LeBron James is a professional basketball player in the NBA. He was born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio. His nickname is King James. As of November 2026, he is very tall: 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 meters). As of November 2026, he plays for the Philadelphia 76ers.

LeBron James went to St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio. In 2003 he was the top-ranked high school basketball recruit in the country. The Cleveland Cavaliers picked him first overall in the 2003 NBA Draft. He came straight out of high school. He first played in the NBA on October 29, 2003. He won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award for 2003-04, his first year with the Cavaliers.

In July 2014 LeBron James returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He promised to bring a championship to his home area of northeast Ohio. The 2016 Finals were his sixth straight appearance in the NBA Finals. In 2016 the Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors. They were the first team to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals.

The Cavaliers won Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals by a score of 93-89. LeBron James finished with 27 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds. He was named the Finals MVP of the 2016 NBA Finals.

In 2016 LeBron James and the Cavaliers won the first NBA championship in the team's history. The title ended a 52-year wait for a major sports championship in Cleveland. It was the city's first major sports title since the Cleveland Browns won the NFL title in 1964.

In 2018 LeBron James left Cleveland. He went to play for the Los Angeles Lakers. In 2020 the Lakers beat the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. The title was his fourth championship.

In 2007-08 LeBron James led the NBA in scoring. He averaged 30 points per game. As of November 2026, he has been named the NBA's Most Valuable Player four times.

On February 7, 2023, LeBron James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He became the NBA's all-time leading scorer. As of November 2026, LeBron James has scored more points in NBA games than any other player in history. As of November 2026, he has scored more than 43,000 in the regular season.

LeBron James and Team USA won the Olympic gold medal in men's basketball at the 2008 Beijing Games. He has won three Olympic gold medals with the United States men's basketball team. The latest was at the 2024 Paris Games. There the U.S. men's team beat France in the gold medal game. It was its fifth straight Olympic gold. LeBron James was the male flag bearer for the United States at the opening ceremony.

LeBron James and his foundation opened a public school in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. It is called the I Promise School. It began with 240 students in grades three and four. It was set to grow to include grades one through eight by 2022.

Words to know

• recruit: player teams want
• draft: new-player pick
• deficit: being behind
• foundation: helping group