lebron james essay paper

Classic Galleries

I'm Coming Home

Author: LeBron James

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ORIGINAL LAYOUT

BEFORE ANYONE ever cared where I would play basketball, I was a kid from Northeast Ohio. It's where I walked. It's where I ran. It's where I cried. It's where I bled. It holds a special place in my heart. People there have seen me grow up. I sometimes feel like I'm their son. Their passion can be overwhelming. But it drives me. I want to give them hope when I can. I want to inspire them when I can. My relationship with Northeast Ohio is bigger than basketball. I didn't realize that four years ago. I do now.

Remember when I was sitting up there at the Boys & Girls Club in 2010? I was thinking, This is really tough. I could feel it. I was leaving something I had spent a long time creating. If I had to do it all over again, I'd obviously do things differently, but I'd still have left. Miami, for me, has been almost like college for other kids. These past four years helped raise me into who I am. I became a better player and a better man. I learned from a franchise that had been where I wanted to go. I will always think of Miami as my second home. Without the experiences I had there, I wouldn't be able to do what I'm doing today.

I went to Miami because of D-Wade and CB. We made sacrifices to keep UD. I loved becoming a big bro to Rio. I believed we could do something magical if we came together. And that's exactly what we did! The hardest thing to leave is what I built with those guys. I've talked to some of them and will talk to others. Nothing will ever change what we accomplished. We are brothers for life. I also want to thank Micky Arison and Pat Riley for giving me an amazing four years.

I'm doing this essay because I want an opportunity to explain myself uninterrupted. I don't want anyone thinking: He and Erik Spoelstra didn't get along.... He and Riles didn't get along.... The Heat couldn't put the right team together.... That's absolutely not true.

I'm not having a press conference or a party. After this, it's time to get to work.

When I left Cleveland, I was on a mission. I was seeking championships, and we won two. But Miami already knew that feeling. Our city hasn't had that feeling in a long, long, long time. My goal is still to win as many titles as possible, no question. But what's most important for me is bringing one trophy back to Northeast Ohio.

I always believed that I'd return to Cleveland and finish my career there. I just didn't know when. After the season, free agency wasn't even a thought. But I have two boys, and my wife, Savannah, is pregnant with a girl. I started thinking about what it would be like to raise my family in my hometown. I looked at other teams, but I wasn't going to leave Miami for anywhere except Cleveland. The more time passed, the more it felt right. This is what makes me happy.

Back To The Future: Cleveland once again has reason to believe

To make the move I needed the support of my wife and my mom, who can be very tough. The letter from Dan Gilbert, the booing of the Cleveland fans, the jerseys being burned—seeing all that was hard for them. My emotions were more mixed. It was easy to say, "O.K., I don't want to deal with these people ever again." But then you think about the other side. What if I were a kid who looked up to an athlete, and that athlete made me want to do better in my own life, and then he left? How would I react? I've met with Dan, face-to-face, man-to-man. We've talked it out. Everybody makes mistakes. I've made mistakes as well. Who am I to hold a grudge?

I'm not promising a championship. I know how hard that is to deliver. We're not ready right now. No way. Of course, I want to win next year, but I'm realistic. It will be a long process, much longer than it was in 2010. My patience will get tested. I know that. I'm going into a situation with a young team and a new coach. But I get a thrill out of bringing a group together and helping them reach a place they didn't know they could go. I see myself as a mentor now, and I'm excited to lead some of these talented young guys. I think I can help Kyrie Irving become one of the best point guards in our league. I think I can help elevate Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters. And I can't wait to reunite with Anderson Varejão, one of my favorite teammates.

But this is not about the roster or the organization. I feel my calling here goes above basketball. I have a responsibility to lead, in more ways than one, and I take that very seriously. My presence can make a difference in Miami, but I think it can mean more where I'm from. I want kids in Northeast Ohio, like the hundreds of Akron third-graders I sponsor through my foundation, to realize that there's no better place to grow up. Maybe some of them will come home after college and start a family or open a business. That would make me smile. Our community, which has struggled so much, needs all the talent it can get.

In Northeast Ohio, nothing is given. Everything is earned. You work for what you have.

I'm ready to accept the challenge. I'm coming home.

