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LeBron James biography

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LeBron James, one of the NBA's leading players, is the youngest player to win the Rookie of the Year Award, among several other distinctions. He led the Miami Heat to an NBA champion victory in 2012.

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"I am focused on the team that I am on right now and winning a championship ... I don't think about making a change at this point," James told reporters.

Shortly after becoming a free agent, however, James announced that he would be joining the Miami Heat for the 2010-11 season. His fans in Cleveland were less than pleased, and many considered his departure a betrayal to his hometown. Soon after James's announcement,

Cleveland Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert wrote an open letter declaring James's decision as "selfish", "heartless" and a "cowardly betrayal." Unfazed, James finished second in the league during his first season with the Heat, scoring 26.7 points per game.

The 2011-12 season also saw major success for James and the Miami Heat, which ended the season with an NBA Championship win, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder (121-106) in Game 5 of the finals, on June 21, 2012. It was James's first NBA championship win. In the final game, James scored 26 points, and had 11 rebounds and 13 assists. "I made a difficult decision to leave Cleveland but I understood what my future was about," James told FOX Sports following the game. "... I knew we had a bright future (in Miami)."

James competed at his third Olympic Games in 2012, at the Summer Olympics in London, along with teammates Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant, as well as several other top players. The U.S. basketball team took the gold medal—James's second consecutive Olympic gold.

During the 2012-13 season, James made NBA history yet again: On January 16, 2013, at age 28, he became the youngest NBA player to score 20,000 points, succeeding Kobe Bryant of the Lakers—who became the youngest player to reach 20,000 points at age 29—for the distinction. James made a jump shot the final seconds of the game, bringing his scoring total 20,001 and leading the Heat to a 92-75 victory over the Warriors. James is only the 38th player in NBA history to achieve this feat.

Throughout his NBA career, LeBron James has been considered one of the best players in the league, and has been compared to basketball great Michael Jordan.

Personal Life

Outside of the NBA, James has worked to help others. He established the LeBron James Family Foundation in 2004, along his mother Gloria, to help out children and single-parent families in need. Among its many programs, the organization builds playgrounds in economically disadvantaged areas and hosts an annual bike-a-thon.

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      Olympic Basketball Players

      Shaquille O'Neal, Carmelo Anthony and Lebron James are just a few of the most well-known basketball players to have competed in the Olympic Games. The men's and women's national teams, often comprised of some of the top American professional and college players, have proven to be two of the most successful teams from the U.S. Since their first Olympic appearance in 1936, the men's team has taken home a total of 13 gold medals, with the women not far behind, claiming six since their start in 1976. From legendary figures like Michael Jordan to female powerhouses like Lisa Leslie and Sheryl Swoopes, Biography looks at the most famous names who have dominated the Olympic courts.

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      The 2012 London Summer Olympic Games set the stage for fierce competition among the world's top athletes in track and field, boxing, gymnastics, soccer, swimming and basketball, among other sports. Explore Biography.com's list of Olympic 2012 Athletes, from swimmers Missy Franklin, Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte to javelin-throwing beauty Leryn Franco, to swift track stars Tyson Gay, Justin Gatlin, Yohan Blake, Usain Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Sanya Richards-Ross, and more.

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