only 5 of 11 free throws, costly mistakes. The game was
indicative of many things in the NBA. To be a truly dominant team with
first-place aspirations, the Cavaliers had to brush aside challenges from
clubs like the Hawks. It also showed that it is a long season and that truly
on any given night a weaker team might play better and upend a more
balanced squad. And it demonstrated that even a lightly regarded team
can count on heady veterans like Johnson and Lue at various points in
the season. The Hawks outplayed the Cavaliers in the fourth quarter and
overtime when it mattered most. Yes, the Cavaliers had LeBron James, the
best player on the court, and possibly the best player in the league, but he
could not single handedly lead his team to wins every night. These were all
lessons to be remembered and stored for later in the season when the Cavs
hoped to be operating on all cylinders and motoring to the playoffs.
James was reflective in the locker room. Basketball, baseball, and
hockey players play so many games so bunched together that redemption
is just around the corner. They have time to study game films to make
adjustments, but they do not have time to brood over losses and fixate on
what happened in the recent past. They must move on quickly and make
sure they do not get stuck in ruts that cause repeat mistakes. They must
absorb the education from a beating overnight and translate it into an
adjustment before the next team comes along.
“They shot the ball extremely well from the three-point line,” James
said. “I thought we got their attention with some tough shots, but Tyronn
has hurt us in the past and he hurt us tonight. It will be interesting to
go back and watch the tape. I think we probably relaxed a little bit and
they turned it up a notch. I’ve said many times you’ve got to play for
48 minutes. We didn’t and they got back in the game and that gave them
the confidence and opportunity to win down the stretch.”10
After he issued his analysis, James sat at his locker for a bit, naked
from the waist up, his powerful upper body muscles rippling, wearing just
a towel. In high school at St. Vincent-St. Mary, a single loss seemed like
106 LeBron Jam es
a disaster and was almost enough to bring the Fighting Irish to tears. In
the pros, the losses accumulated during the regular-season get filed away
quickly. The Cavaliers’ next game chance was only two days away.
If the fans were left sighing instead of applauding, the trip downtown
was worthwhile for them anyway. The heavily advertised promotion of
the game was the season’s LeBron James Bobble-Head night. Thousands
of fans retreated into the night clutching their precious gift, even if they
couldn’t smile about a victory.
Can Nice Guys Finish First?
Roy Campanella, the Hall of Fame catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers,
once said that to be a Major League Baseball star you had to have some
little boy in you. LeBron James personified that in basketball. He was at
the top of the world in basketball, but at 21 he still was frisky and playful
and enjoyed mingling with kids and young people. That was one reason
why he expanded his appearances to light-hearted television programs
like “The Daily Show” and “The Late Show with David Letterman.”
“You’ve got to have fun with it,” James said of his basketball fame. “You
don’t ever want to get to the point where it’s like just business. I don’t go
into those things to raise my profile, or raise my status. I just go on there
because I like to do those things and it’s kind of fun for me. They were
both fun.”11
James schedules many activities that bring him into contact with
youngsters in his home town of Akron, and said he hopes his achievements
bring more attention to the quality of the city’s hoops. He supervised
a basketball camp and said maybe some of the campers would grow
up to be college players or pros. “It’s hopefully very important to the kids
to have the opportunity to play basketball,” he said. “Hopefully we can
inspire some good kids to get out there who want to play.”12
It has been established in the public mind that James is a young man
who likes to enjoy himself in rather tame ways—not getting into afterhours
troubles—and his smile is as much of a trademark as his jump shot.
Except when he is playing serious basketball, on the court for the Cavaliers,
it is hard to find photographs of him where he is not smiling. A magazine
story at the start of James’s fourth year of play was headlined, “Don’t
Let The Smile Fool You.” In the article, Cavaliers assistant general manager
Lance Blanks described James as “the consummate extrovert. LeBron
doesn’t have a self-conscious bone in his body. Throw on Jim Jones’s ‘We
Fly High’ and see him start grooving.’ ” The story’s writer called James
“the anti-loner.” James admitted it and said that’s one reason he spends so
Ea rly Season Chall enges 107
much time with his old buds from Akron and St. Vincent-St. Mary. “I’m
an outgoing person,” James said. “I like to share the comedy and what I do
every day. I’d go crazy if I was by myself.”13
Sometimes famous athletes who surround themselves with an entourage
are ridiculed for traveling with a posse. Sometimes, as they say, in
a world that treats them as an idol, rushes them for autographs, and surrounds
them when they step outside, it is a way of “keeping it real.” James
naturally wants to share his good fortune with his old friends, according to
Romeo Travis, one of those former St. Vincent-St. Mary teammates who
played at the University of Akron. “He wants to be the main course, but
he wants everybody on the plate with him,” Travis said.14
Part of the context for the magazine article was whether or not James
could remain a nice guy and become one of the NBA’s greatest players. He
did not, it was established by observers and James himself, have the same
intense killer instinct as Michael Jordan or the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant. But
what James was proving in his fourth season as the Cavaliers played like
more of a veteran team was that his superstar abilities could carry his team
to victories without displaying such a hardcore attitude.
Breaking Other Teams
Shortly after the Cavaliers’ disappointing loss to the Atlanta Hawks,
they faced the Chicago Bulls at Quicken Loans Arena. In some ways this
was an important game because the team wanted to put the bad taste of the
Hawks loss in the rearview mirror and because the Bulls are in the same division.
Head-to-head play could become a tiebreaker in the final standings
or make a difference in home-court advantage during the playoffs.
Except for Wilt Chamberlain in the distant past and Shaquille O’Neal
in the current NBA, superstars are counted on to make their free throws,
especially at crunch time in close games. James fretted over his 5-of-11
day versus Atlanta before the Bulls game. “It’s just going up there and
making them,” he said of the natural way of shooting that blanks out
thinking. “You know when you’re making them. It feels good. When you
miss, it doesn’t feel too good, so you just have to get back on focusing on
free throws. I think with free throws it can become mental at times. Any
guy knows you can go through one of those cold streaks at the line and it
can become mental. Every time you go up there, and you’re by yourself,
people think it’s a freebie, but it’s probably one of the most difficult shots
in the game.”15
James was hinting that he hadn’t really gotten over his sub-par freethrow
shooting against Atlanta. The Bulls were not counting on it
108 LeBron Jam es
happening again, though. Their pre-game workouts and chalk talk concentrated
on the best ways to contain James. They knew they had to beat
James if they were going to beat the Cavaliers. But veteran players also
know that James’s ascension to one of the league’s top players is good for
all of them in terms of hype, attention, and fan enthusiasm.
“There’s no doubt,” said forward P. J. Brown, who has played with the
Bulls, New Jersey Nets, Miami Heat, and the Charlotte Hornets. “He’s a
guy who draws like a magnet. He draws your attention, no matter what,
whether you’re an avid basketball fan, or somebody who just happens to
see him. You hear his name and he’s one of those types of guys where
you’ve got to stop and see what he’s doing because you never know what
he’s going to do on a night-to-night basis.
“Sometimes they crown guys too fast, too early. We bestow the honor
on them before they even earn it, you know, ‘the next Jordan, (Larry)
Bird, Magic (Johnson).’ They received all of the recognition, the glory,
but it was a process. They earned it. I just think it’s unfair to guys who’ve
been in the league for a long time, who put a lot of time in. LeBron, I
think he’s exceeded expectations. There’s no doubt about it. He’s a great
player. He’s shown it, but he still has to take his team to the ultimate
level.”16
Before the Bulls showdown, Chicago coach Scott Skiles contemplated
ways to slow down James and take him out of position to dominate, so
the Bulls could have a happy ending. Skiles made it sound as if there
was almost no way for the Bulls to prevent James from going off with a
good game no matter what type of defense they threw at him or which
forwards. “Well, we have more bodies (than the year before),” Skiles said,
“but just because you’re throwing a body out there doesn’t mean anything
other than it’s a body, you know. I mean he can pretty much get what he
wants to with the ball. For instance, one of those guys tonight will be in
their fifth NBA game guarding one of the best in the world. Ultimately,
it’s a tall order in their first game against him.”
Luol Deng, the Bulls’ second-year forward, had already seen his share
of James on the court the year before as a rookie, and he had nothing but
praise for the slippery-to-cover star. “His game is so complete,” Deng said.
“He’ll post up, or bring it off the dribble. We have to challenge every shot
he takes and make him uncomfortable.”17 The thought was accurate, but
it failed to consider that James is nowhere more comfortable in the world
than when he has the ball in his hands on the basketball court.
Atlanta Coach Mike Woodson had suggested that James was going to
be one of the best players of all time, but Skiles jokingly asked if Woodson
said it before the game or after defeating the Cavs. It was after. “He was
Ea rly Season Chall enges 109
in a good mood,” Skiles said. “I think he’s (James) obviously a great, great
player in today’s game. It’s hard to compare guys from before. And you
know, I think before we start saying that about people they should have a
title under their belt. They should have things under their belt that just
makes that a logical conclusion.”18
A Statement Game
The Cavaliers and James looked like championship material less than
an hour later when they burst to a 30–18 lead over the Bulls. Only rarely
during the course of the game did Chicago make a run that made it seem
possible the Bulls would catch up. It was a Cleveland night all the way.
The Cavs won 98–79 and James contributed 19 points and 12 assists. Free
throws were not an issue. The flaw seemed cured when James made seven
of eight tries.
It was clear that the Bulls had no answer for James. But neither did
any other team in the league. “I think he’s one of the fastest guys and he’s
maybe 260 pounds, in that neighborhood,” Skiles said, “and the way he
can run up and down the floor . . . and his jumping is underrated. He can
fly from end-to-end.”19
For one of the rare times during the season, the Cavaliers’ top scorer
was not James, but forward Drew Gooden, who scored 20 points. Gooden’s
mixed bag of mid-range jumpers and inside power moves killed the Bulls.
Gooden said the Cavaliers learned quickly from their lackadaisical loss
to the Hawks, pinning that defeat on overconfidence left over from the
previous season’s playoff run. “We thought we could approach games like
we were already frontrunners in the NBA, and we can’t do that,” Gooden
said.20
The Cavs hit 57 percent of their shots from the field, something that
bothered the defensively minded Bulls considerably. “They pretty much
had their way with us,” lamented Skiles.21
The Cavaliers sent 19,947 fans home happy and captured their fifth
straight decision from the Bulls. It was a message to Chicago that it
might be better off spending the winter hoping for a less difficult playoff
match-up.
Notes
1. Associated Press, November 4, 2006.
2. LeBron James, press conference, Quicken Loans Arena, November 7, 2006.
3. James, press conference.
110 LeBron Jam es
4. James, press conference.
5. Eric Snow, press conference, Quicken Loans Arena, November 7, 2006.
6. Mary Schmitt Boyer, Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 6, 2007.
7. Branson Wright, Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 8, 2006.
8. Shannon Brown, press conference, Quicken Loans Arena, November 7,
2006.
9. Mike Brown, press conference, Quicken Loans Arena, November 7,
2006.
10. James, press conference, November 7, 2006.
11. LeBron James, press conference, Quicken Loans Arena, November 9,
2006.
12. James, press conference, November 9, 2006.
13. Chris Broussard, ESPN The Magazine, “Don’t Let The Smile Fool You,”
November 6, 2006.
14. Broussard, ESPN The Magazine.
15. James, press conference, November 9, 2006.
16. P. J. Brown, press conference, Quicken Loans Arena, November 9, 2006.
17. K. C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune, November 9, 2006.
18. Scott Skiles, press conference, Quicken Loans Arena, November 9, 2006.
19. Skiles, press conference, November 9, 2006.
20. Branson Wright, Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 10, 2006.
21. John Jackson, Chicago Sun-Times, November 10, 2006.
111
Chapter 10
On a Christmas Ro ll
The early-season concerns were obliterated quickly. LeBron James and
the Cavaliers played with more confidence than ever at the start of the
2006–07 NBA season. There was a carryover—a healthy one—from the
preceding playoff season.
