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Home , 2016 NBA Finals, Cleveland Cavaliers, Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, NBA Finals, Tim Duncan

Fishman THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Jon M. Fishman

Lerner Publications Minneapolis Copyright © 2018 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.

All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.

Lerner Publications Company A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. 241 First Avenue North Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA

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Main body text set in Albany Std 15/22. Typeface provided by Agfa.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Fishman, Jon M., author. Title: Lebron James / Jon M. Fishman. Description: Minneapolis : Lerner Publications, [2017] | Series: Sports all-stars | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2016048117 (print) | LCCN 2017003423 (ebook) | ISBN 9781512434521 (lb : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781512456172 (pb : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781512450866 (eb pdf) Subjects: LCSH: James, LeBron—Juvenile literature. | players——Biography—Juvenile literature. | African American basketball players— Biography—Juvenile literature. Classification: LCC GV884.J36 F57 2017 (print) | LCC GV884.J36 (ebook) | DDC 796.323092 [B] —dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016048117

Manufactured in the United States of America 1-42101-25395-3/16/2017 CONTENTS

For ...... 4

“The Chosen One” ...... 8

Superstar at Work ...... 13

The King ...... 18

Legend ...... 24

All- Stats ...... 28

Source Notes ...... 29

Glossary ...... 30

Further Information ...... 31

Index ...... 32 FOR CLEVELAND

The couldn’t stop LeBron James during the 2016 championship game.

4 superstar LeBron James skipped forward with the basketball. He brought his feet together, raised the ball, and jumped. He let go of the ball, and it curved through the air. Swish! The three- basket gave the Cavs the lead over the Golden State Warriors, 89–87. It was the fourth quarter of Game 7 of the 2016 National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals. The winning team would be named NBA champions. Many fans thought Golden State was the best team in the league. They had won 73 games during the and lost only nine.

5 That was the best record in NBA history. They took an early lead in the Finals, winning three games to one. But Cleveland won Games 5 and 6 to tie the series. It all came down to Game 7. The arena in Oakland, , was packed with cheering people. More than 30 million more fans watched on TV. There were 4 minutes, 52 seconds left on the game clock when James sank his three-point basket. Golden State tied the game a few seconds later. Then neither team scored for almost four minutes. With 53 seconds left in the quarter, hit a three-pointer to give the Cavs the lead. Then James made a to make the score 93–89. Time ran out. Cleveland won the NBA championship!

James is an NBA champion, and he’s also an Olympic champion. He first played for Team USA at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. The team finished third, but James and his teammates won in 2008 and 2012. James chose not to play in 2016.

6 James ( ) holds up the championship trophy after beating the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals.

This was the third time James had won the NBA Finals. But it was the first time he had done it as a member of the Cavs. Winning the title with Cleveland was special. James had grown up in nearby Akron, . Fans, coaches, and reporters streamed onto the court after the game. James hugged his teammates. Then he fell to his hands and knees and cried with joy. “Cleveland, this is for you,” he said.

7 “THE CHOSEN ONE”

James signs copies of his book at a bookstore in Ohio.

“I first started playing basketball when I was about 9 [years old],” James wrote in a book about his childhood. Before that he played football. He liked football because he could score touchdowns. He was still too short to dunk a basketball.

8 LeBron (back row, center) poses for a photo with the St. Vincent-St. Mary High School football team in 2001.

It didn’t take LeBron long to grow into basketball. He was tall and strong by the time he reached St. Vincent- St. Mary (SVSM) High School in Akron. From there, his basketball career took off like a rocket. As a freshman in 1999–2000, he averaged 21 points per game. The team lost just once all year and won the state title.

9 All-Star Stats James was 31 years of age at the beginning of the 2016–2017 season. He already ranks high on the NBA’s all-time points list. Yet many NBA stars play into their late 30s. Take a look at how James compares to some of basketball’s greatest players ever. By the time he retires, he’ll likely be a lot higher on this list.

Most Points Scored by a Player in a Career*

Player Points Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 38,387 36,928 33,643 32,292 31,419 29,491 Shaquille O’Neal 28,596 27,409 27,313 26,946 LeBron James 26,833 26,710 26,668 26,496 26,395

*Through the 2015–2016 NBA season

28 Source Notes

7 Dave McMenamin, “LeBron Finally Brings a Title Home to Cleveland,” ESPN, June 11, 2016, http://www.espn.com/nba/playoffs/2016/story/_/ id/16347923/--2016-lebron-brings-title -home-cleveland.

8 and LeBron James. LeBron’s Dream Team: How Four and I Brought a Championship Home (New York: Penguin Books, 2010), 17.

12 Tom Canavan, “Cavaliers Win LeBron James Sweepstakes,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 23, 2003, http://old.post-gazette.com/sports /other/20030523cavsjamesso6.asp.

25 Micah Peters, “The 10 Most Interesting Parts of LeBron James’ Q&A,” USA Today, July 28, 2015, http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/07/10-most -interesting-parts-of-lebron-james-twitter-qa.

29 Glossary

calories: units of energy carbohydrates: substances in food that the body needs for energy critics: people who judge art such as films and books : a yearly event in which teams take turns choosing players dunk: to throw the ball through the basket with the hands above the rim free throw: an unopposed shot taken from the free throw line recruit: a player who is being considered for the next level rookie: a first-year player scholarships: money given to students to help them pay for school scouts: people who judge the skills of basketball players three-point basket: a shot worth three points that is taken from behind the three-point line toxins: poisons yoga: exercise that includes careful breathing and body control

30 Further Information

Cleveland Cavaliers http://www.nba.com/cavaliers

Fishman, Jon M. Kyrie Irving. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 2017.

Gitlin, Marty. Playing Pro Basketball. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 2015.

The LeBron James Family Foundation http://lebronjamesfamilyfoundation.org

The Official Website of LeBron James http://www.lebronjames.com

Savage, Jeff. Super Basketball Infographics. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 2015.

31 Index

Akron, Ohio, 7, 9, 22 Heat, 25

Cleveland Cavaliers, 5–7, 12, 20, NBA Finals, 5, 7, 25 24–26 Nike, 22

Golden State Warriors, 5–6 , 10, 21 St. Vincent-St. Mary (SVSM) High Jordan, Michael, 12, 21 School, 9, 10 LeBron James Family Foundation, 23

Photo Acknowledgments

The images in this book are used with the permission of: © iStockphoto.com/63151 (gold and silver stars); Schiely/TNS/Newscom, p. 2; MARCIO SANCHEZ/ POOL/EPA/Newscom, p. 4; JOHN G. MABANGLO/EPA/Newscom, p. 7; AP Photo/Amy Sancetta, p. 8; Seth Poppel Yearbook Library, p. 9; AP Photo/Bruce Schwartzman, p. 10; AP Photo/Greg Ruffing, p. 11; AP Photo/Tony Dejak, pp. 12, 19; © Wesley Hitt/Getty Images, p. 13; © Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images, p. 14; © MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images, p. 15; AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, pp. 16, 27; Everett Collection/Newscom, pp. 18, 20; AP Photo/File, p. 21; © Ezra Shaw/Getty Images, p. 22; © Aaron Davidson/Getty Images, p. 23; Icon Sports Media 441/Icon Sports Media/Newscom, p. 24; © Angelo Merendino/Corbis/Getty Images, p. 26.

Front cover: Karen Schiely/TNS/Newscom; © iStockphoto.com/neyro2008.

32 THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Fishman

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