LeBron Raymone James (/ləˈbrɒn/; born December 30, 1984), nicknamed "King James", is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing at 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) and weighing in at 250 pounds (113 kg), he has played the small forward and power forward positions for Miami, as well as the Cleveland Cavaliers. James has been an NBA champio
n, an NBA Finals MVP, a four-time NBA MVP, an NBA scoring champion, the NBA Rookie of the Year, and an Olympic gold medalist. He has also been selected to nine NBA All-Star teams, nine All-NBA teams, and five All-Defensive teams, and is the Cavaliers' all-time leading scorer. He was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar while winning multiple national player of the year honors during his junior and senior year. After graduating, he was selected with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cavaliers. James led the Cavaliers to the 2007 NBA Finals, their first NBA Finals appearance in franchise history, but the team was swept by the San Antonio Spurs. In 2010, he left the Cavaliers for the Heat in a highly publicized free agency period. In his first year in Miami, the Heat reached the 2011 NBA Finals, but lost to the Dallas Mavericks. James won his first championship in 2012 when the Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, and was awarded the NBA Finals MVP Award. His career achievements and leadership role during the Heat's 2012 championship run have led a majority of basketball analysts, experts, and writers to consider him the best player in the NBA today. Off the court, James has accumulated considerable wealth and fame as a result of numerous endorsement contracts. His public life has been the subject of much scrutiny, and he has been ranked as one of America's most disliked and influential athletes. He has also been featured in books, documentaries, and television commercials, and has hosted the ESPY Awards and Saturday Night Live.
