LeBron James: The Rise of a Star

by David Lee Morgan

“A well-rounded, personal portrait of the young superstar” ― Booklist An up-close look at young LeBron James when he was basketball's hottest prospect, poised at the brink of superstardom. Sportswriter David Lee Morgan covered the LeBron phenomenon for the Akron Beacon Journal starting with LeBron’s freshman year in high school and had unequaled access to LeBron, his family, and his close friends. He saw the exceptional play on the basketball court and the surprising poise with which LeBron has handled the pressure, the scrutiny, the criticism that arrived with the early onset of fame. The odds were against James from the start. Born in poverty to a 16-year-old single mom, without a stable home for the first decade of his life, LeBron could have become just one more scarred product of a rough childhood in the projects. Instead, he became the darling of the sports world―and he plays the part well. He was called the best high school basketball player ever. He made the cover of Sports Illustrated as a junior, was featured on national television, and signed more than $100 million in promotional contracts before the end of his senior year. It was no surprise when he became the no-doubt-about-it No. 1 pick in the NBA draft right after high school graduation. This is a story for any fan who wants to get to know LeBron better, and for anyone curious about how a high-school basketball phenom is made.

Genres: Sports, Biography, Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

He is the goat

[Tyler Vennard · Rating 2 out of 5]

lerbon james shows great purpose though out his life. He was one of the youngest players in the association bu this purpose was to work harder than everyone else even though he was younger.

[Gal Naveh]

I think the book was great and that is very important for athletes to read since it demonstrates how hard work pays of.

[Cameron]

"The Rise of a Star" is a book about a young athlete making it to the NBA. The book is a biography on lebron james. It tells about how rough lebron's life was before he started making money in the pros. It also tells how he kept himself out of trouble and came to love basketball.

I was surprised by the book by how little he had he moved around a lot and didnt live in the best places. I am kind of surprised he didnt get in more trouble with the law it would have been easy for him to get into drugs and get quick money. I also didnt know that it is because of basketball he found his best friends and father figure. I think this book is a great inspiration for not only athletes or people who come from little, but for all to make the best of what they have and can do.

I recommend this book to readers because it is an enjoyable read. The reader will learn things that were never known about lebron james. If the book is read with interest it should inspire anyone. The book should inspire everyone to push for their dreams, but also watch what they do on their way to the top because it could have consequences.

[Tahj Dickerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lebron James: The Rise of a Star by David Lee Morgan, Jr. is an sports novel about Lebron James life before the NBA. Lebron James had an amazing childhood. At a young age Lebron James was a basketball phenomenon. The novel talks about Lebron James younger days and high school days. Also, the novel talks about the friendship Lebron had with his teammates Willie, Dru, Sian, and Romeo.

I liked a lot of things about this book, but it had a few parts I didn't like. The things I liked the most was when they was comparing Lebron James to Kobe Bryant. The debate about who is better between them two players will cause controversy. Its so hard to decide who is better. What I don't like about the book is that, I wasn't as interested in it. It had a major events, but it wasn't as interesting as Shooting Stars.

The novel is good. I'll rate it a 3 out of 5. I gave it a 3 out of 5 because the novel didn't keep me interested. I kept dozing to sleep while reading it. However, the novel has some exciting points in it. I recommend this novel to people who are interesting in learning about Lebron's life and his struggles from a kid to his last year in high school.

[Brock · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book “The Rise of a Star” by David Lee Morgan Jr. is very good. This book is about LeBron James and his hard life. The book starts talking about his young life and how he never really stayed at a “home” and that he moved a lot. At one point LeBron was staying at his “second home” with the man that taught him the game that he now dominates in. When LeBron was in middle school he and his AAU teammates had to decide what high school to go to. They made a group decision to go to St. Vincent-St. Mary. LeBron James went straight to the NBA draft, where he was chosen the first overall pick in the 2003 draft.

I recommend this book for any sports fanatic. You don’t have to like LeBron but you cannot deny that he is an amazing basketball player.

[Mitchell Berg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story about one of the greatest athletes to ever roam this earth. Such an inspiring tale.

[Jose Arellano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the book was amazing because it takes about lebron's child hood and what he when thought to go to the top

[Preston Vostrejs · Rating 4 out of 5]

LeBron James: The Rise of a Star is a solid book that tells a great story about the childhood and development of one of basketballs greatest stars ever. LeBron James didn't have much growing up, so he had no choice to outwork everybody else. This book not only did a good job telling the story but left out no details, such as stories of when Lebron signed autographs for kids, or when he was gifted a car by his mother. The book gave a detailed explanation of why the OHSA investigated and eventually suspended LeBron James for accepting a free jersey based on his athletic achievements. I learned that Lebrons father figure spent lots of time in jail, and he was raised almost entirely by his mother Gloria. The book also did a good job describing old events such as when Lebron practiced with the team even while being unable to play. I found it interesting to learn that LeBron was strongly against leaving school early for the NBA because he wanted to leave a legacy at his school. This is something that almost never happens nowadays. LeBron James was also very talented at football, and many coaches believed he had a better chance of going pro in football. There were so many cool things I did not know about Lebron James and this book covered them all. From his relationship with parents, to his 2 sport talents, to his suspension and comeback, and the list goes on. David Lee Morgan Jr. represented Lebron James in a great light, and this book definitely changed my opinion on not only Lebron, but basketball altogether. I already watch a little bit of basketball, but this book will make just about anybody want to turn on a Lakers game. I highly recommend this book to not only sports lovers, but everyone.