Even when the Cavaliers stumbled out of the starting gate, that no
longer meant they were doomed in a game. In mid-November, the Boston
Celtics built a 19-point lead over Cleveland, only to see the Cavs storm
back for a 94–93 triumph. James scored 38 points, 25 of them in the second
half when the Cavaliers rallied. There was no give up in the Cavaliers,
where not too many years ago trailing 25–6 might have meant the result
could be mailed in. Those were the old Cavs, not the new Cavs. “We could
have easily packed it in, but that’s not who I am,” James said. “Any time
I’m on the court, it doesn’t matter how many points we’re down, we always
have a chance to win.”1
Guard Larry Hughes had suffered a fresh injury and was forced to sit
out in early December, and on the night he returned to the lineup, key
forward Drew Gooden went down. But neither getting used to the return
of Hughes, nor the loss of Gooden slowed the Cavaliers. They crushed
the Indiana Pacers, 107–75. The 32-point blowout was symbolic of how
far the team had come since its disappointing loss to the Atlanta Hawks
in November. The Cavaliers were beginning to flex muscles they didn’t
even know they had and were making sure they beat the teams they were
supposed to beat. Their record of 12–7 was good, not spectacular, but
things were jelling. James totaled a game-high 27 points, but he scored
112 LeBron James
24 points in the first half to propel Cleveland to its insurmountable lead
before resting much of the second half. “We did a good job of jumping
on a team and not letting up,” said a satisfied James.2 A glance at the stat
sheet confirmed James’s comment. Cleveland shot 68.4 percent from the
floor in the first half, a phenomenal rate, and led by 15 points at the end
of the first 12 minutes.
Although the Cavaliers’ sizzling shooting cooled off in the second half
as more backups got playing time, one of the signals of how Cleveland
could dominate was with ball movement. Defenses always tended to focus
on James. Sometimes he took it right to them and scored, as he did in the
first half. Other times he was pleased to pass off to open teammates. He
had displayed the same discipline and keen judgment since he was in high
school playing with Dru Joyce, Romeo Travis, and the rest of the Fighting
Irish. James contributed six assists, but when a leader involves all of the
other players and is willing to pass first, instead of shoot, it can be contagious.
When a whole team takes that approach it can prove devastating.
“We’ve always been able to share the ball,” James said. “We made extra
passes and guys were able to finish. We wanted to try to execute as much
as possible, and we were able to do that.”3
It didn’t take long for the NBA to digest its star players’ disdain for
the new synthetic ball. The Players Association actually filed an unfair
labor practices charge. James, who was as vociferous as anyone in protesting
about the implementation of the new ball when the season began in
early November, like other players was glad for the reprieve when Commissioner
David Stern backtracked with an announcement December 11
that the ball was being shelved for further study.
“That’s how we make our living,” Chicago Bulls forward P. J. Brown said
of coping with the hard-to-handle ball. “The game revolves around that
ball. I think people took it too lightly and took it upon themselves to change
it. I think you definitely have to get input from the main guys (around the
league)—(Steve) Nash, (a two-time MVP), (Jason) Kidd (New Jersey’s star
ball handler), LeBron, Shaq (four-time champion Shaquille O’Neal).”4
James was content that the switch was made. “I’m a very big supporter
of the leather ball, so I’m very happy about the change,” he said.5
Basketball Is a Small World after All
In the early days of the NBA, rivalries were fierce between teams and
players. During the 1950s, when there were only eight teams, it seemed
to players and fans that they played one another every other day. In an
On a Christmas Roll 113
era when games were called more loosely, more elbows were thrown and
contact was rougher. It was rare to be pals with regulars on the other team.
The evolution of basketball in the United States brought about different
attitudes, probably by the 1980s, definitely by the 1990s, and quite
markedly by the 2000s. Players on different teams in the NBA did not
often play against one another if they were divided between the Eastern
Conference and the Western Conference. Ordinarily, that would indicate
they hardly knew one another. With the proliferation of summer traveling
teams such as the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) crew LeBron
James played with, however, summer all-star games dotted around the
country, and with college teams playing more national schedules, a player
who grew up in West Virginia might now become close to a player who
grew up in Oregon.
The Cavaliers and the Chicago Bulls are divisional rivals. Success by one
of those teams might come at the expense of the other. Yet LeBron James,
African American star forward for Cleveland, and Kirk Hinrich, white
star guard for Chicago by way of Kansas University, developed a friendship.
They found common ground sharing time together on the 2006 U.S.
World Championship team. The topic arose each time the NBA teams met
in November and December.
“I think we’ve become good friends,” James said of the hard-nosed,
scrappy player. “Especially, you know, being together for 35 or 36 days. He
is a good friend of mine. I respect the way he handles himself, the way he
respects the game of basketball and the way he approaches it.”6
The Cavaliers manhandled the Bulls that night in Cleveland. The
next time the teams met was in Chicago, at the United Center, on December
30, James’s birthday. Once again it was asked, What do you get the
millionaire who has everything? James said he did not have a long list of
needs or wants. “Just a win,” he said, which is what most people who knew
him expected he would say. Then James returned to the subject of playing
against his new close friend Hinrich. “I love Kirk’s game. I love him as a
person. You know when you see him on the court or off the court that he
loves the game of basketball. He doesn’t take any possessions off. I think
they’ve got one great player in Chicago.”7
Hinrich said that he and James hit it off particularly well when Team
USA was in China for the world championships. Being a small group of
Americans in Asia at a time when security is heavy for those wearing red,
white, and blue and representing the United States meant that it was difficult
to wander around and blend. Usually, he said, the players stuck together.
Hinrich said he hardly knew James before the team went overseas.
114 LeBron James
“Just a little bit, from being in the same practices,” Hinrich said. “But you
know, it was a long summer where the whole team was together. I got to
know him and like him.”
James has been known to let loose by dancing, but Hinrich, who keeps
his sashaying to a minimum, burst out laughing when it was suggested they
might have boogied together. “No,” he said. “But we were in a different
country so all of the guys kind of hung out together. He’s a good guy. We
became friends. What makes him an elite player is his size and knowledge
of the game. He’s 6-foot-8 and he passes so well. The tough thing about
him is his athleticism and he’s hard to match up with. You’ve either got a
guy on him that’s smaller or a guy that’s too big. He’s probably one of the
fastest guys in the league. When he gets going, with a head of steam, he’s
hard to stop. I think when you first see it, you’re like, ‘Wow!’ because he
just flies up and down the court. Seriously, he’s one of the fastest guys in
the league.”8
With the year poised to turn to 2007, the divisional match-up between
Cleveland and Chicago once again loomed as (in the vernacular)
“a statement game,” but also as one that had a tangible effect on the
standings. The Cavaliers thumped Chicago in Cleveland in November
and the Bulls were spoiling for another fight. They had righted themselves
and at the time of the game, the Bulls boasted an 18–12 record
to Cleveland’s 17–11. A Cavaliers victory would move them ahead of
Chicago.
Even with a meaningful regular-season game on tap, the mood was
light in the hours leading up to tip-off. There was the pleasant James and
Hinrich mutual admiration society discussion and some light-hearted talk
about James’s birthday. James denied having any special plans away from
the court in Chicago and emphasized his single-minded stance about a
present. “Trying to get a win for my birthday,” James reiterated. “That
would be the best thing that would happen for me.” To obtain that victory,
though, James realized the Cavaliers would have to outsmart the
Bulls again and that it might not be as easy to do so as it was in Cleveland
about seven weeks earlier. “I’ve seen every defense an NBA team can put
on me,” he said, “and on our team. So you know we have to adjust to
whatever defensive strategy goes on in the course of the game.”
Proving Points
James was aware that there were still some Cavaliers skeptics who
didn’t believe that the previous season’s playoff run meant much and that
On a Christmas Roll 115
even the six games above .500 record was less worthy than it read, because
many wins were over weak teams. He was unfazed. “We don’t judge ourselves
by what everybody else is saying,” James said. “We’re second in our
division and I think second or third in the whole Eastern Conference.
We’re playing really good basketball right now.”9
Cavs Coach Mike Brown said he had no secret birthday presents prepared
to hand over to his star in the locker room. No Teddy bears or such
surprises and when he was informed James said all he wanted was a win,
Brown said, “Me, too.”10
When the game began, the Bulls were carrying the burden of five
straight losses to the Cavaliers. This time they were at home, though,
and did everything right to excite the 22,965 spectators in the United
Center. Forward Luol Deng bombed away for 32 points and sharpshooting
guard Ben Gordon flipped in 21 points. James countered with
33 points, but the overdue Bulls had the upper hand, winning 103–96.
A stunning stretch at the end of the third quarter, overlapping into the
fourth quarter, decided the game. The Bulls went on a 24–0 run. The
Cavs missed 14 straight shots from the field and did not score a point
for 9 minutes and 50 seconds. James did not get the birthday present
he coveted.
“They went on that big run and that killed us,” James said. “They
moved the ball and picked it up defensively.”11
Deng put up the biggest numbers for the Bulls, but as he had proven
during his short time in the league, Gordon was instant offense off the
bench. Coach Scott Skiles used the former University of Connecticut
All-American to give his team a boost when the starters tired. Many
times Gordon had erupted with his near-unstoppable jump shot to slay
foes. During a pre-game scouting report of sorts, James had issued a warning
that the Cavaliers must watch out for Gordon. “He’s coming off the
bench, but he gets a lot of intensity going,” James said. “He has the green
light. He is a very great scorer and he can be a starter on all 30 teams in
this league, of course.”12 Prescient, James was right about the Bulls’ secret
weapon’s performance that night.
The loudest noise in the Cavaliers’ locker room after the loss was the
hissing sound of showers. There was no fooling around after a defeat, no
blasting music being played. But professional athletes do not let a hardfought,
regular-season defeat bring them too far down emotionally, either.
James did not get what he wished for on the day he turned 22 years old,
but he wasn’t going to complain too loudly, either. “Chicago’s a great,
great team at home. As well as we are,” James said. “We are 1-1 in the
series. I’m not letting it spoil my birthday.”13
116 LeBron James
It was a reminder that the NBA season is very long and that many
games remained before the regular season ended in April.
Fi tness Ki ng
On the first Sunday of the new year in January 2007, Americans awoke
to the sight of King James telling them to do pushups and sit-ups and to
run around the block so they could be healthier and improve their fitness.
Be like LeBron. James and his broad smile were pictured on the front
cover of Parade magazine, the Sunday supplement that appears in millions
of copies of newspapers each week. The command on the front cover was:
“Get Fit Now!” Clearly, the timing was linked to Americans’ mania for
New Year’s resolutions to lose weight.
Inside the magazine, the article was illustrated with a picture of James
competing in a joke-like tug-of-war with Olympic volleyball gold medalists
Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor. The athletes were used primarily
as attention-getters and advice from a panel of doctors was the main
thrust of the story; however, James got his say. “A good workout can be
relaxing—and we all need to break a sweat every now and then,” he said.14
The use of James’s visage on the cover of Parade was another way to break
through to a mainstream American audience from someone perceived as
“just” a star basketball player.
LeBron James the marketing genius was off to a fast start in 2007,
but so was LeBron James the Cleveland Cavaliers’ basketball player. On
January 3, the Cavs bested the Boston Celtics, 107–104. Earlier in the season,
it took a rally from 19 points down for Cleveland to surpass Boston.
This time it was a war all the way. The man who delivered the gamedeciding
shots was “Mr. Clutch,” James. Near game’s end in Boston’s TD
Banknorth Garden, James tossed in a devastating jump shot off the backboard
from near the visitor’s bench and then he iced the contest by hitting
two free throws.
“A lot of people say I can’t shoot free throws, but at the end of the day I
want the ball,” James said of his critics. “If I make them, it’s good. If I miss
them I got to take responsibility. But at the end of the ballgame, when we
need to make two free throws, I want the ball.”15
Being viewed as an everyday star in the NBA is one way to obtain status.
Being viewed as a go-to player whose team can count on a player in
crunch time is another thing altogether. Until a player converts a number
of opportunities to come through, he cannot obtain the second layer
of status. James was on his way. Even earlier in the game, he displayed
some run-out-the-clock-defying moments. James sank a bucket with just
On a Christmas Roll 117
.2 seconds left on the clock before halftime. He made a buzzer beater at
the end of the third quarter, and he scored the last points of the game
with 7.6 seconds remaining.
The most spectacular play occurred at the end of the third quarter.
Early in his Cleveland career, James filmed a Powerade commercial where
he repeatedly hit jump shots that floated most of the length of the court.
