On December 30th, our King and Pookie bear, Lebron James, turned 40 years old. He’s been through so much, good and bad, and has worked tirelessly to get where he is now. Although Lebron is one of the most recognized athletes in the world, we will remember him once more by recapping his achievements throughout his 40 years of life.
On December 30th, 1984, the world was blessed with the birth of Lebron Raymone James. Lebron was born in Akron, Ohio, and grew up to attend St. Vincent-St. Mary High School where he quickly rose to fame. Lebron went on to win Mr. Ohio for basketball in 3 consecutive years (2001,2002,2003) the only person to ever do so. After dominating high school ball, Lebron was drafted #1 overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA draft. Lebron immediately began to dominate with the Cavaliers, winning Rookie of the Year in his first season. Lebron then went on to make the NBA all-star team each year from 2004-2008 before winning consecutive MVPs in 2009 and 2010. During that time, Lebron made his first of 10 finals appearances in 2007 against the Spurs.
After the 2010 season, however, Lebron made a career-changing decision to leave Cleveland and join Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat. In his 4 year stint with Miami, Lebron led the Heat to 4 consecutive finals appearances, winning back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013. Lebron then made the bold decision to return to Cleveland after the 2014 season, his 10th year in the NBA. Lebron went on to carry the Cavaliers to 4 more consecutive finals appearances, making 8 in a row for him. Lebron and the Cavs won the Finals in 2015 and 2016 making the notorious 3-1 comeback against the Warriors in 2016. After, the 2018 season, Lebron made the final decision to find a new home in Los Angeles with the Lakers. Where, after a down year for him and the team, Lebron led the Lakers to a Finals victory in 2020.
That leads us to the past few years. In that time Lebron took the lead as the highest-scoring player in NBA history, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and led the USA men's Basketball team to an Olympic gold in 2024. He is also able to play with his son, Bronny James, on the Lakers. Lebron James is not only the greatest basketball player of all time, but he is an icon for many and widely renowned as a top 5 person in world history. So, although Lebron’s birthday has already passed, it is never too early or too late to celebrate him and his accomplishments as well as appreciate his presence in the world.
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