-- As told to Lee Jenkins

Essay Topic Generator
Essay Grader
Reference Finder
AI Outline Generator
Paragraph Expander
Essay Expander
Literature Review Generator
Thesis Generator
Text Editing Tools
AI Rewording Tool
AI Sentence Rewriter
AI Article Spinner
AI Grammar Checker
Spell Checker
PDF Spell Check
Paragraph Checker
Free AI Essay Writer
Paraphraser
Grammar Checker
Citation Generator
Plagiarism Checker
AI Detector
AI Essay Checker
Proofreading Service
Editing Service
AI Writing Guides
AI Detection Guides
Citation Guides
Grammar Guides
Paraphrasing Guides
Plagiarism Guides
Summary Writing Guides
STEM Guides
Humanities Guides
Language Learning Guides
Coding Guides
Top Lists and Recommendations
AI Detectors
AI Writing Services
Coding Homework Help
Citation Generators
Editing Websites
Essay Writing Websites
Language Learning Websites
Math Solvers
Paraphrasers
Plagiarism Checkers
Reference Finders
Spell Checkers
Summarizers
Tutoring Websites
Essay Checkers
Essay Topic Finders

Most Popular

12 days ago

Tips for College Freshmen: From Social Life to Studying

Demure tiktok trend explained: what it is and why it’s going viral.

11 days ago

College Dorm Checklist! Must-Have Things to Take with You

How to develop a homework routine that works, how to write a bridge in an essay, lebron james essay sample, example.

He was born in 1984, December 30, in Akron, Ohio. His mother, Gloria Marie James, was 16 years old at the time of his birth, while his father, Anthony McClelland, has a criminal record and was not present in his early life and now. As a single mother, Gloria, moved from apartment to apartment, ending up in Akron. She struggled to find a stable job. Eventually, worried about LeBron’s upbringing, she brought him to live with a local football coach named Frank Walker. LeBron was nine years old at the time, and the Walker introduced basketball to him (Sharp, Anne Wallace).

By the time he was in the fifth grade, LeBron was playing in an organized basketball team. Namely, he played for the Northwest Ohio Shooting Stars for the Amatuer Athletic Union. He made strong bonds with teammates Sian Cotton, Dru Joyce III, and Willie McGee. They had a lot of success at the local and national level while being on the team, and they decided they would all go to the same high school to remain as a team. Controversially, the four students chose to attend St. Vincent–St. Mary High School, which primarily was a white school, whereas LeBron and his friends were black (Nichols, Rachel).

It was obvious that LeBron was a natural, as even as a freshman, he dominated the high school circuit. In his first year, he averaged 21 points and 6 rebounds per game. The St. Vincent–St. Mary High School’s team, The Fighting Irish, went undefeated in the season, 27–0. This made a new record for the first high school boys basketball team in Ohio to go undefeated in a season. After this first year, Lebron was a sensation, and went into his sophomore a star. He did not disappoint the fans, with 25.2 points and 7.2 rebounds with 5.8 assists and 3.8 steals per game. For some games, bigger venues had to be booked to accommodate the amount of people who wanted to watch the games of the team. NBA scouts were already taking a keen notice of LeBron. That year, the team went 26–1, and LeBron was named “Ohio Mr. Basketball” and was chosen for the USA Today All-USA First Team. He was the first high school sophomore to do so (NBA.com: Prospect Profile: LeBron James).

Before entering his junior year of high school, LeBron was getting a lot of press. He was featured in the American basketball magazine Slam on the cover, and was called, “the best high school basketball player in America right now” (“Ohio Player”). LeBron also became the first high school basketball underclassmen to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. His junior year was spectacular as well, with an average of 29 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 3.3 steals per game. Again, he was crowned “Ohio Mr. Basketball” and selected for the USA Today All-USA First Team. In addition, he became the first junior ever to be named male basketball Gatorade National Player of the Year. However, his team did not do as well as in the previous two years, with a record of 23–4 (Sharp, Anne Wallace). This was a difficult time for him, as he was getting a lot of media attention and he did not know how to deal with it properly. He started to use marjuana as an anti-stress tool. To add to the anxiety, he wanted to enter the NBA draft early, but the NBA would not sway the rules for him, and he had to compete in his senior year in order to enter the NBA. Just a side note: LeBron also played football through his freshman to junior year, and also produced a good record (“LeBron’s Book Shows Struggle With Fame”).