In this real-life game situation, he got the ball just beyond the end line
94 feet from the hoop and heaved an 83-foot shot that bounced off the
backboard and through the basket. “After I launched it,” James said, “I
heard the game clock go off, so I knew it was good. The way I shot it,
I knew I had a chance. I practice that. Every day after practice me and
Drew (teammate Drew Gooden) shoot trick shots like that and (it) was
one of those days that I got one off and it went in.”16
Such rare long-range shots—worth three points—create considerable
buzz in an arena, but don’t count for more than a regular 22-foot-plus
shot. James noted that making his two free throws were bigger plays at
the time, if not as flashy, because, with time running out, the Celtics were
forced to attempt a three-point shot merely to tie. “The two free throws
were big,” he said. “They made the Celtics come down and shoot a contested
jump shot or a contested three. So the free throws were bigger than
the long three.”17
James finished the game with 32 points, but also the biggest points
scored at the most pressurized times. By his fourth season, it was a given
that James was the take-charge player on the Cavaliers’ roster. He expected
to have choices with the ball in key situations, not to have to beg
for the ball. The team, with the backing of Coach Mike Brown, recognized
it, too. “He’s our man and I have faith in him,” Brown said after
James’ Boston performance. “I want the ball in his hands any given night
and I have faith we will win more than we will lose with him.”18
America Fi nds Out about LeBron
The selling of the LeBron James name and imprinting it in the public
marketplace continued at full speed. Coca-Cola, one of James’s early
sponsors, embarked on a new campaign to bond James with Sprite. The
company announced a contest seeking a theme song linking the basketball
player and the soft drink. Fans were able to submit entries and
then vote on their favorite tunes through a Web site. The Supreme
Court justice in the competition—chief judge—was James, who called
it “an honor” to be the subject of a theme song created specifically for
him.19
118 LeBron James
An intriguing and rather rare moment arrived on the court for
James in an early January game against the Milwaukee Bucks—James
failed to score in double figures, yet his team won anyway. It was an
unpremeditated answer to basketball skeptics who still considered the
Cavaliers a one-man team that would go nowhere without James being
at the top of his game. The 95–86 victory was proof that Cleveland could
win on a LeBron off-day. James attempted only 13 shots, made just three,
and scored just eight points, although he added nine assists. Drew Gooden
scored 31 points with 16 rebounds to make up for James’s lack of production.
“I mean, 13 shots for me, and a win,” James said. “Eight points, but
we got a win. Any time my teammates pick it up for me like that it’s great
to see.” Mike Brown said he was pleased that James persevered on a night
when his shot was off and he concentrated on defense and passing to
help the team. “I’m proud of LeBron James because they jumped him the
whole night and he struggled a bit offensively,” Brown said.20
James had established himself as an NBA phenomenon the season before
when he earned the Most Valuable Player award in the all-star game.
It was clear then that James was likely to become a many-time all-star in
the years to come. What he didn’t expect at the end of January was the
final vote totals for the 2006–07 team for the February game in Las Vegas.
James received more than 2.5 million votes to lead all players. The vote
made him a three-time selection, but James seemed genuinely shocked that
he led vote-getters at all positions. “That’s something I’ve never dreamed
of,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to be an all-star, but being the leading
vote-getter over guys like Vince Carter, Shaquille O’Neal, Dwayne Wade,
and Allen Iverson, you never think that’s going to happen. Just getting the
opportunity to be the leading vote-getter is kind of unbelievable.”21
The Cavaliers showed they could win on a LeBron bad day, but at the
end of January they also got to show they could win a game without LeBron
altogether. James was sidelined by a sprained right toe injured in a game
against Denver on January 19 that had passed MR I inspection, but that was
rested for a January 26 contest against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Cavs
won anyway, 105–97, in Philadelphia. “If it was a playoff game he could
play,” Mike Brown said. “The doctor suggested it would be good to give
him the additional rest. It’s just sore.”22 The Cavaliers wanted James’s toe
where no one could step on it while jumping up and down in rebounding
action and the bench seemed as safe a place as any.
James’s passion for playing superseded his toe trouble and he returned
to the Cleveland lineup one game later, only to lose 115–100 to the
Phoenix Suns. Whether James re-sprained the toe or just jammed it, he
said he was going to miss more playing time and would take it easy to
On a Christmas Roll 119
avoid long-term injury. “It’s definitely going to take time for me,” James
said. “I really have to get off of it. It’s definitely a problem. I can’t keep
forcing action.”23
James was healthy before the All-Star game rolled around in mid-
February. It was a time when many basketball reporters took stock of
James and his impact on the league and a time when James’s playful side
was on display. Cleveland sports columnist Bill Livingston analyzed the
various sides of James’s personality in relation to the four-LeBron Nike
commercial, noting that just when fans think they know James he shows
them something new.
Livingston not only talked to people who know James well, he asked
James about the four LeBrons in the commercial and speculated that
James may still be running behind Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton
Manning as the all-sport “mega-endorser leader.” Not that James would
admit it. “But asked whose commercials are better,” Livingston wrote,
“James playfully said: ‘Mine, of course. I play four roles and he only plays
one. He’s only working three hours. I was working 12.’ ”24
Still a Star
The NBA All-Star break is not only about a mid-season rest for teams
playing a long schedule stretching from November to April before the
playoffs. It is showtime and a time to show off for the sport’s biggest
names. Players display their three-point shooting skills and their flashiest
slam dunk skills, mingle with the fans, and make friends for the league.
James is a natural in that environment. When he got news that he was
the top vote-getter, James said, “It’s always special to be a part of All-Star
weekend. I think the No. 1 reason is because the fans vote you in. It’s the
one opportunity in the NBA season where the fans can bring all the best
players to one venue. It makes it a little bit more special that it’s in Las
Vegas. It’s a city that a lot of people love. It’s about the stars in Vegas and
then you’re bringing all the NBA stars there.”25
No big deal was made of it at the time, but there was an irony in
James participating in an NBA neutral-court All-Star game in Las Vegas.
Those with long memories recalled that when he was drafted he predicted
his basketball skills would light up Cleveland like Las Vegas. In
this instance—with that mission accomplished—James was exporting his
Cleveland basketball skills to help light up Vegas.
James did not win a second consecutive All-Star game MVP award.
That honor went to the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant with his 31 points in the
Western Conference’s 153–132 triumph over the East. But James was the
120 LeBron James
top gun in the Eastern Conference with 28 points, 6 rebounds, and 6
assists.
Even though it was an exhibition game, James was disappointed
by the loss. He lamented the West’s fast start and consistency that stalled
any East comebacks.
The All-Star game is a diversion. The second half of the regular season
is when teams in contention for the playoffs jockey for position. They
fight it out to win division titles and to claim home-court advantage. The
Cavaliers were still on a high from their playoff showing of 2006. Simply
making the playoffs and winning one series was not good enough in the
players’ minds this time. They wanted more. They wanted a bigger reward.
Few experts expected it, but the Cavaliers believed in themselves
and felt they could make a run at not only the Eastern Conference title,
but the NBA title.
Notes
1. Tom Withers, Associated Press, November 12, 2006.
2. Branson Wright, Cleveland Plain Dealer, December 10, 2006.
3. Channel 3000.com Sports Network, December 9, 2006.
4. K. C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune, December 12, 2006.
5. K. C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune, December 31, 2006.
6. LeBron James, press conference, Quicken Loans Arena, November 9, 2006.
7. LeBron James, press conference, United Center, December 30, 2006.
8. Kirk Hinrich, press conference, United Center, December 30, 2006.
9. James, press conference, December 30, 2006.
10. Mike Brown, press conference, December 30, 2006.
11. James, press conference, December 30, 2006.
12. James, press conference, December 30, 2006.
13. James, press conference, December 30, 2006.
14. Michael O’Shea, Parade Magazine, “The Easiest Way to Shape Up For
Life,” January 7, 2007.
15. Frank Dell’Appa, Boston Globe, January 4, 2007.
16. Dell’Appa, January 4, 2007.
17. Dell’Appa, January 4, 2007.
18. Dell’Appa, January 4, 2007.
19. NBA.com, January 5, 2007.
20. Associated Press, January 6, 2007.
21. Mary Schmitt Boyer, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 25, 2007.
22. Associated Press, January 26, 2007.
23. Branson Wright, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 29, 2007.
24. Bill Livingston, Cleveland Plain Dealer, February 18, 2007.
25. Schmitt Boyer, January 25, 2007.
121
Chapter 11
Stepping Up Time
Sometimes a 48-minute NBA game can seem like a lifetime. When the
lead see-saws and the score remains close, a few seconds of playing time
can be magnified and provide the illusion of lasting minutes. One team
can appear to dominate, but a few shot misses, a few bad bounces, and
what seems to be a decided game remains tight entering the last stretch.
Not long after the All-Star game, LeBron James and the Cavaliers
played one of those games against the New Orleans Hornets. The Cavs
held a 12-point lead and were comfortable with the margin. But then
things went sour offensively and the Hornets crept back into contention.
It remained for James, who was putting in his sixth straight tremendous
performance following the All-Star break, to take back the game. James
scored 35 points and Cleveland prevailed, 97–89. James, who usually tries
to slash to the hoop late in games for lay-ups, seeking to get fouled, instead
fooled the Hornets’ defense by throwing up long-range, three-point
attempts. He sank two of them in the game’s last 49 seconds and Coach
Mike Brown likened the finish to a baseball player taking a big swing and
hitting a home run.
The result and the way the game unfolded were other reminders that
not all regular-season games are created equally. They may count the
same in the standings, but either because of opponent, timing, conference
rivalry, or simply because of how a game is played, some seem to be
worth more mentally. The victory over the Hornets fit that bill. Losing
after being ahead by 12 points would have been unacceptable and the
win moved Cleveland to a record of 33–24, nine games over the .500
mark. Not too many years before the only way the Cavs would see .500
122 LeBron Jam es
was through a telescope as if it were a mystery planet in a distant solar
system. James, who had been scoring less than the season before, posted
a 30.5 points average in the six games immediately after the Vegas break.
“I’ve been playing great basketball since the All-Star break individually,”
he said. “I feel the best I’ve felt all year. I’m going to try to lead this team
the right way.”1
James’s inspired play came at the right time. Mid-season evaluations
from some reporters questioned whether he had improved as a player and
raised the question of whether he might have hit a wall. The more astute
players around the league did not jump to those conclusions. They looked
closely at who was playing with James and realized the supporting cast was
stronger. That meant James did not have to score as many points every
night. “What I see him doing is just taking that next step as a leader for
his team,” said Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry before the clubs met.
“He’s trying to get all those guys involved and he’s not trying to dominate
the ball as much as he has in past years.”2
Dallas was the hottest regular-season team in the NBA during the
2006–07 season, overwhelming many clubs with its balanced offense,
its potent scoring ability, and the high-caliber play of star forward Dirk
Nowitzki. Dallas brought a 13-game winning streak into its March 1 game
against Cleveland, and had gone 48–5 after a surprising 0–4 start. The
Mavericks were the talk of the league, putting on a team performance
that was the envy of all others. “They’re definitely playing out of this
world,” James said. “They’ve won 20 straight games at home, and they’re
like 45–4 or some crazy number since the start.” James said the way things
were going Nowitzki should be the league’s MVP.3
It was a measuring stick game. If the Cavaliers could beat Dallas when
Dallas was the hottest team around, it would say something. Cleveland,
however, was playing without guard Larry Hughes and forward Damon
Jones, who were out with injuries. Playing short-handed was a handicap,
but Cleveland was heartened by a 95–92 loss on the Mavs’ home court.
James was in the mix during the last-minute struggles. The Cavs chased
the Mavericks to the finish line. James was knocked to the floor on a foul
with 10 seconds left and hurt his back. He missed both free throws and a
long-range jumper. It is impossible to be the hero every night. “I tweaked
my back a little when I went into the fans,” James said. “I wasn’t able to
get as much lift as I wanted to from the free-throw line. I rushed them.”4
Neither James nor his teammates seemed distraught about this loss,
however. They had gone to the wire against the league’s best team with
a road court disadvantage and with two of their regular players sidelined.
If they could play that well every night against all other opponents they
Steppin g Up Tim e 123
might achieve some heady goals before the end of the season. “The effort
was awesome,” James said. “This is the type of energy and effort we need
from everybody. We were short-handed, but everybody played well and
tried to get it done.”5
Lose and Learn
Young professional sports franchises have to learn how to win under
pressure and they must learn how to lose with grace. They must also adapt
the lessons of losing to the future as they mature to move up in the standings.
