LeBron James: NBA Champion examines the life and career of a player who's been in the spotlight since he was in middle school and rose out of poverty to become an NBA champion, Olympic gold medalist, and world-famous philanthropist. Features include a timeline, a glossary, further readings, websites, source notes, and an index. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Essential Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

Details of James's life as a young man struggling in his home life to his rise to fame and fortune on the basketball court are illustrated in full-color Photographs in this biography. Fans get an inside look into the events that made him a star, how he keeps himself grounded amid media attention, and the sometimes negative fan reactions to his decisions. This glimpse of the person behind the athlete reveals a person dedicated to programs that benefit children who, like him, may have had a rough start in life, actions that make him a legend both on and off the court.

This title examines the fascinating life of LeBron James. Readers will learn about James's childhood, family, education, and rise to fame. Colorful graphics, oversize photos, and informative sidebars accompany easy-to-read, compelling text that explores James's early interest and skill in basketball that led to him joining the Cleveland Cavaliers then the Miami Heat. James's NBA championship wins, MVP awards, Olympic medals, and his charitable work are also discussed. Features include a table of contents, glossary, selected bibliography, Web links, source notes, and an index, plus a timeline and fun facts. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Essential Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

LeBron James was still in high school in Akron, Ohio, when he was proclaimed the next great basketball player. Drafted first overall right out of high school in 2003 by the nearby Cleveland Cavaliers, he lived up to the hype by winning the NBA 2004 Rookie of the Year award. His decision to leave the Cavaliers was shown on national television. He was two titles with the Miami Heat before returning to Cleveland and bringing, in 2016, that city its first major sports championship since 1964. This biography will inspire your readers.

This title introduces readers to LeBron James, the National Basketball Association all-star. James's 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 James's NBA career from his NBA Finals championship in 2012 against the Oklahoma City Thunder to his many MVP awards and all-star game appearances. James's 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.

"If I had a chance to return to Cleveland, and those fans welcomed me back, that’d be a great story." —LeBron James in 2010, days after "The Decision" You're Welcome, Cleveland is Scott Raab's big-hearted companion to his darkly comic "sports-jeremiad-slash-memoir" The Whore of Akron and follows the first two years of LeBron James’s return to Cleveland. Everybody just loves a good story of forgiveness—especially when you fulfill your promise and bring home an NBA Championship, the first major title for a Cleveland team since 1964. In 2010, when LeBron James announced to the world that he was leaving for Miami, he broke the collective heart of his native city and destroyed the hopes of an entire tortured generation. As LeBron headed south, unofficial spokesman Scott Raab sent him off with a middle-finger salute of his own—a deliciously obscene aria of sports fandom, Jewishness, and weight gain that became infamous as The Whore of Akron. Four years—and two NBA championships later—LeBron came home to the Rust Belt faithful who had vilified him mercilessly, none more so than Raab. You’re Welcome, Cleveland is the story of both LeBron’s and Scott’s redemption as they pursue the one thing they crave more than anything in life—an NBA title for the city that made them men. LeBron is back. So is Scott Raab. It’s a great story. You’re Welcome, Cleveland.

This epic homecoming tale recounts one of the greatest sports stories in Cleveland history — how LeBron James and the Cavaliers took fans on a roller coaster ride from despair to hope and, finally, to glory as the 2016 NBA champions. Fans felt gut-punched in 2010 when local hero and MVP LeBron James announced he was leaving the Cavaliers and Northeast Ohio for Miami. The Cavs nose-dived in the standings and struggled to recover. Then, in June 2014, LeBron announced he was coming home. And he had a mission: Lead the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals and give Cleveland its first championship in 52 years. But would LeBron’s return be enough to restore his reputation, revive the franchise, and reward long-suffering Cleveland fans? Award-winning sportswriter Terry Pluto tells how it all happened. How LeBron won back fans with a heartfelt message — and savvy PR . . . How the Cavs’ front office crafted a championship-caliber team with a big three of James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love and a bench stocked not only with talent but character and chemistry . . . How LeBron’s added experience from four seasons and two titles in Miami prepared him for this second chance in Cleveland . . . How the Cavaliers reached the 2016 NBA Finals to face a Golden State Warriors team, led by MVP Stephen Curry, that had just set an NBA record for wins and had vanquished the Cavs in the Finals the previous season . . . How LeBron and the Cavs, down a historically hopeless three games to one, sparked an unprecedented come-from-behind surge (symbolized by LeBron’s superhuman block in Game 7) to stun Golden State and bring home the NBA Championship . . . And how the ecstatic fans joined the team in a joyful celebration that brought more than a million people together in downtown Cleveland. Pluto tells it all with insightful analysis, extensive front-office details, and a deep empathy for the fans.