For nearly 20 years, LeBron James has been the face of the NBA. Sure, there have been other great players who’ve emerged as stars in recent years, such as Stephen Curry, Kawhi Leonard, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, but no one holds a candle to James’s fame.
The four-time NBA champion entered the league at just 18 years old back in 2003 and has been compared to Michael Jordan ever since. While we’ll never really know who the GOAT (greatest of all time) is, there’s no denying James is one of the best to ever do it.. From the college he would’ve attended to his acting career, here are six things you need to know about the current Los Angeles Lakers superstar.
Would’ve Been a Buckeye
James declared for the NBA draft right out of high school, but the rules have since changed for basketball players. In fact, basketball players now have to go to college — or another league — for one year before being able to declare for the draft.
Since the rules have changed, people have always wondered where James would have attended if he had to go to college for at least one year. Well, as it turns out, he would have most likely gone to Ohio State, as he is from Akron, Ohio.. Ohio State fans are probably wishing that rule would’ve been in place when James was in high school because there’s a good chance they would’ve won a championship!
First Black Man on the Cover of Vogue
Only two men had ever been on the cover of Vogue prior to James – Richard Gere and George Clooney. However, James was the first black man to land on the cover when he did in April 2008 alongside Gisele Bundchen.
Took Some Time to Become the Highest-Paid Player
Though he’s been the face of the NBA for nearly two decades, it took James a while to become the highest-paid player. In fact, he didn’t become the highest-paid player overall until the 2016-2017 season.
Married to His High School Sweetheart
James met Savannah Brinson back when they were teenagers, though she was attending his rival high school. She was a cheerleader for the opposing team and he spotted her during one of his games. The rest, well, is history.
The couple officially tied the knot in 2013 and they have three children together — 16-year-old LeBron Jr, 13-year-old Bryce, and 5-year-old Zhuri.
After appearing in a few TV shows, James made his big-screen debut back in 2015 when he appeared in Trainwreck starring Amy Schumer.
Though he played a fictionalized version of himself, his performance was well-liked by fans and critics. And, as if he’s not already compared to Michael Jordan enough, James will also be appearing in Space Jam 2, which is set to be released in 2021.
Two-Time Gold Medalist
Along with being a four-time NBA Champion, James has also won two Olympic gold medals. He was on the 2004, 2008, 2012 Olympic teams, but they only took home the gold in 2008 and 2012.
Who knows, maybe he’ll win his third gold medal if he decides to be part of the Olympics happening in 2021 in Tokyo!