The wisdom acquired over a few seasons and sharing time with teammates
can pay major dividends if a team is smart and talented enough to
adjust and apply the experiences of the tough times. That was one reason
why the Dallas defeat was a valuable loss. A few days later the Cavaliers
crushed the Toronto Raptors, 120–97, treating the dinosaurs like they
were unpolished college players. James scored 36 points, but the statistic
that spoke loudly about the Cavaliers was their compilation of 25 assists.
That meant ball movement was superior and that players were trying to
feed teammates who were open rather than force their own shots.
Late in the game the Cavaliers ripped off a 23–7 run. James capped it
with two free throws. The misses in Dallas were fresh on his mind and he
hit 15 of his 17 freebies against Toronto. “We wanted to make a stamp of
approval that we’re playing great basketball—and that’s what it’s about,”
James said. “We’re going into the playoffs strong and it’s starting now.”6
From his first moment with the Cavaliers, James had exhibited the
power of positive of thinking in all of his statements about the team, even
before they were warranted. He may not have been a college graduate,
but James seemed to be an honors graduate of Norman Vincent Peale’s
course work. Not everyone who listened to James talk at the beginning
of the season about how good the Cavaliers were going went along with
the program, however. And not every basketball observer was completely
sold on James’s brilliance. An anonymous scout was quoted through Sports
Illustrated at around this point of the season saying, “I can’t see it happening
for Cleveland. LeBron James can turn it on for a couple of games, but
I don’t see him carrying that team through series after series.” This was
the opposite of what James preached daily. He did picture himself carrying
the Cavaliers through playoff series after playoff series. He had unwavering
belief in his own basketball abilities, and he wanted his less-talented
teammates to turn to him when in need. He wanted them to count on
him when the game was on the line, and he wanted to prove to everyone
that he could lead the Cavaliers to a championship.
124 LeBron Jam es
In the weeks immediately after the All-Star break, James took his game
to a new level. If he had seemed less likely to dominate than he had the
year before during the first half of the season, those days were gone. He
was scoring 30 points almost every night. He was making the big plays on
the court every day. One basketball writer summed up James’s flourishing
game this way: “LeBron James has shifted into a higher gear—warp
speed.”7
James and the Cavaliers had just befuddled Houston and its All-Star
center Yao Ming. The best of James was on display in the 91–85 victory
when he scored 32 points, with 12 rebounds and 8 assists. And immediately
after that, the Cavs bested the Detroit Pistons—in Michigan—101–
97 in overtime, with James pumping in 41 points. James said the wins
showed that if the Cavs played to their top form they could beat anyone.
He might even have been making a believer out of the anonymous scout,
who showed no inclination to be outed.
James recognized that he was playing better than he had during the
first half of the season and he tried to explain what had changed. “I’m just
mentally trying to prepare myself and my team for the playoffs,” James
said. “I’m trying to execute and find creases and cracks in the defense and
trying to read them. Everything has been falling for me, my threes, my
mid-range jump shot, my drives, and my teammates are putting me in a
comfort level to help me succeed. I’ve been able to go out there and do
some things that I couldn’t do early on.”8 Superman was fallible, but it was
apparently a temporary condition.
Close games, blowouts, the Cavaliers were winning all types of games,
building a solid regular-season record that stood 13 games over .500 at
38–25 in mid-March, second only to Detroit in the 15-team Eastern Conference.
Talk was no longer about trying to secure a playoff spot, but trying
to secure home-court advantage in the playoffs. The Cavaliers put together
an eight-game winning streak in March. But if the Cavaliers were
the hottest team, James was not the hottest player in the league. Dazzling
Kobe Bryant went on a tear, becoming the second player in league history
after Wilt Chamberlain to score 50 or more points in four straight games.
Bryant’s play even boggled James. “I’ve always said that Kobe Bryant is
the best scorer in our game today, and he’s definitely proving himself,”
James said.9
Thinking Team
James was always a student of sports history (he is a fan of the New
York Yankees in baseball) and had watched film of NBA greats who had
Steppin g Up Tim e 125
preceded him, so it was natural that he had an opinion about Bryant’s
spree. But James followed the rest of the Eastern Conference teams more
closely. He became a scoreboard watcher much like the average fan, keeping
track of how Detroit and Chicago were playing. He hungrily sought
to add a division championship banner to the Quicken Loans Arena’s
rafters.
Somehow, during the heat of the race, James also managed to keep
an eye on his business portfolio. In rapid-fire succession, off-court action
swirled around James, even as he attempted to lead the Cavs to that
elusive title. Bunched into a few days at the end of March, it was announced
that James had bought a minority ownership in Cannondale,
a Connecticut-
based bicycle manufacturing company, that James would
co-host the ESPYS with comedian Jimmy Kimmel over the summer, and
that he was building a mansion in Akron. James already had a Cannondale
connection, using the company’s bicycles in his annual King for Kids
Bike-A-Thon charity event.
Only the day before, James had another get-together with billionaire
Warren
Buffet. Buffett, 76, turned up in Cleveland to watch the Cavaliers
and his new friend James play the Denver Nuggets, Buffet’s first NBA
game in 60 years, when he was a fan of the original Washington Capitols.
Buffett sat in team seats behind the Cavs’ bench. When asked what he
and James talked about, Buffett joked that James had asked him to provide
some basketball advice and he had asked James for some stock tips.
The ESPYS, organized by ESPN, the cable TV network, radio, and
sports magazine conglomerate, are the Academy Awards of sports. James
previously won ESPYS for his basketball talent, but the step into co-
hosting
the 15th annual awards in July represented new territory for him.
James had once shunned too much television attention but was easing
into becoming a more public figure with his Jon Stewart and David Letterman
schmoozing. The ESPYS provided a different forum that, predictably,
James said would offer a good time. “I’m really looking forward to it,”
James said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun and a chance to get out there and
crack some jokes along with Jimmy.” Kimmel immediately began to ham
it up about the twosome’s partnership. “He’s very, very tall,” Kimmel said.
“I’m not sure everyone knows that about him.”10
What really got fans talking, though, was the news that James was
building a new house in Bath Township, Ohio, about 20 miles south of
Cleveland that would make the Quicken Loans Arena look like a pup
tent. Set on 5.6 acres of land, the James “crib” as it jokingly was referred
to, is 35,440 square feet. Plans indicated it would contain a theater, a
bowling alley, casino, barbershop, sports bar, and an aquarium, providing
126 LeBron Jam es
a wide variety of recreational opportunities to chill out. King James was
constructing his palace, a castle definitely fit for a king.
For all of the extracurricular goings-on in James’s life as the end of
the NBA regular-season approached, he did not lose sight of the most
important business. When the Cavaliers faced the Indiana Pacers at the
start of a five-game road trip, James threw Coach Mike Brown out of the
locker room and conducted a players-only meeting. The Cavs disposed of
Indiana, 105–94, and clinched a playoff berth. That is what team leaders
do—lead on and off the court. “This is my team,” James said. “That’s my
responsibility to make sure everyone’s on course.”11
The Cavs were on the right course from game’s start and so was James,
who scored 26 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and passed off for 6 assists.
Little life developments like hosting the ESPYS and poring over construction
plans for a 35,000-foot-plus mansion were not permitted to be
distractions.
St retch Run and Playoff Fun
LeBron James loomed large on the cover of the April 2007 issue of
SLAM, the basketball magazine, taking a crossover step, dribbling the ball
high behind his shoulder with a fierce look on his face. The cover teaser
read, “Bron is the One.” The theme of the story was that the Cleveland
Cavaliers and the NBA were counting on 22-year-old LeBron James to
be all grown up—and he was showing that he had indeed grown up since
first being noticed as a 14-year-old. The point was that James was now a
man, not an on-a-learning curve teenager. “Lucky for Cleveland—and
the League, Bron is up to the Challenge” was the headline. The introduction
to the story was also illustrated by a photograph of James from
behind, naked from the waist up, with the tattoo “Chosen 1” stretching
from shoulder to shoulder.12
The article was aptly timed. James was leading the Cavaliers back to the
playoffs and the team was determined to make more explosive noise than
it had the year before. As long as Cleveland kept playing, James’s face was
going to be all over national television for the next month or two. Nike,
James’s main sponsor, had erected a large billboard in downtown Cleveland,
an inescapable, monstrous, building-tall message board for James
reading “We Are All Witnesses.” The idea had caught on that sports fans
were witnessing something special. When Warren Buffett attended a Cavs
game to watch James play, even he wore a “Witness” T-shirt.
“One of the secrets of the NBA is that for a team to be successful—
more specifically, for the supporting players on a team to be successful,”
Steppin g Up Tim e 127
the SLAM story said, “one of the members of the team has to be willing to
sit back and take the attention.” In his fourth season in the league, James
understood the concept and put himself out front to take the heat and
absorb the pressure. “Look, I’m the leader of the team,” James said. “When
you want to become a real leader, you can’t just lead by example. You have
to be able to voice your opinion, you have to be able to say things to your
teammates and they have to be able to say things back to you. So I can’t
be quiet. My rookie year I wasn’t the leader of the team. My second year
I was still trying to learn, and toward the end of last season I started to
become more of a leader.”13
Leader of Cavalier Nation
All of this discussion about James being a leader was shoved to the forefront
of press conferences and interviews because the NBA’s second season
was about to start. The 82-game regular-season sorts out the pretenders
and the contenders, leaving challengers and champions when playoffs
begin at the end of each April. One at a time, teams that achieved some
measure of satisfaction by reaching the playoffs are eliminated. The last
two teams standing, the survivors, one from the East and one from the
West, play deep into June while the rest of their friends and competitors
sit home watching on TV.
James admitted that if the Cavaliers did not make the playoffs (not
something to be feared late in the year), the season would be a disaster.
But while basketball writers and fans dismissed Cleveland’s chance to go
all the way, that’s not how James felt. “If I don’t believe we can win the
title, then it’s time for me to get out of this game,” he said.14
The biggest worry for James and the Cavs was keeping the star healthy.
At the very beginning of April, with about three weeks left in the regular
season, James battled a tendonitis-plagued knee and missed a game. But
after two more days of rest, James played and destroyed Minnesota with
31 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists in a 101–88 Cavs win. James said he
was only at about 80 percent of full efficiency. James said rehab work, rest,
and staying away from contact had paid off.
In a reminder game, the Cavaliers swept through Chicago and defeated
the Bulls once more, 112–108 in overtime. The focus continued on keeping
divisional opponents at bay. Neither team was going to catch the Detroit
Pistons, but either Cleveland or Chicago would end up with the
second seed in the East. The Bulls had a four-point lead in the last minute
of regulation time and couldn’t hold it. James made a three-point play on
a drive, a free throw with 42 seconds left, and he leaned in for a 9-foot
128 LeBron Jam es
jumper with 20.7 seconds left. James finished with 39 points. “We showed
our mental toughness and got the job done,” James said.15
When James broke in with the Cavs, then-Coach Paul Silas was impressed
enough with his ball handling to try the player out at point guard.
In a game against the New Jersey Nets in mid-April, James tried something
else fresh. Playing more like a center than a guard or forward, James
repeatedly showed off unstoppable post-up moves. James focused on dribbling
into the low post then turning and firing. The strategy worked in a
94–76 triumph and James scored 35 points. Although the approach was
something new for James, it just added to the aura that he can do anything
well on the basketball court. Cavaliers coach Mike Brown enjoyed watching
James’s change-of-pace moves and said it was a tremendous benefit
to the team. It made him wonder if James could make those moves every
game.
Normally, James enjoys driving to the basket for dunks and lay-ups,
or taking jump shots, but using post-up moves emphasized his physical
strength and inside quickness, another skill set. James said he went after
so many post-up situations because that’s what the defense allowed him.
“I took advantage of that,” he said. “I’m very comfortable in the post.”16
No one was going to challenge that assertion.
It took until the final day of the regular-season to sort out the Eastern
Conference playoff picture. The Cavaliers finished 50–32, the same record
as they posted the year before, and claimed the second seed in the conference
behind Detroit when the Bulls lost their final game. The Cavs earned
the No. 2 seed in the 15-team East and a first-round match-up with the
Washington Wizards, the No. 7 seed, in a best-of-seven playoff series.