[Grant Bright · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an excellent book that tells the story of one of the greatest basketball players of not only the modern era, but one of the greatest players of all time. It tells how James grew up in a home with only his mother who had him at the age of 16 due to his father being out of the picture. He started playing basketball at a young age and started becoming very good at it. He played basketball all the time and kept on grinding even though he came from nothing. He then got into high school where he was dominating everyone. He was highly recruited by many colleges but he believed that he could take his talent and abilities to the NBA and so did everyone else. He was struggling with the decision. He was as many quoted a man amongst boys while playing high school basketball. He decided after a long critical thinking period that he would go straight to the NBA and play basketball professionally. He wanted to give back to his mother who had worked hard his whole life to be able to provide a somewhat stable home. By the end of his senior year of high school he had signed more than $100 million dollars in promotional contracts. He ended up becoming the number 1 pick in the 2003 NBA draft and started playing professional basketball at the age of 18. Now currently is considered the best basketball player on Earth to some people. This relates to my topic of the one-and-done rule because it shows that some players are ready to go straight to the NBA and are able to perform at a high level without the college year in between. LeBron is a prime example that some players are perfectly ready to come put of high school to the NBA.

[Zach Daoud · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book I enjoyed. It was the tough life of a basketball star named Lebron James. It talked about how hard it was for him to grow up and accurately described his whole basketball career starting from middle school. He was living in the ghetto with a milk crate hung up on a telephone pole as his only way to play basketball. When he was a baby his parents struggled with affording nice things for Lebron. They, however, put together more work and effort so they could buy a basketball hoop for Lebron for Christmas. As soon as he saw it he attacked it and started playing with it passionately day and night every time he got the chance. He eventually grew up to be an obvious star and conquered the NBA.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was about LeBron James' childhood. It starts with his unfortunate luck of his grandma (who was kind of supporting and raising him) dying when he was quite young. It continues on to highlight not only his outrageous athletic ability and his incredible ability on the basketball court but his incredible talents in other sports such as football. He eventually goes to high school with 4 of his best friends and talented basketball players to win 3 state championships.

I thought that this book was quite good and it really did a good job explaining LeBron's childhood in an interesting fashion. I usually am not a big nonfiction guy but this book kept me reading and wondering what was going to happen next. It was even pretty funny at some points. That is what I thought of this book

[Jack Tsoutsouras · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It talked about how hard LeBron worked to make it to where he is today. He worked his way up from having nothing and living in a car with is mother to an all star basketball player in the NBA making millions. He taught me that you need to dream big and set goals for yourself. He showed me that if you work hard and stay focused you can achieve a lot in life. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves basketball and dreams of making it to the NBA.

[George Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

LeBron James is widely considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He has won four NBA championships, four NBA Most Valuable Player Awards, and two Olympic gold medals. His talent, athleticism, and work ethic have made him a dominant force on the court throughout his career. Many fans and analysts believe that he has revolutionized the game with his combination of size, speed, and skill, and his impact on the sport will be felt for generations to come.

[Paul Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

yes i loved this book because for one lebron is may favorite basketball player ever and this shows how he started his legacy of be coming something amazing in the game of basketball and how he over came not having his dad in his life and how he used his moms strength to fuel him to be better in life.

[Brandon Staples · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books ever it shows Lebrons life. Lebron James is my favorite basketball player so this book was great as it showed how he really live off the court. Even telling the audience about how Lebron missed 82 days of fourth grade. I could read this book over and over again and never get tired of it.

[Carson]

the book The Rise of a Star Lebron James was overall a good book and i would recommend to people to read. the was about how lebron james grow up poor and became the greatest to play basketball. i would rate this book a 10/1o because its lebron and fun fact he lived with coach beacuse he was to poor.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book does an okay job describing LeBron's years prior to the NBA. It is quite elementary, and has some spelling and grammar mistakes including spelling Allen Iverson's name incorrectly! Those things bothered me, but it was pretty decent and easy to read. Hopefully a more exhaustive biography will be written about LeBron following his NBA retirement sometime in this decade.

[DALTON BECKER · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book because lerbron james is one of the best basketball players I have liked and the book is really good if you like basketball and lerbron on then this book whould be good for you and he has a very interesting life from high school to now.

[Brandon Staples · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I felt like I could read it a million times and never get bored of it. It described his whole childhood. Like how Lebron's mom was so poor they constantly had to move to find a stable enviorement and how missed the majority of fourth grade because he would just not show up.

[Griffin Honthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve owned this book for like 15 years lmao. It is cool to go back and read it. This was written before Lebron even played an NBA game which is so insane. Hes the GOAT now. A really cool look into his come up and childhood

[Bryson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the book Of The Rise Of A Star Lebron James.I liked it so much because it really told a lot of what happened in his live and how he became so great.

[Bryce B · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was interesting the book talked about Lebron's child hood and his time in high school. The book talks about Lebron and his mom moving to place to place.

[Liam Lysogorski · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about lebrons life as an nba player

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the book it is for people with an interest in basketball.

[Aaron Bard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book is a good way to find out information about one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

[Agaash 8F · Rating 4 out of 5]

i think it a good book because it shows how hard lebron path to glory in the nba

[Christian rexroth · Rating 5 out of 5]

LEbron is the goat forget all about jordan booo.

[Nehemaiah Vaioleti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lebron is my favorite NBA player and I had learned

[Ronan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fun read. This book talks about his childhood. Also how he became a star at basketball. If you like basketball this would be a good book for you.