His averages continued to make gains, with his senior year closing out at 1.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 3.4 steals per game. LeBron and the Fighting Irish played against many national teams, and some games were even televised as pay-per-view games due to LeBron’s fame. For a new record, Lebron was named “Ohio Mr. Basketball” and selected for the USA Today All-USA First Team for the third year in a row. Again, he was named Gatorade National Player of the Year. He participated in many end-of-the-year competitions for high school and officially entered the NBA draft. There were some issues during his senior year, though, with run-ins with the law. His mother gave him a gift of a Hummer through a loan based on his viability as a future NBA player. This was against the rules of the Ohio High School Athletic Association, but he was eventually cleared of all wrongdoing. Furthermore, he accepted gifts from fans who wanted him to pose for pictures with them. He was suspended for two games for this, but made an amazing comeback in the game after the suspension, scoring a high school career-high of 52 points (Bolch, Ben).

In the 2003 NBA Draft, he was the first overall pick. His hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, chose him. And the decision seemed to be a solid one: in his first NBA game, he scored 25 points against the Sacramento Kings, which set a record for the most points scored by a prep-to-pro player (“Expectations for James More than Met”). The rest, you can say, is history.

LeBron James might be the best basketball player of all time, if not the most talented. Coming from a mother without much of a home to give, he found wings in the home of a football coach. He played football and basketball throughout his school days, but excelled most in basketball. By the end of his freshman year in high school, he was already a local and even national star. And by the time he was a sophomore, it was clear he was going to be in the NBA. Through some legal issues, problems at home, and media attention, LeBron found the strength and focus to play to the best of his ability and became an international sensation in sports history.

This is an example of an expository essay. Most of the time, this type of texts requires a lot of thorough research. And gathering all of the facts can take quite some time as well. Spending so much effort on just one essay may be frustrating. Think about looking for the best essay writing service reviews – they have some information that can help make the creative process much easier.

Works Cited

Sharp, Anne Wallace. LeBron James. Lucent Books, 2008.

Nichols, Rachel. “LeBron James Opens up on His New School, the Lakers and Life’s Challenges.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, 30 July 2018, www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/24194051/lebron-james-discusses-opening-public-school-akron-move-los-angeles-lakers-nba.

NBA.com: Prospect Profile: LeBron James, www.nba.com/draft2003/profiles/JamesLeBron.html.

“Ohio Player.” SLAM, 30 Dec. 2014, www.slamonline.com/nba/ohio-player-lebron-james-first/.

“LeBron’s Book Shows Struggle With Fame.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 24 July 2009, www.cbsnews.com/news/lebrons-book-shows-struggle-with-fame/.

Bolch, Ben. “James Is Too Much for Westchester.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2003, www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-feb-09-sp-hslebron9-story.html.

“Expectations for James More than Met.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, 30 Oct. 2003, www.espn.com/nba/recap?id=231029023.

Comments (0)

Welcome to A*Help comments!

We’re all about debate and discussion at A*Help.

We value the diverse opinions of users, so you may find points of view that you don’t agree with. And that’s cool. However, there are certain things we’re not OK with: attempts to manipulate our data in any way, for example, or the posting of discriminative, offensive, hateful, or disparaging material.

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

More from Essay on Profile Examples and Samples

Nov 23 2023

Why Is Of Mice And Men Banned

Nov 07 2023

Pride and Prejudice Themes

May 10 2023

Remote Collaboration and Evidence Based Care Essay Sample, Example

Related writing guides, writing an expository essay.

Remember Me

Is English your native language ? Yes No

What is your profession ? Student Teacher Writer Other

Forgotten Password?

Username or Email

Home / Essay Samples / Sports / Lebron James / The Best Football Player: Why Lebron Is The G.O.A.T.

The Best Football Player: Why Lebron Is The G.O.A.T.

Category: Sports
Topic: Lebron James , Michael Jordan

Pages: 2 (1083 words)

Downloads: -->

--> ⚠️ Remember: This essay was written and uploaded by an--> click here.

Found a great essay sample but want a unique one?

are ready to help you with your essay

You won’t be charged yet!

Running Essays

Athletic Trainer Essays

Tennis Essays

Jackie Robinson Essays

Related Essays

We are glad that you like it, but you cannot copy from our website. Just insert your email and this sample will be sent to you.

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Your essay sample has been sent.

In fact, there is a way to get an original essay! Turn to our writers and order a plagiarism-free paper.

samplius.com uses cookies to offer you the best service possible.By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .--> -->