The Cavaliers spent six months reaching this point. In James’s fourth
season, the playoffs would decide how far the team had progressed.
Playoff Time
The Bulls’ defeat was handy for Cleveland. Finishing No. 2 positioned the
Cavs well. Not only were the Bulls stuck with facing the Miami Heat, the
defending NBA champions, they were catching the Heat when previously
injured players were on the mend. Cleveland, meanwhile, caught Washington
at a time when the Wizards’ star guard Gilbert Arenas was sidelined with
a knee injury. Caron Butler, another starter, was coping with a broken hand.
The breaks of the game all favored Cleveland.
Until the opening game. James took a tumble while driving to the
hoop when he stepped on a defender’s foot and sprained his left ankle
with about eight minutes remaining in the third quarter. Cleveland fans
Steppin g Up Tim e 129
feared that the entire season, so filled with hope, would be ruined. Mike
Brown was alarmed. “That made everybody’s heart jump a little bit,” the
coach said. James was in pain, but refused to sit out. Instead, with only four
minutes rest, he scored 23 points and collected 9 rebounds and 7 assists.
Cleveland won, 97–82. “I had no intention of not coming back,” James
said. “First game of the playoffs, we’ve got to set a tone. If I was able to
limp on it, I was going to be in there.”17
When the buzzer sounded, Cleveland led the series, 1–0. The Cavs captured
the second game at home, too, and then the playoff moved to D.C.
Trying to rev up the home crowd, Arenas and Butler, the injured players,
were introduced to the loud fans. But their presence on the bench did
not account for nearly what it might have meant if they had been in the
lineup. Through the miracles of adhesive tape, ice, and other fundamental
care, James bounced back as thoroughly as possible from his sprained
ankle. James did give the home fans at Quicken Loans Arena another
fright when he did not appear on the court for warm-ups with his teammates.
James was undergoing ankle care as long as was practical before he
stepped out on the floor with about 13 minutes to game time. If James was
at less than full strength, it was not readily apparent. As Cleveland triumphed,
109–102, James scored 27 points and threw in his usual complement
of 8 rebounds and 7 assists. The 2–0 lead put the Cavs in control
of the series. “Once my ankle warms up, it feels pretty good,” James said.
“At half-time I’ll keep a heat pack on it and use my (rubber) band to keep
my ankle flexible.”18 Still, James went through his customary routine for
the fans, rubbing white powder on his hands, clapping them together, and
sending the particles skyward—Poof!—acting the magician.
The Cavs were determined not to permit the Wizards to steal a game
and notch a momentum-changer. James was his usual potent self on the
court, netting 30 points and adding 9 assists and 6 rebounds in a 98–92
victory. The Wizards were all but dead.
A few days later, that status report was confirmed. Lacking a pulse
or any other sign of life, the Wizards folded their tents for the season
as the Cavaliers concluded the series business with a 97–90 victory in
Washington.
It was the first 4–0 playoff sweep in Cavaliers history and
James was the catalyst. In the finale, he scored 31 points and notched 11
rebounds and 7 assists. The Cavaliers showed they were better than they
were a year earlier. No one was happier than James and he kept up his
one-note campaign speech—that Cleveland was in the hunt to win it all.
“Last year,” James said, “going into the playoffs, it was all about making
the playoffs. We’ve got bigger and better things now. It’s about winning
the championship and we’re one step closer.”19
130 LeBron Jam es
The Cavaliers had adopted a playoff motto—“Rise Up.” The theme
was flashed on the Quicken Loans Arena message boards repeatedly (although
it was never as important or applicable as when James hit the floor
with his injury). But that was exactly what the Cavaliers had done in
the first round. Cleveland advanced to exactly the same point in James’s
third season, although with a greater struggle. Yet this victory, the sweep,
was more energizing, more impressive. The Cavaliers seemed poised to do
more, not merely be stuck on talking about doing more. “The excitement
is different this time,” Cavs forward Drew Gooden said. “To win in four
games and be able to rest and wait for our next opponent, I’ll take this
any time.”20
Notes
1. Brian Windhorst, Akron Beacon-Journal, February 28, 2007.
2. Dwain Price, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, March 1, 2007.
3. Brian Windhorst, Akron Beacon-Journal, March 1, 2007.
4. Branson Wright, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 2, 2007.
5. Wright, March 2, 2007.
6. Branson Wright, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 4, 2007.
7. Tom Withers, Associated Press, March 12, 2007.
8. Withers, Associated Press, March 12, 2007.
9. Branson Wright, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 28, 2007.
10. ABC11TV.com, March 29, 2007.
11. Cliff Brunt, Associated Press, March 27, 2007.
12. Lang Whitaker, Slam magazine, “Grown-Ass Man,” April 2007.
13. Whitaker, April 2007.
14. Whitaker, April 2007.
15. K. C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune, April 1, 2007.
16. Wright, April 13, 2007.
17. Associated Press, April 23, 2007.
18. Branson Wright, Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 25, 2007.
19. Associated Press, May 1, 2007.
20. Branson Wright, Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 1, 2007.
131
Chapter 12
Creating Believers
Sweeping Washington lifted the Cavaliers’ profile around the NBA. The
next opponent, New Jersey, loomed as more formidable, but still did not
seem particularly intimidating. The way Cleveland—and James—played,
most observers considered the Cavs favorites, even if their history did not
trend that way. It didn’t hurt any that Cleveland had five days of rest before
the 2007 Eastern Conference second-round playoff series began and
the Nets had 36 hours of recovery time.
The opener was low scoring and not aesthetically pleasing, but the Cavs
prevailed, 81–77, despite LeBron James’s head cold. The illness played
better defense on James than the Nets—limiting him to 21 points and 11
rebounds. But no style points are awarded in the playoffs, only the wins
and losses that add up to determining a champion. Cleveland held New
Jersey to 37 percent shooting and it was not true that Coach Mike Brown
relied most heavily on James breathing infectious air onto the Nets’ best
players to stop them. Whenever James talked, he sniffled and cleared his
throat, but he informed the media that there was never a doubt that he
would stay home in bed sipping chicken soup rather than competing in
the first game. “It’s the playoffs,” he said. “You have to battle through it.
No matter what it took I was going to be out there.”1
The heavily sponsored James should have put his agents on the trail
of a new endorsement contract for decongestants after he bounced back
in the second game of the series with a very healthy looking 36-point,
12-assist effort. James looked cured from his cold as Cleveland toppled
New Jersey, 102–92, and with a 2–0 lead inched closer to capturing a second
playoff series in a season for the first time in team annals. The Nets
132 LeBron James
executed their offense much more efficiently and forced the Cavaliers
into a more up-tempo game while shooting a much better percentage.
But it didn’t matter. Whenever the Cavs needed a big play, James shook
off defenders and made it. “No matter what type of game it’s going to be,
we believe we can win,” James said. “There was a point and time when I
was here, if it was a close game in the fourth quarter we would lose, and I
learned from that as an individual.”2
That was a turning point for James as a team leader and for the Cavaliers
as a team. They had matured from a team that always lost the close
ones into a team that always believed it could find a way to win. After
six straight playoff victories, they were proving it to the world, too. Still,
no one expected the Cavaliers to sweep every game in this series or to go
undefeated in the playoffs. With players like Vince Carter and Jason Kidd,
the Nets had too many weapons to go peacefully into the off-season. New
Jersey picked off the next game, setting up a crucial fourth game. If the
Nets could tie the series anything might happen. If the Cavaliers won,
their 3–1 lead would be virtually insurmountable.
Game four was rough. At one point, Cavalier forward Sasha Pavlovic
was the recipient of a New Jersey flagrant foul. Even as the referees made
the automatic technical foul call to give Pavlovic the two free shots, the
situation nearly degenerated into a brawl—with LeBron James, acting
the role of protector, in the middle of the fracas. James ended up shouting
in New Jersey player Mikki Moore’s face up close and personal. If
both had been ejected for fighting that would have been a worthwhile
trade for the Nets. The Cavs pulled out the close game, 87–85, but James
seethed afterwards, denouncing the Nets for picking on Pavlovic for no
apparent reason. “It really ticked me off,” James said. “They tried to hurt
him. And me as the leader, I had to stick up for my teammate. I didn’t
like it—at all.”3
If James thought New Jersey would go meekly after falling behind 3–1,
however, he was surprised by the way the Nets retaliated in the fifth game
in Cleveland. New Jersey was sharper and the Cavaliers reverted to a sluggish
form of play that mirrored their undoing in some early-season defeats.
During Cleveland’s futile chase of the Nets in the 83–72 loss, James battered
his right knee as he hurtled into the New Jersey bench, falling over
Jason Kidd, and cracking into a chair. James left the game, and the floor,
with just under a minute remaining and blood running down his leg.
They might have lost a bit of their swagger, but the Cavaliers still led
the series 3–2, a commanding position. They had two chances to end it
and advance to the Eastern Conference finals and they hungered to wrap
things up in one game. If New Jersey received an infusion of confidence
Creating Believe rs 133
from winning two of the last three games, Cleveland dismissed any suggestion
it had any major flaws. Only when the sixth game unfolded in a
most aggravating way, with James forced to the bench for long stretches
because of foul trouble, did the Cavs worry. Yet the less heralded Cavs,
including rookie Daniel Gibson and forward Donyell Marshall, the offseason
pickup, helped Cleveland build a 22-point lead. A shockingly
troublesome third quarter, with James benched so he wouldn’t foul out
before the final minutes, left the Nets only one point behind.
James was as distraught as any true blue Cavaliers fan, twitching with
anticipation as he sat for long minutes. He couldn’t believe it when the
Nets ate up almost the whole lead and later said his mind was racing:
“Would the third quarter please end so I could get back in the game?”4
With James back in the game, New Jersey never gained the lead. James
scored 23 points, with 8 rebounds and 8 assists, to move the Cavaliers its
deepest into the playoffs since 1992. When the Cavaliers began the next
series against favored, top-seeded Detroit, they would be one of only four
NBA teams left with a chance to win the 2007 crown. In the preseason,
James said he wanted to win a title, but above all he wanted the Cavaliers
to advance further in the playoffs than they had since his arrival. That
goal was met. “It’s a great feeling,” James said. “This is one of the best feelings
I’ve ever had as a basketball player.”5
Bring on Detroit
Cleveland made waves in the basketball world by winning two
straight playoff series. But the so-called smart money experts did not
see the Cavaliers winning another. The Pistons were thought to be too
talented, with too much experience and motivation to be conquered by
what many still considered to be a one-man LeBron James team. Even
James’s teammates still acknowledged that perception and recognized
that if it turned out to be reality they could not run with Detroit. “We
understand that one guy is not going to beat a team of five,” Cleveland
forward Damon Jones said.6
Detroit compiled the best regular-season record in the East. Detroit had
the deepest bench and the best one-through-five talent in the East. The
Pistons won the league title in 2005. But the Cavaliers were neither scared
of Detroit’s resume nor intimidated by the personnel. Basketball watchers
conceded James more props all of the time, crediting him with lifting the
Cavaliers and no longer capping just how far he could carry them.
“LeBron James, he’s the face of the NBA,” one ESPN announcer said
as the Detroit series warmed up.7
134 LeBron James
“It’s not often a pro athlete needs to be more selfish, to ignore his
teammates and grab some glory for himself,” an Associated Press writer
proclaimed. “It’s even rarer when that athlete is a superstar, for whom
entitlement is pretty much a birthright. LeBron James, though, isn’t your
average superstar. He’s polite. He’s humble. He plays well with others. Admirable
qualities, to be sure—but not at this time of year.”8 The message
was clear—Go get ’em, LeBron.
The Pistons had seen it all, however, and their roof wasn’t going to
fall in merely because of the windy LeBron hype. Detroit, with homecourt
advantage in the seven-game series, stifled the Cavaliers in the
opener, 79–76. Neither James, who scored just 10 points, nor his teammates,
looked like contenders. James’s actions in the closing seconds of
the game supported the AP writer’s opinion. Instead of taking the last
shot, he passed to Donyell Marshall, who missed a three-pointer. Hence,
the thought that maybe James had to be more selfish, had to keep the ball
in his own hands in those circumstances, despite the two defenders converging
on him. Marshall was wide open. He just missed the shot. James
said he made the right choice. “I go for the winning play,” he said.9
Winning plays were in short supply for Cleveland. Game two shaped
up similarly. The Pistons won by the same margin, 79–76, once again
containing Cleveland’s offense and limiting James to 19 points. Quickly,
the Cavs were behind 2–0 and needed to win four of the next six games.
