11 Interesting Facts About LeBron James

It’s hard to think of any athlete who has experienced as much spotlight at such a young age as LeBron James, a four-time NBA MVP. Born in Akron, Ohio, on December 30, 1984, James was a multi-sport prodigy in his youth. He would go on to become only the second of three NBA players ever to be selected No. 1 overall straight out of high school—and the only one to claim Rookie of the Year honors. Whether you’ve followed his journey from Cleveland to Miami, back to Cleveland, and then to L.A., you might not be aware of these 11 intriguing facts about King James, who recently became the NBA’s all-time scoring leader.

1. LeBron James’s life was shaped by two football coaches.

At just 16 years old, Gloria James gave birth to her only child, LeBron. Shortly after her mother's passing, they lost their entire support system. For the next six years, they moved between couches and apartments in Akron’s rough neighborhoods. When LeBron was 9, he met Bruce Kelker, who was assembling a youth football team. Kelker took LeBron under his wing, and the James family moved in with him to provide some stability. Later, another coach, Frank Walker, invited LeBron to live with his family. Despite missing over 80 days of school in the fourth grade due to their unstable living conditions, LeBron didn’t miss a single day in fifth grade.

2. LeBron James made history by appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a high school junior.

In February 2002, just after turning 17, the standout star from St. Vincent-St. Mary High School was dubbed “The Chosen One” in a now-legendary Sports Illustrated cover story (LeBron later had “CHOSEN 1” tattooed across his back). Had the league permitted, James could have entered the NBA draft that year, but eligibility required high school graduation—so LeBron finished his senior year with his team, the Fighting Irish. They clinched their third Division II championship, and the buzz surrounding LeBron and his teammates led to televised games on ESPN2, with Time Warner even offering pay-per-view broadcasts of their games.

3. A broken wrist changed the course of LeBron James’s basketball career.

LeBron played both football and basketball throughout middle and high school, and some have speculated that he could have gone professional in football. However, in June 2002, just before his senior year, he broke his wrist during an AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) game. With a two-month recovery period, LeBron decided to skip football season to ensure he’d be fully recovered for his final basketball season.

4. LeBron James follows a “Work Hard, Sleep Hard” mindset.

To be the greatest, rest is just as important as hard work. LeBron once admitted to sleeping 12 hours a night, though these days, he aims for a solid eight hours, with a nap during the day. This extra rest is crucial given the incredible physical toll of his basketball career.

Another part of LeBron's health routine? A glass of good red wine. “I’ve heard it’s good for the heart,” he told ESPN the Magazine in 2018. “Listen, I’m playing the best basketball of my life, and I’m drinking some wine pretty much every day.” His taste in wine is no joke, with former teammate Kevin Love noting that “Bron has a supercomputer in his brain” when it comes to wine, and their Cavaliers teammates agreeing he’s their go-to for wine orders when they go out. Fortunately for LeBron, his new home in L.A. is just a short distance from Napa.

5. LeBron James became the first Black man to appear on the cover of Vogue.

Before LeBron graced the cover of Vogue in April 2008, only two men had ever appeared: Richard Gere and George Clooney. LeBron’s cover sparked controversy, however. Critics pointed out the striking resemblance of the Annie Leibovitz photograph, featuring LeBron and supermodel Gisele Bündchen, to racist U.S. Army propaganda imagery from World War I, which depicted King Kong as a “mad brute” alongside a white damsel in distress.

6. LeBron James has long been a leader in labor advocacy and is no stranger to collective bargaining.

In February 2019, Akron’s pride concluded a four-year term as the first vice president of the NBA's labor union, the National Basketball Players Association. As the second-in-command, he was instrumental in advocating for better benefits for retired players and playing a key part in securing the significant salary cap increase in 2016, which dramatically improved the financial outlook for mid and top-tier pro players (and helped the Golden State Warriors form their dynasty by assembling a star-studded roster).

