Sports Essentials: Lebron James

Name: Lebron James

Born: December 30, 1984

Occupation: Basketball player

It’s hard to miss Lebron James. Standing at 6'8", the freakishly tall 24 year old basketball player towers over just about anybody, drawing attention to him even if he wasn’t already a celebrity sportsman. Born in Akron, Ohio, the American professional player began honing his skills as a starter at the age of 14.

A bona fide national treasure, James was tipped and promoted to be an eminent NBA superstar while still in high school. In 2003, his status as a talented basketball player was cemented when he was selected as the number one pick amongst the other NBA draftees. Long before his professional career even took off, he already signed a multi-million dollar shoe contract with Nike.

Since being drafted into the league, the Cleveland 23 jersey-spotting sportsman has made his mark and presence known in the industry. At only 24, James has set several NBA “youngest records”, including being bestowed with the title of “Rookie of the Year” and the coveted title of “2009 NBA Most Valuable Player”.

Whenever James enters the playing field, he strikes. Whether he is gifted with a superhuman talent, we do not know. What we do know is his professional slate shows no intentions of slowing down. To date, he is the youngest player to reach 12,000 points in the scoring system. His statistics show that he averages 30 points per game in any season.

His stunning records did not go unnoticed as he became a member of the United States’ National Basketball team. In the 2008 Olympics qualifier round, James scored an amazing 31 points, the most recorded by any American player. The basketball team later proved to be the country’s priding joy when they brought home the Gold medal.

With such remarkable achievements, it is little wonder that James has received national attention. He has secured a string of endorsement deals, spanning from Sprite to Upper Deck and most notably, Nike. With Nike, he even dabbled in the production of 6 uniquely-Lebron shoe styles.

In 2007, he was named #1 in Forbes’ Top 20 earners under 25, coming in with annual earnings of $27million. True to his nickname, “King James”, his generosity and kindness qualities are befitting of a king. In the spirit of charity, he donated his prized possession, a Kia to the Akron Urban League when he won the NBA MVP this year.

While his professional stats are laudable, many who have met him say that it was his personality that made an impression. Often described as hardworking and humble, he chose his alma mater as the premise to receive the special NBA MVP award.

Dedicating the award to his mother and teammates, James is an exemplary example to all of us. We should never stick our noses up in the air when we achieve success; every ounce of it, we owe it to the people surrounding us.

Using his success for a good cause, he publicly expressed his support for the President by donating $20,000 to a committee that elected Barack Obama. In October that same year, he exerted his influence by gathering some 20,000 people for a 30-minute Barack Obama TV advertisement viewing. His antics have encouraged the younger generation to become aware and active in important political affairs.

Proving himself to be a versatile personality, he took centre stage at the 2007 ESPY Awards, sharing hosting duties with comedian Jimmy Kimmel. In other forays, he reprised his role as a host at the 33rd season premiere of comedy show Saturday Night Live. Be it the arena or the stage, James excels in his endeavors.

Perhaps to give recognition to his expanding stardom, Vogue featured James on their cover, making him the first black man to grace the front page, and the third male celebrity to do so.

He also appeared on the GQ February 2009 cover. Taking the time to participate in a friendly basketball faceoff with GQ editors, he displayed true sportsmanship and humility. How many celebrity professional players out there are willing to take even an hour off their schedule to play with our neighbourly faces? Not many.

Needless to say, his team won by a landslide.

While many 24 year olds are busy squandering whatever money they earn, James has always been a financially savvy person. As if his field domination wasn’t enough, he has made building a billion-dollar empire his ambition. And while we can only consult our financial analysts next door, James, being the megastar that he is, takes his advice from one person.

The person is Warren Buffet; second richest man in the world. Long before he even came to eminence in the NBA, James looked to Buffet for some financial tips. He later remarked how the latter had advised him to trust in his own instincts and to never regret a setback.

Buffet has even admitted to being an avid fan of the sportsman, one time even wearing a “Witness” shirt to a Cleveland game. When a multi billionaire and investment mogul who is almost thrice your age adulates you, you know you’re a man of swagger.

It is truly baffling to imagine the magnitude of James’ success, especially when he has yet to transit into his quarter-life crisis. We draw inspiration from this rising young star; when pursuing our dreams, we should always give it our best shots!

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