Maybe this was the ceiling for this Cleveland team. Maybe this was as far
as James could take these Cavs.
The series moved to Cleveland for the pivotal third game. This time
the 20,562 fans in Quicken Loans Arena got what they came for. James
was James at his best, scoring 32 points and he was the pivotal guy in
an 88–82 victory. There was no panic in Detroit, but there was relief in
Cleveland.
Detroit’s alarm bells started sounding with the insistence of a tornado
warning system when the Cavs held off the Pistons to capture the fourth
game, 91–87. What had seemed likely to be a walkover, was suddenly an
even series. Demonstrative Detroit forward Rasheed Wallace ripped his
game jersey off and slammed a wall with his hand when the result was
in. Guard Chauncey Billups insisted that the Pistons’ confidence wasn’t
shaken. But the James Gang had done it again and instead of looking
at 3–1 with the series almost in the bag, Detroit was looking at 2–2 and
wondering what was going on. James posted his routinely brilliant statistical
line—25 points, 11 assists, 7 rebounds. In cold, hard numbers,
the series was knotted. But in emotion and momentum, the series had
tilted to the Cavaliers. “I’m more focused than I’ve ever been in my life,”
James said.10
Creating Believe rs 135
All season it had been accepted with little debate that the best teams
in the NBA—the Dallas Mavericks, the San Antonio Spurs, and the
Phoenix Suns—were playing in the Western Conference. Yet postseason
excitement was brewing in the East. Even players on teams already eliminated
for the season appreciated James’s singular ability to turn his team
into something special in just four seasons. “He believes in his teammates
when they don’t even believe in themselves,” said long-time pro Jalen
Rose. “And the athleticism! He’s only 22 years old. LeBron James is doing
it from the ground up.”11
James showed up at The Q, his home arena, three hours before the
fourth game to work out. He shot extra shots and ran himself into a sweat.
During the game he drove the crowd into a swooning, applauding, hoarse
frenzy, feeding reborn rookie Daniel Gibson for big jumpers and driving
past double-teaming defenders while shifting the ball in his hands as a
prelude to a tomahawk jam. James moved at an otherworldly pace, making
such quick moves to the hoop that some Detroit defenders were left
flat-footed, unable to challenge his spins. After Gibson fed James for a
high flying, alley-oop dunk, James landed with his knees bent, hands at
his sides, and howled from a crouch. Then he pointed to Gibson, an acknowledgment
for the sweet pass.
The New National Hoops Darling
The world of basketball changed in the next game. For years, James
had been nicknamed King James. For years, the hardest-to-please critics
admitted that he was a good basketball player morphing into great. It was
too early, they protested, to advance James into true superstardom until
he either led his team to an NBA title or otherwise distinguished himself
in a high-stakes game.
Game five of the Detroit series was the moment. Playing as fiercely
as they could, the Pistons and Cavaliers arm-wrestled for 3–2 supremacy
throughout 58 sublime minutes of basketball before Cleveland triumphed,
109–107 in double overtime. It was James who broke the Pistons’ will by
transcending earth-bound players and solo accomplishment. James scored
48 points, including his team’s last 25 in a row and 29 out of the Cavaliers’
last 30 points, along with his 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Never again would
it be suggested that James passed off at the wrong time, that he was too
unselfish. He took the burden on his shoulders when necessary. His showing
left the most seasoned NBA watchers groping for compliments.
“That was a phenomenal performance,” Cavs Coach Mike Brown said.
“He did it all. This is the single best game I’ve ever seen at this level,
hands down.”12
136 LeBron James
It seemed that every bit of LeBron James’s celebrity, from the moment
he was discovered in summer AAU ball and playing for St. Vincent-St.
Mary, led to this virtuoso performance.
“It was amazing,” said former NBA star and coach Doug Collins, a TV
commentator.13
“Some of the things he does are like in a video game,” teammate Scott
Pollard said. “You think, ‘You can’t do that in real life.’ ”14
But James could. That night and the next day, James was the talk of
radio and television sports shows. He heard more praise than a bride on her
wedding day. All day fans ran around saying, “Did you see it?” See it? There
was no way to avoid highlights and descriptions of James’s magnificence.
The win gave the Cavaliers a third straight playoff victory over
Detroit. It was noted that there was one game to go, but few doubted
now that the Pistons were going to be dead on arrival for game six in
Cleveland.
They were. The Cavaliers won, 98–82, to earn their first trip
to the NBA Finals. Quicken Loans Arena was party central, the hub of
a city’s joy. When the final buzzer sounded, Cavalier players celebrated
on the court, pulling on ready-made “Champions” baseball caps and Tshirts.
They hugged and fans with long memories recalled that the last
time any of their professional teams had won anything it was the Browns
in 1964.
James, known to smile for much less reason, had a big grin plastered on
his face, but seemed dazed by the “Rise Up” accomplishment. Almost no
one predicted the Cavaliers would still be contesting meaningful games in
June. “This is like a dream,” James said.15 “If I could put into words what’s
going on in my head, I’d be here for another three hours,” he added. “This
is special. This is definitely a big step in Cavaliers’ history.”16
It was almost an unfathomable step. So soon after the rebuilding Cavaliers
drafted James they were only one step from the NBA championship.
Only a showdown with the San Antonio Spurs stood as a barrier.
Summertime Blues and Summertime Highs
Life was wild and crazy in Cleveland. For the first time in the history
of the franchise, the Cavs were on their way to the NBA Finals. No
one thought they could do it—except for perhaps LeBron James. No one
thought they could tackle San Antonio, either (whether the Cavs had
beaten the Spurs that one regular-season time way back in the beginning
of the season or not), but for the moment that did not matter.
Life With LeBron—as had been fervently hoped—was way better than
Life Before LeBron. Only a few years earlier, the Cavaliers were a league
Creating Believe rs 137
joke. Now they were playing for the right to be crowned the best. Surreal.
Unreal.
Few communities were as hungry for a professional championship in
any sport as Cleveland. So starved for success and sports respect were the
residents that simply reaching the Finals carried as much impact for the
city as winning it all might mean for another town. It didn’t matter who
the Cavaliers faced in the Finals, there was a growing sense the LeBronled
club was a team of destiny. It was acknowledged that the savvy Spurs
were more experienced, that the confident Spurs already owned three
titles, and that the Spurs possessed their own elite superstar player in Tim
Duncan. But the Cavaliers had a player’s chance, meaning they were in
the game and no other team could say the same. They also had the LeBron
James X factor. James was playing just about the best basketball of anyone
on the planet. If the Cavaliers had deficiencies compared to the Spurs,
maybe James could make up for them.
During the short break between series, Cleveland’s optimism was at
its peak. Once the games began, however, every indication pointed to
San Antonio dominance. San Antonio won the opener, 85–76. Then
the Spurs won the second game, 103–92. There it was, just as in the Detroit
series—Cleveland trailed 2–0. Tim Duncan, guard Tony Parker, and
Manu Ginobili controlled the pace and the offense. The Spurs showed
more sophisticated defenses than Detroit, bottled up James, and led at
every quarter mark in the first game. San Antonio led by 25 points at
halftime in the second game. From the start, the series appeared to be a
mismatch, although James still talked a good fight. “We’re definitely still
confident,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if you lose by one or 30 with us.
We’ve been down 2–0 before.”17
Close but No Cigar
It never got any better in the Finals for the Cavaliers. Delusions of victory
were fleeting. The Cavaliers battled in game three, but San Antonio
pulled out the win, 75–72, for the 3–0 series lead. No NBA team in history
trailing 3–0 in a seven-game series came back to triumph. The close
call in Cleveland was a virtual seal-the-deal win for the Spurs.
The Cavaliers sought to ignore the big-picture circumstances and
played the fourth game with the liveliness of spirit they showed most of
the season and that had rescued them against the Pistons. As outstanding
as James was versus Detroit, the Spurs used a shifting, versatile defense
to contain him. The Cavaliers couldn’t even steal one game. The Spurs
were focused on business and posted the sweep with an 83–82 victory.
138 LeBron James
Spurs players got to hoist the championship trophy in Quicken Loans
Arena. Neither individual games nor the series was close enough for Cavs
players to philosophize about what-ifs. They simply got beat. James was
the spark who gave Cleveland hope, but he either ran out of his magic
dust a week too soon or reached the limits of his and his team’s capabilities
for the moment.
“They have a dynasty already at work,” James said. “They don’t have
the greatest athletes in the world, they don’t have the greatest shooters in
the world, but they probably have the greatest team in the world.”18
The comments summarized the words LeBron James, recognized as one
of the top basketball players in the world, still longed most to hear said
about his own Cleveland Cavaliers. He was on his way home for the season
in mid-June, but already thinking about how to make the future even
better. “You don’t want to make the Finals one year and not get an opportunity
to play next year,” James said. “If we work to prepare ourselves for
next year, and the years to come, we’ll give ourselves an opportunity to be
a part of this again. Every team wants to be a part of this.”19
When a player runs out of games, there is more time to think, more
time to reflect on what happened and how to prepare for the next season.
James did his best to relax. He had joked that he was going to farm out
two-year-old LeBron James Jr. to grandparents during the playoffs so he
could get some sleep. But the night before the final game James and his
girlfriend Savannah Brinson had a second baby boy, Bryce. James lobbied
for naming the lad Maximus, as in the main character of the movie
“Gladiator,” but Brinson vetoed it and Maximus became the kid’s middle
name. James was a dad twice over.
Despite the defeat, James’s trademark smile crept back onto his face.
In early July, the Harris poll announced that James was fifth in popularity
among American male sports stars—golfer Tiger Woods was No. 1.
Derek Jeter, the New York Yankee shortstop, was second, giving rise to
the thought that perhaps there was ballot box stuffing going on in the
much larger city. When it came to box office, however, an ESPN magazine
analysis indicated that James represented big-time money in the bank for
the Cavaliers.
The story suggested that James was the Most Valuable Player in the
NBA, not merely because he was a top-of-the-line star. In a sport that is
often called a business, the magazine pulled together some business-like
numbers. Since the arrival of James in Cleveland, the value of the Cavs
franchise had increased from $222 million to $380 million, attendance was
up about 9,000 fans per game, and TV ratings were up 300 percent, it was
Creating Believe rs 139
reported. The Chosen One indeed. “Thank you, your Royal Highness,”
the story stated.20 A few people in the Cavaliers’ front office smiled, too.
Wait Till Next Year
James was tired and sore at the end of the season. He made good on his
preseason promise to lead the Cavaliers to a better finish than the year
before. Within a month after the last ball was dribbled, he was back to
being LeBron James, the celebrity, the star, the marketing genius when he
hosted the ESPYS with comedian Jimmy Kimmel.
The ESPYS, created by ESPN, serve as the Oscars for sports, utilizing
fan votes to select the best player, game, and moment in many sports. But
the show is as much TV show as sport, and it was a gamble for the network
to place the comparatively big-name, but show-biz-limited, James in a
starring role.
On more than one occasion James made fun of himself in skits, including
singing and dancing as a James Brown sort-of-look-alike to rewritten
rap song words spoofing his life. But the lasting image of James on stage
followed his introduction by Kimmel who asked the audience to welcome
“Just a regular kid from Akron, Ohio.”
The curtain parted and King James appeared, wearing a crown, sitting
on a throne, wrapped in royal robes, clutching a scepter, as a team of
Roman era-clad retainers carried him into the spotlight. The regular kid
from Akron, Ohio had come a long way from his homeless days shuttled
between apartments by a frightened young mother. In a handful of years,
LeBron James had become the ruler of all he surveyed, and those who applauded
him on this night seemed as much subjects as fans.
Kimmel took the gag one step further when James alighted from his
throne, bending to one knee and kissing James’s right hand. He quipped,
“Imagine if you had won one game in the finals.”21
After four years of incredible acclaim, riches banked beyond imagination,
and one sprint to a near-championship, the season just completed
was a reminder that LeBron James still had at least one goal unmet. Winning
four games in the finals was on his mind.
After resting for a few short weeks, James joined Team USA for its
critical FIBA Tournament of the Americas competition in Las Vegas. For
the United States to participate in China in 2008, the team had to advance
out of this zonal play.