7. LeBron James didn’t become the highest-paid player on his own team until he was 31.

James was the highest-paid player in the NBA during the 2016–17 season, but it took him over a decade of professional basketball before he became the highest earner on his own team. Early in his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he was surrounded by veteran players, including an aging and injury-ridden Shaquille O’Neal. Notably, James took a pay cut to help form a super-team with the Miami Heat in 2010. He finally reached the top salary tier during his second stint with the Cavaliers. More recently, Forbes named him the first active athlete to achieve billionaire status.

8. LeBron James has fought for equality in arenas beyond just sports.

During salary negotiations for her role as both lead actress and executive producer in a biographical series about Madam C.J. Walker, Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer faced difficulties in securing a fair salary. That's when LeBron James and his business partner Maverick Carter, both executive producers of the show, intervened to advocate for Spencer. 'When I asked for certain things, they had to go and say, ‘She deserves these things!’' Spencer told The Undefeated. 'That type of leadership has been important, and I’m thrilled about it.'

9. LeBron James married his high school sweetheart.

Savannah Brinson may have attended the high school rival of LeBron James, but when the future NBA star noticed her as a junior cheerleader, he asked her out. 'I knew he loved me when I left my leftovers from dinner in his car,' she shared with Harper’s Bazaar in 2010, recalling their Outback Steakhouse date. 'I’d totally forgotten about them, and he brought them to me. I think he just wanted another excuse to come and see me.'

Since then, the couple has remained together, even as LeBron's fame skyrocketed. They tied the knot in 2013 and are now parents to three children. 'I just thought he’d be a hometown hero for his era and it would be over,' Savannah reflected. LeBron, in turn, values their shared journey. '[Savannah] was there when I was in high school, no cameras, no spotlight. And she stood by me,' he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2018. 'You wouldn’t be talking to me right now if it weren’t for her.'

10. Since his childhood, LeBron James has been compared to Michael Jordan—first on the basketball court, and now on the big screen.

The opening scene of the 2002 Sports Illustrated article—when James was still in high school—featured him speaking to NBA legend Michael Jordan as if they were long-time friends. 'The moment feels charged, even a little historic,' Grant Wahl wrote. 'Think of that famous photo of a young Bill Clinton meeting JFK? It’s the same energy. Here, you have His Airness and King James—38-year-old Michael and 17-year-old LeBron—one the greatest of all time, the other a high school junior who many—from eager NBA general managers to battling shoe company executives to mesmerized fans—believe could be the next Air Apparent.'

Not only has LeBron James lived up to the legacy of Michael Jordan on the basketball court, but he also took a shot at movie stardom. The original Space Jam, featuring Michael Jordan, became the highest-grossing basketball film of all time. LeBron’s 2021 sequel, Space Jam: A New Legacy, raised the stakes with even bigger cameos, though it earned $70 million domestically, falling short of the original's $90 million. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic, however, likely impacted its box office performance.

LeBron also impressed audiences with his surprisingly nimble performance as a fictionalized version of himself in Judd Apatow’s 2015 film, Trainwreck. The New Yorker’s Ian Crouch even argued that LeBron stole the show, calling him the funniest performer in a film that featured comedic heavyweights Amy Schumer and Bill Hader.

11. LeBron James’s son, Bronny, is making a name for himself on the basketball court as well.

LeBron James Sr. once confessed that naming his firstborn son after himself might have been a mistake. The pressure that comes with being LeBron James Jr. could be overwhelming, but ‘Bronny’ quickly embraced the spotlight and made a name for himself. As an eighth-grader, he was already dunking effortlessly and had received scholarship offers from top-tier programs like Duke and Kentucky before even turning 12. However, his protective father—who knows a thing or two about dealing with teenage hype—kept a close watch over his son. “He’s already got some offers from colleges,” James said in a 2015 interview with CBS Detroit. “It’s pretty crazy. It should be a violation. You shouldn’t be recruiting 10-year-old kids.”

Bronny is now in college and considering options like USC, The Ohio State, or Oregon for the 2023–24 season. His father has shared that it’s his dream to play in the NBA alongside his son. “I need to be on the floor with my boy, I got to be on the floor with Bronny,” LeBron told ESPN in 2023. Bronny would be eligible for the NBA in the 2024–25 season, which would make LeBron 40 years old at the time.