Lebron James

by James Arlen Anderson

This title introduces readers to LeBron James, the National Basketball Association all-star. Jamess life story is examined from his childhood in Ohio through his prep years to his selection by the Cleveland Cavaliers as the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft and selection as the 2004 NBA Rookie of the Year. Readers will follow Jamess NBA career from his NBA Finals championship in 2012 against the Oklahoma City Thunder to his many MVP awards and all-star game appearances. Jamess international career is also covered, including the two gold and one bronze medals he earned in Olympic competition. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Checkerboard Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

32 pages, Library Binding

Published August 1, 2014

About the author

James Arlen Anderson is a fiction writer and magazine editor. His debut novel, The Storm Next Door, is forthcoming from Skywater Publishing Cooperative.

He is also the author (as Jameson Anderson) of 20+ nonfiction books for early readers covering topics such as athletes and adventure careers.

Reviews

[Chasen Meirovits · Rating 4 out of 5]

This biography about one of the greatest to ever to play the game of basketball, LeBron James, takes you through the thick and thin of his life and how he has evolved into the dominant and elite player that he is today. LeBron was born in Akron, Ohio on December 30, 1984 and his mom was only 16 years old when he was born. He lived with his mom, grandmother and great grandmother and two uncles. Unfortunately, his great grandmother died when he was an infant and just three days later, his grandmother died of a heart attack. His mother was struggling to pay the bills and the family moved in with neighbors and friends and had to sleep on couches for a long time. They had moved five times in three months and life was becoming very difficult. LeBron chose not to go to school when he was young and his mom left him alone most days because she was extremely busy. One day, a football coach named Bruce Keller saw LeBron playing tag with other kids and told them whoever could run across the parking lot the fastest would be running back on his team and of course, he won. LeBron and his family would eventually move in with Coach Keller and live with him for a while. Eventually, LeBron would be introduced to another sport which he would stick with for the rest of his life, basketball. James enrolled at Saint Vincent Saint Mary High School in Akron where he played for the Fighting Irish, starting on the varsity team as a freshman. He wore number 23 in honor of his favorite player Michael Jordan. His team finished with a perfect record and won the state championship. His high school had to start holding games at the University of Akron because so many people wanted to see LeBron play, including college and NBA coaches and scouts. When it was time for him to decide whether he wanted to attend college or go straight to the NBA, LeBron decided to go professional. He was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers as the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. He became the youngest player to win rookie of the year and score 40 points in a single game. Being the popular and intriguing player he is, many companies such as Nike and McDonald's have reached out to LeBron to advertise their products and has made millions through endorsements. After a bitter end to the season in 2010, LeBron decided to join the Heat and try to chase a championship with them after they had also recruited Chris Bosh and kept superstar Dwyane Wade. LeBron would eventually end up winning 2 championships with the Heat, but would then return home to Cleveland where he will most likely finish off his career.

This book was very interesting and fun to read because as a basketball fan, I was not familiar with some of the events mentioned in this book about LeBron's life. It did a great job telling his story and how he was brought up with rough living conditions but ended up finding his way and achieving fame. The images of LeBron's life were very enjoyable to look at and really supported what was being explained by the text. Since it was a biography, there were no full bleed two page spreads of image, but each set of pages included text and a picture. I would most definitely recommend this book to anyone with a passion for basketball because hearing LeBron's story was very inspirational and showed that no matter what you may go through, if you work hard at what you love, anything can be possible and that exactly what pushed LeBron to become the superstar athlete that he is today.

[Gage H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book because it taut me a lot about LeBron James. This book would be recommended to people who are LeBron James fans. If you like LeBron James this book would be perfect for you. This book focuses on LeBron James life and how he grew up to be a good basketball player.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

One book in the "Awesome Athletes" series, focusing on basketball player, LeBron James. Although it will be quickly outdated as LeBron continue to play, this will be a big hit with basketball fans. Topics covered include LeBron's early childhood and his life with his young, single mom; school and the trouble he had there; learning to play basketball instead of football; high school and college years; the Olympics, and championships. Also included are statistics, color photos, timeline, glossary, and index. In addition there is a link to the awesome athletes website for further/current information.