This group of all-stars, featuring James, Kobe Bryant, and Carmelo
Anthony, took the assignment seriously and swept to the gold medal,
140 LeBron James
ensuring the U.S. presence in Beijing. Crushing Argentina, 118–81, the
Americans played intensely and dominated the event.
James more than earned his gold medal, scoring 31 points in the championship
game. Game by game the Americans with the biggest basketball
reputations in the country shared the ball, took turns leading the scoring
chart, and displayed the type of unselfishness that will be needed for them
to overcome challenges in China.
“I learned that players can throw their egos and personal accolades out
the window,” James said. “We came here for one reason and that was to
get the gold medal.”22
Still, there were several times, such as in the title game itself, when
James shined the brightest. “You don’t like to single guys out,” said Team
USA coach Mike Krzyzewski, also the Duke University coach, “but LeBron’s performance
today was one of the best ones in an international game that
a U.S. player has had. He was big-time today.”23
James was a crowd pleaser on another front before NBA teams adjourned
for training camps. He was the guest host for the first show in the new season
of “Saturday Night Live,” the long-running satirical comedy review.
In one skit, James grabbed a piece of chalk, drew some diagrams, and
spoofing presidential candidates, announced, “That’s how you fix our
health-care system. It’s not that hard.”
During his opening monologue, James again showed his ability to laugh
at himself. He introduced himself to the non-sports-fan members of his
audience by mentioning his affiliation with the Cavaliers. For all of you
who do not follow basketball, he said with a straight face, Cleveland had
swept the San Antonio Spurs. “For those of you who do, be cool and shut
up. Don’t ruin it for everyone else.”24
As James began preparations for his fifth NBA season, he could proudly
point to achievements on and off the court. He had lived up to the promise
shown as a dominating high school basketball player by becoming one
of the top scorers in the best basketball league in the world. He had contributed
mightily to his country’s international basketball success. And he
had virtually single handedly revived the moribund Cleveland Cavaliers
financially, artistically, and with hard-won results.
Given that James began his NBA career at 18 and played well from the
start, he has the chance to compile some of the grandest statistics ever associated
with a basketball player if he continues uninterrupted by injury.
And given how quickly he improved the fortunes of the Cavaliers, James
could well be looking forward to a career highlighted by several championships.
He is on a path that will lead him to being acknowledged as one
of the best ever to play the game.
Creating Believe rs 141
James had also made himself one of the most recognizable sports figures
in the nation and through commercials and televised appearances was
crossing over into mainstream America as a performer.
In the sense that James had overcome a difficult upbringing and earlylife
poverty to become a rich, famous athlete admired by many, his is the
quintessential American success story.
Notes
1. Associated Press, May 8, 2007.
2. James Walker, Columbus Dispatch, May 9, 2007.
3. Associated Press, May 16, 2007.
4. Brian Mahoney, Associated Press, May 19, 2007.
5. Tom Canavan, Associated Press, May 19, 2007.
6. Canavan, May 19, 2007.
7. Michael Kay, ESPN radio, May 22, 2007.
8. Nancy Armour, Associated Press, May 22, 2007.
9. Larry Lage, Associated Press, May 22, 2007.
10. Brian Windhorst, Akron Beacon-Journal, May 30, 2007.
11. Jalen Rose, ESPN radio, May 29, 2007.
12. Mary Schmitt Boyer, Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 1, 2007.
13. Schmitt Boyer, June 1, 2007.
14. Schmitt Boyer, June 1, 2007.
15. Tom Withers, Associated Press, June 3, 2007.
16. Branson Wright, Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 3, 2007.
17. Sam Smith, Chicago Tribune, June 11, 2007.
18. Tom Withers, Associated Press, June 14, 2007.
19. Branson Wright, Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 15, 2007.
20. Peter Keating, “LeBron Came Up Short in the Finals, But He’s Still Money
for the Cavs,” ESPN The Magazine, July 2, 2007.
21. ESPYs, ESPN cable television, July 15, 2007.
22. ESPN.com, Sept. 2, 2007.
23. ESPN.com.
24. “Saturday Night Live,” TV show, Sept. 29, 2007.
142
143
Appendix
Career Records
Definitions of headings, left to right: year played, games, minutes, field goals attempted, field goals made, shooting percentage, free throws attempted, free throws
made, free throw percentage, rebounds, rebound average, assists, blocked shots, points scored, average points per game.
LeBron James’s Professional Statistics with Cleveland Cavaliers
Year Games Minutes FGA FGM PCT. FTA FTM PCT. REBS AVG. ASST BLKS PTS AVG.
03–04 79 3122 1492 622 .417 460 347 .754 432 5.5 465 58 1654 20.9
04–05 80 3388 1684 795 .472 636 477 .750 588 7.4 577 52 2175 27.2
05–06 79 3361 1823 875 .480 814 601 .738 556 7.0 521 66 2478 31.4
06–07 78 3190 1621 772 .476 701 489 .698 526 6.7 470 55 2132 27.3
144
145
Bibliography
Books
Cleveland Cavaliers 2006–07 Team Media Guide. (Cavaliers public relations
staff).
Gordon, Roger. Tales from the Cleveland Cavaliers, The Rookie Season of LeBron
James. Champaign, Ill.: Sports Publishing, 2004.
Jones, Ryan. Believe the Hype—The LeBron James Story. New York: St. Martin’s
Press, 2003.
Morgan Jr., David Lee. The Rise of A Star—LeBron James. Cleveland: Gray &
Company Publishers, 2003.
Robinson, B. J. LeBron James—King of the Court. East Cleveland: Forest Hill
Publishing, 2005.
Stewart, Mark. Star Files—LeBron James. Chicago: Raintree Publishing, 2006.
Magazines
Ballard, Chris, “Now Generation,” Sports Illustrated, October 23, 2006.
Broussard, Chris, “Don’t Let the Smile Fool You,” ESPN The Magazine, November
6, 2006.
Burns, Marty, “NBA Preview—Cleveland Cavaliers,” Sports Illustrated, October 23,
2006.
Deveney, Sean, Sporting News, December 16, 2004.
Keating, Peter, “LeBron Came Up Short in the Finals, But He’s Still Money for
the Cavs,” ESPN The Magazine, July 2, 2007.
O’Shea, Michael, “The Easiest Way to Shape Up For Life,” Parade Magazine,
January 7, 2007.
146 Bibliography
Platt, Larry, “The Fast Education of LeBron James,” GQ, April, 2006.
Time Magazine, “The People Who Shape Our World—The Time 100,” April 11,
2005.
Wahl, Grant, “The Chosen One,” Sports Illustrated, February 18, 2002.
Whitaker, Lang, “Grown Ass Man,” Slam Magazine, April, 2007.
Web sites
ABCTV11.com
Canada.com
Channel3000.comSportsNetwork
NBA.com
USABasketball.com
Newspapers
Armour, Nancy, “LeBron needs to play star card,” Mlive.com, May 22, 2007.
Boyer, Mary Schmitt, “Cavaliers Insider,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 6,
2006.
Boyer, Mary Schmitt, “LeBron Tops All-Star Voting,” Cleveland Plain Dealer,
January 25, 2007.
Boyer, Mary Schmitt, “All Hail the King’s Exploits,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 1,
2007.
Brunt, Cliff, “Cavs’ James Leads With Words, Example,” SFGate.com, March 27,
2007.
Canavan, Tom, “Cavaliers 88, Nets 72,” San Diego Union-Tribune, May 19,
2007
“Cavaliers Score First Playoff Sweep,” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, May 1, 2007.
“Cavs take Game 1 after holding Nets to 37 percent shooting,” ESPN.com, May 9,
2007.
Chicago Tribune Redeye Edition, “James, Jordan Set Record—For Trading Cards,”
July 26, 2004.
Chicago Tribune, “James Wants Say in Cavs’ Free Agent Dealings,” June 26,
2005.
Chicago Tribune, “LeBron James Drinking It All In,” August 20, 2004.
Chicago Tribune, “James Youngest to 4,000,” November 14, 2005.
Chicago Tribune, “Birthday Time for James,” December 30, 2005.
Dell’Appa, Frank, “James Times It Right,” Boston Globe, January 4, 2007.
Frammolino, Ralph, “Nike Shells Out $90 Million for James,” Los Angeles Times,
May 23, 2003.
“Home cookin’ just fine; James to stay with Cavs,” Chicago Tribune, July 9, 2006.
Jackson, John, “Bulls Toss A Clunker,” Chicago Sun-Times, November 10, 2007.
Bibliography 147
“James Scores 35 Points to Lead Cavaliers over Spurs,” Columbus Dispatch, November
4, 2006.
Johnson, K. C., “James Packing Them in All Over,” Chicago Tribune, December 27,
2003.
Johnson, K. C., “Don’t Give Him His Space,” Chicago Tribune, November 9,
2006.
Johnson, K. C., “Bawling About Ball Has Impact: NBA Switches Back To
Leather,” Chicago Tribune, December 12, 2006.
Johnson, K. C. “Finishing Off a December to Remember,” Chicago Tribune,
December 31, 2006.
Johnson, K. C. “A Defeat That Can Haunt,” Chicago Tribune, April 1, 2007.
Krawczynski, Jon, “LeBron James back for Cavaliers,” NBA.com, April 3, 2007.
Lage, Larry, “James Takes a Pass on Final Shot, Scores Just 10,” Chicago Tribune,
May 22, 2007.
“LeBron James pours in season high 41 points, Cavs top Pistons 101–97 in OT,”
Canada.com, March 9, 2007.
“LeBron tweaks ankle, still puts up big numbers in win,” ESPN.com, April 23,
2007.
Mahoney, Brian, “James leads Cavs back to East final,” globeandmail.com,
May 19, 2007.
“Nets push and Cavaliers shove back,” USATODAY.com, May 16, 2007.
Price, Dwain, “Cavaliers Young Star Learning To Deal with Great Expectations,”
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, March 1, 2007.
Smith, Sam, “Just Incredible, Michael,” Chicago Tribune, May 8, 1989.
Smith, Sam, “King James Awaits Reign,” Chicago Tribune, December 19, 2003.
Smith, Sam, “Athleticism Beyond Belief,” Chicago Tribune, December 23, 2005.
Smith, Sam, “James Gives Cavs Shot at Bright Future,” Chicago Tribune, March 1,
2004.
Smith, Sam, “James Comfortable in Spotlight’s Glare,” Chicago Tribune, February
20, 2005.
Smith, Sam, “LJ Better Than MJ? On the Way, At Least,” Chicago Tribune, May 19,
2006.
Smith, Sam, “Shooting Gallery Is Open,” Chicago Tribune, June 11, 2007.
Smyth, Julie Carr, “LeBron James Wows Crowd on ‘Daily Show,’ ” cbsnews.com,
November 1, 2006.
Temkin, Barry, “Dazzling, Then Writhing,” Chicago Tribune, June 9, 2002.
Temkin, Barry, “Hyped to the Heights,” Chicago Tribune, December 6, 2002.
Walker, James, “Cavaliers Can’t Close,” Columbus Dispatch, May 10, 2007.
Windhorst, Brian, “Power Forward, Power Lunch,” Akron Beacon-Journal,
September 21, 2006.
Windhorst, Brian, “LeBron Up to the Task at Crunch Time for Cavs,” Akron
Beacon-Journal, February 28, 2007.
148 Bibliography
Windhorst, Brian, “Warren Buffett Offers Sage Advice to LeBron James,” Akron
Beacon-Journal, March 26, 2007.
Withers, Tom, “James Rallies Cavs from 19 Points Down,” Columbus Dispatch,
November 12, 2006.
Withers, Tom, “LeBron. James buys stake in cycling company,” Newsday.com,
March 26, 2007.
Withers, Tom, “James takes Cavs to their first NBA finals,” Cleveland.com, June 3,
2007.
Withers, Tom, “San Antonio Downplays Dynasty Talk,” Anchorage Daily News,
June 14, 2007.
Wright, Branson, “What’s New? LeBron’s Not Having a Ball So Far,” Cleveland
Plain Dealer, November 8, 2006.
Wright, Branson, “Here’s One That Didn’t Stroll Away,” Cleveland Plain Dealer,
November 10, 2006.
Wright, Branson, “Too Much Pace for Indiana,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, December
10, 2006.
