On December 30, 1984, LeBron James was born in Akron, Ohio, a small town about 40 miles south of Cleveland. LeBron is the son of Gloria James and Anthony McClelland. While James was still playing basketball in high school, his mother could be seen wearing jerseys with “LeBron’s Mom” printed on the back. While her son played on the court, she waved signs with her talented son’s photo pasted on the front. Gloria James was and is a proud mother and rightfully so.
Akron, Ohio and LeBron James
According to CNN Money’s 2006 Best Places To Live report, Akron, Ohio is a small town of approximately 215,000 residents. The average median income for the city is $43,338. Surrounding Akron are small towns like Youngstown, Canton, Elyria, Lorain and Parma. Into this mix rose up LeBron James. It is easy to see how he became so widely known throughout his birthplace.
Akron’s St. Vincent-St. Mary High School is where LeBron James got his secondary education. At the same time that he was gaining his academic footing, James was making a name for himself on the basketball court. James’ hero was the Chicago Bulls’ Michael Jordan. James greatest supporters included his mother, his Pee Wee football coach, Frankie Walker, and the entire Walker family. James lived with the Walkers when he was in the Fifth Grade.
Media Focus on the Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James
The move added stability to James’ young life. By the time the basketball phenom entered high school at St. Vincent-St. Mary, his basketball finesse was gaining the attention of sports enthusiasts outside of Akron. ESPN started to cover the team’s games. Michael Jordan invited James to work out in games that he put together with other professional basketball players.
The attention was swelling. The stakes were high for LeBron. His name was being heard around the world and he hadn’t even graduated from high school yet. If he didn’t deliver, there was a lot on the line. Speculation was that he had signed a $90 million dollar sneaker contract with Nike, this before he had laced up his sneakers and played his first game in the NBA.
Deliver LeBron James did. The young man from the small town in Ohio was ready for the noise, all the hoopla and the tremendous expectations that awaited him. He signed with Ohio’s Cleveland Cavaliers right out of high school. His first year in the NBA he averaged 20 points per game. Five years into his professional basketball career, James earned his first Most Valuable Player title.
LeBron Hits a Remarkable One-Second NBA Game Winner
Then on May 22, 2009 while playing a nail biter against the Orlando Magic, James hit a remarkable three-point shot with only one second left in regulation. Orlando seemed certainly poised to go up 2-0 in the Eastern Conference playoff series. The play, as called up by the Cleveland Cavaliers’ head coach, Michael Brown, was for LeBron to go inside for a lob. James cut but he was covered. His basketball IQ took over and he stepped back. His teammate, Mo Williams, passed him the ball. With the Cavaliers’ Quicken Loans Arena, aka “The Q”, at a hush, James leaped into the air. The release was perfect. The unbelievable happened all in one second; the ball went in.
The Q erupted. Ohio’s own had done it. After putting up 32 points in 43 minutes, James put up one last shot and won the game. That night and the following day, sports journalists around the world talked and talked about the one second shot. It wasn’t long before it became clear that LeBron James had made history . . . again.
Sources Cited
Friend, Tom. “Next: LeBron James.” December 10, 2002. ESPN. 24 May 2009
CNN Money. 24 May 2009
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