Portrait · Clément Bardot / CC BY-SA 4.0

LeBron James

Professional basketball player, producer and entrepreneur

Born 1984

LeBron James is an American professional basketball player, producer and entrepreneur whose combination of size, playmaking, scoring and longevity has reshaped the modern NBA. Raised by his mother, Gloria, in Akron, Ohio, he became a national high-school phenomenon at St. Vincent–St. Mary and entered the league as Cleveland's first overall pick in 2003. Across two Cleveland tenures, four seasons with Miami, eight with the Los Angeles Lakers and a new Philadelphia chapter beginning in 2026, James became the NBA's all-time leading scorer, the first player to surpass 10,000 points, rebounds and assists, a four-time champion and four-time league MVP. He led Miami to consecutive titles in 2012 and 2013, fulfilled Cleveland's championship promise in 2016 and won the Lakers' 2020 title. Internationally, he earned three Olympic gold medals, carried the United States flag at Paris 2024 and was named that tournament's MVP. James has also built an extensive public record beyond basketball: he co-founded SpringHill and UNINTERRUPTED with Maverick Carter, starred in and produced screen projects, wrote the children's picture book I Promise, and built the LeBron James Family Foundation's education-and-family support network in Akron. In July 2026, after seriously considering retirement, he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers for a record-extending 24th NBA season; in September he said Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and the opportunity to help Joel Embiid pursue a championship were central to the move. James called the choice his "last decision" and spoke of beginning the journey "one last time," but the reviewed team, NBA and Associated Press reports did not record a formal final-season or retirement-date announcement.

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Connected people

ConnectionSavannah JamesHigh-school sweetheart, wife since 2013 and mother of their three children.

ConnectionBronny JamesEldest son and the teammate with whom James made NBA father-son history in 2024.

ConnectionMaverick CarterChildhood friend and long-term business partner across LRMR, SpringHill and UNINTERRUPTED.

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