Wright, Branson, “Hot Foe, Sore Toe, Uh-Oh,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 29,
2007.
Wright, Branson, “No Mercy in Sin City,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, February 19,
2007.
Wright, Branson, “No Quit, But No Win,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 2,
2007.
Wright, Branson, “James Leads Cavs Romp,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 4,
2007.
Wright, Branson, “LeBron Will Co-Host ESPYs,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 28,
2007.
Wright, Branson, “James Secures Cavs’ Win,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 13,
2007.
Wright, Branson, “Cavs 109, Washington 102,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 25,
2007.
Wright, Branson, “Rise Guys,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 3, 2007.
Wright, Branson, “Playoff Rollercoaster Has Matured James,” Cleveland Plain
Dealer, June 15, 2007.
Wright, Branson, “Cavs Enjoy Fantastic Finale,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 19,
2007.
Live Press Conferences
Mike Brown, Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, November 7, 2006.
Mike Brown, United Center, Chicago, December 30, 2006.
P. J. Brown, Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, November 9, 2006.
Bibliography 149
Shannon Brown, Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, November 7, 2006.
Kirk Hinrich, United Center, Chicago, December 30, 2006.
LeBron James, Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, November 7, 2006,
LeBron James, Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, November 9, 2006.
LeBron James, United Center, Chicago, December 30, 2006.
Scott Skiles, Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, November 9, 2006.
Eric Snow, Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, November 7, 2006.
150
151
Index
Abramovich, Roman, 88
adidas, 18, 37, 55, 56
Ainge, Danny, 31
Akron, Ohio: basketball, 19, 29,
38; birthplace of LeBron James,
2; charity work, 92, 125; city,
46, 48, 53, 54, 55, 70, 71, 97,
106, 107, 139; Community
Service Center of, 38; history
of, 4, 5
Akron South Rangers Pee
Wee, 5, 6
Allen, Ray, 91
Amateur Athletic Union (AAU),
1, 8, 9, 18
Anthony, Carmelo, 33, 54, 57, 63,
64, 75, 78, 82, 83, 96, 139
Arenas, Gilbert, 128
Armstrong, B. J., 77
Barkley, Charles, 29
Beard, Butch, 60
Billups, Chauncey, 95, 134
Bird, Larry, 1, 75, 108
Blanks, Lance, 106
Braun, Ben, 16
Brinson, Savannah, 17, 18, 84, 138
Brophy, J., 16
Brown, Kwame, 70
Brown, Larry, 82, 86
Brown, Mike, 59, 92, 93, 100,
104, 115, 117, 118, 121, 126,
128, 129, 131, 135
Brown, P. J., 108, 112
Brown, Shannon, 103, 104
Bryant, Kobe, 22, 25, 29, 30, 33,
65, 73, 84, 87, 92, 107, 119,
124, 125, 139
Buffet, Warren, 98, 125, 126
Burton, Rick, 74
Butler, Caron, 128
Campanella, Roy, 106
Carper, Tad, 64
Carr, Austin, 61, 68
Carruth, Rashad, 21
Carter, Maverick, 17, 38
Carter, Vince, 118, 132
Chamberlain, Wilt, 107, 124
Chappell, Len, 60
152 Index
Cleveland Arena, 61
Cleveland Cavaliers, 2, 18, 28,
43, 53, 57, 63– 68, 69 –75,
77–79, 81, 85 – 89, 91–95,
97–99, 101–9, 111–20, 121–30,
131– 40; history of, 58 – 63
Cleveland Plain Dealer, 17, 43,
47, 63
Coca Cola, 71, 84, 91, 117
Collins, Doug, 136
Cotton, Sian, 9, 13, 27
Cousy, Bob, 7
Crawford, Jamal, 56
Curry, Eddy, 36
“Daily Show, The,” 99, 103, 106
Dambrot, Keith, 9, 13, 14, 16, 17,
20, 22, 26, 96
Daugherty, Brad, 61, 62
Davis, Ricki, 72, 77
Dawkins, Darryl, 65
DC Comics, 84
Deng, Luol, 108, 115
Dennis, Chris, 18
Diop, DeSagana, 20
Duncan, Tim, 82, 137
Durant, Kevin, 64
Egan, Johnny, 60
Ehlo, Craig, 62
Elway, John, 56
ESPYS, 125, 126, 139
Ewing, Patrick, 63
Finley, Michael, 29
Fitch, Bill, 58, 59
Five Star Basketball Camp, 19
Fratello, Mike, 59
Garnett, Kevin, 65, 87
Gibson, Daniel, 133, 135
Gilbert, Dan, 88, 104
Ginobili, Manu, 137
Gooden, Drew, 95, 109, 111, 117,
118, 130
Goodwin, Aaron, 56, 71
Gordon, Ben, 115
GQ Magazine, 96, 97
Granik, Russ, 57
Green Bay Packers, 16
Gund, Gordon, 64, 88, 104
Gund Arena, 67, 78, 79
Hardaway, Penny, 29
Haywood, Spencer, 30
Hill, Darrell, 48
Hill, Grant, 19
Hinrich, Kirk, 113, 114
Howard, Juwan, 29
Hughes, Larry, 91, 95, 103,
111, 122
Ilgauskus, Zydrunas, 73, 95
Iverson, Allen, 82, 118
Jackson, Eddie, 3, 9
Jackson, Stu, 83
James, Bryce Maximus, 138
James, Freda, 2, 3
James, Gloria, 1– 6, 9, 14, 15, 17,
21, 27, 35, 38, 46, 47, 55, 84
James, LeBron: Athens Olympics,
81– 83; Cavaliers and last place,
53, 57; Cavaliers and the draft,
63– 68; Cavaliers fourth regular
season and effect on Ohio,
101–20; Cavaliers’ history,
58 – 62; Cavaliers second
season, 85 – 89; Cavaliers third
season, 91–100; early life and
poverty in Akron, 1–7; fourth
season playoffs vs. Washington,
i ndex 153
128 –30; fourth season stretch
run, 121–28; freshman high
school basketball, 13, 14,
16; Hummergate, 46, 47;
Jerseygate, 48 –50; junior
year play, 25 –35; LeBron as
endorser, 84, 85, 116, 117;
NBA draft, 53, 54, 57;
playing football, 5, 15, 16;
playoffs vs. Detroit, 133–36;
playoffs vs. New Jersey,
131–33; playoffs vs. San
Antonio, 136 –38; rookie
year, 69 –79; senior year play,
35 –50; shoe deal, 55 –57;
sophomore year national
attention, 18 –22; world
championships, 139 – 40; youth
basketball, 6 –11
James, LeBron, Jr., 84
Jeter, Derek, 138
Johnson, Avery, 76
Johnson, Joe, 105
Johnson, John, 60
Johnson, Magic, 1, 7, 22, 29,
75, 108
Jones, Damon, 122, 133
Jones, Jim, 106
Jordan, Michael, 3, 19, 25, 26, 29,
38, 55, 57, 59, 62, 77, 84, 86,
95, 97, 99, 107, 108
Jordan Brand Capital Classic, 55
Joyce, Dru, Jr., 9, 10, 11, 14, 26,
28, 31, 32, 42, 50
Joyce, Dru, III, 9, 13, 14, 17, 27,
34, 39, 96, 112
Kapono, Jason, 72
Karl, George, 59
Kelker, Bruce, 5
Kidd, Jason, 112, 132
Kimmel, Jimmy, 125, 139
Krzyzewski, Mike, 140
Labonte, Bobby, 91
Laettner, Christian, 19
“Late Show with David
Letterman, The,” 98, 99, 106
Letterman, David, 125
Lightning Lemonade, 84
Livingston, Bill, 63, 119
Lucas, John, 43, 66
Lue, Tyronn, 105
Lupica, Frank, 32
MacArthur, Ellen, 88
Madden, John, 37
Malone, Brendan, 88
Malone, Moses, 65, 74
Manning, Eli, 56
Manning, Peyton, 102, 119
Marbury, Stephon, 19, 82
Marion, Shawn, 36, 82
Marshall, Donyell, 91, 133, 134
May-Treanor, Misty, 116
McClelland, 2
McDonalds All American
Game, 55
McGee, Willie, 9, 10, 13, 27, 39
McGrady, Tracy, 22, 29, 30, 87
Miami Dolphins, 16
Ming, Yao, 32, 56, 124
Modell, Arthur, 60
Moore, Mikki, 132
Murphy, Mark, 16
Muscaro, Clair, 41, 42, 47, 49
Mutombo, Dikembe, 87
Nader, Ralph, 55
Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame,
50, 59
Namath, Joe, 34
154 Index
Nance, Larry, 62
Nash, Steve, 112
NBA All Star game, 78, 94, 102,
118, 119, 121, 122, 124
NBA draft, 53, 54, 57, 63, 64, 65,
67, 68
NBA playoffs: vs. Detroit Pistons,
95, 124, 127, 128, 130,
133–36; vs. Jersey Nets,
131–33; vs. San Antonio
Spurs, 136 –38, 140; vs.
Washington Wizards, 95, 129
NCAA, 13, 30, 33, 46, 54, 55
Newbie, Ira, 77
Next Urban Gear and
Music, 48
Nike, 18, 37, 55, 56, 57, 74, 84,
98, 99, 126
Oak Hill Academy, 20, 26, 33,
43, 44
Oden, Greg, 64
Ohio High School Athletic
Association, 41, 47, 48, 49
Ohio State Basketball
Championships, 17, 21, 34, 50
Ohl, Don, 60
Olympics, US Basketball in, 81,
82, 83, 84
O’Neal, Shaquille, 73, 107,
112, 118
Orwell, George, 1
Parade magazine, 116
Parker, Tony, 137
Pavlovic, Sasha, 132
Paxson, John, 75
Payton, Gary, 56, 73
Pippen, Scottie, 97
Pollard, Scott, 136
Pound, Richard, 88
Powerade, 84, 91, 117
Price, Mark, 62
Quicken Loans Arena, 88, 101,
107, 125, 129, 130, 134, 135,
136, 138
Reagan, Ronald, 1
Redd, Michael, 91
Reebok, 18, 55, 56
Rhodes Arena, 20, 35, 39, 47
Richfield Coliseum, 61, 78
Robertson, Oscar, 7, 76, 95
Rodriguez, Alex, 98
Rose, Jalen, 135
Roundball Classic, 55
Sayers, Gale, 49
Shooting Stars, 9, 10, 11, 14, 36, 37
Shumacher, Michael, 88
Silas, Paul, 66 – 67, 69 –70, 73, 76,
77, 78, 79, 86, 88, 92, 104, 128
Skiles, Scott, 108, 109, 115
SLAM Magazine, 26, 29, 126, 127
Smith, Bobby, 60
Snow, Eric, 103
Sporting News, 21
Sports Illustrated, 26, 27, 28, 31,
33, 34, 96, 100, 123
Sprite, 117
Stern, David, 43, 57, 63, 66, 67,
102, 112
Stewart, Jon, 125
Stockton, John, 7
Stoudemire, Amare, 82
St. Vincent-St. Mary High School
“Fighting Irish,” 14 –17, 18, 19,
20 –22, 25, 26, 31–32, 33–35,
38, 39, 41, 42, 43, 45 – 46,
47– 48, 49 –50, 56, 74, 75, 82,
96, 105, 106, 107, 112, 136
i ndex 155
Temkin, Barry, 44, 45
Terry, Jason, 122
Time Magazine, 88
Travis, Romeo, 9, 21, 27, 34, 39,
96, 107, 112
University of Akron, 10, 22, 31,
38, 96, 100
Unseld, Wes, 49
Upper Deck Sports Cards, 57, 67,
84
USA Today, 20, 21, 31, 39, 46,
47, 50
Van Gundy, Jeff, 77
Vitale, Dick, 44
Wade, Dwayne, 82, 96, 118
Walker, Antoine, 29, 33
Walker, Frank, Jr., 4, 5, 6
Walker, Frank, Sr., 4, 5,
6, 7, 8
Wallace, Rasheed, 19, 95, 134
Walsh, Kerri, 116
Walton, Bill, 44, 66
Wesley, Walt, 60, 62
West, Jerry, 95
Wilkens, Lenny, 59
Williams, Pat, 71
Williams, Vanessa, 1
Willoughby, Bill, 65
Woods, Tiger, 1, 57, 138
Woodson, Mike, 108
156
157
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