Brian Boone - LeBron--Life Lessons from the King

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To BWB, who lives for all things basketball, but especially the Blazers. (Sorry, Bron.)

B.B.

NOTHING IS GIVEN. EVERYTHING IS EARNED.

Hes known by many nicknames: King James. The L Train. The Little Emperor. The Chosen One. The GOAT. But before all of those well-earned titles and all hes accomplished, basketball superstar LeBron James was merely, as he often reminds the world, a kid from Akron. Its a telling insight into how LeBron sees himself and approaches his lifes journey. He never forgets that he came from a humble background and got to where he is by setting goals, working hard, and remaining deeply motivated, even when (especially when) the road got rocky.

LeBron James stood out for his basketball talent early on. As a freshman at St. VincentSt. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio, LeBron led his team to a perfect record and the first of multiple state titles. LeBron was named the best basketball player in Ohio for the first time as a sophomore, the first time an underclassman had ever landed the honor.

After receiving loads of national media attention for his remarkable abilities before he was even 18 years old, LeBron James was selected out of high school by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first pick in the 2003 NBA draft. He would go on to win the Rookie of the Year Award, his first accolade in a pro career that would one day include four MVP awards, four NBA championships, and 18 All-Star team selections. Hes even won three Olympic medalstwo golds and a bronzeas a member of Team USA. LeBron has broken and set countless records, and has accomplished such remarkable feats on the court that hes regarded by many as the greatest basketball player who ever lived.

LeBron James pursues excellence. He never rests on his accomplishments. They only inspire him to reach the next level as a player and as a person. He developed his talents and skills until they were world class, and hes maintained them and improved upon them throughout his NBA career. From his expert shot-blocking to his tomahawk dunk to his stellar cross-court passing, LeBron has always had the power to put on a show. LeBron sets clear goals, lays out a plan on how to get there, and then acts on it. Its not that he hasnt struggled: Hes failed and faced major disappointments, but he doesnt dwell on those failures. Thats not where a champion puts his focus. LeBron puts all his energy into creating a lasting legacy, having changed the gameand the world around himfor the better.

LeBron has a path to greatness. He learned, even as a teenager, that hed have to overcome every obstacle he encountered if he was going to be a success. For him, the key to becoming great lay in several different approaches. From his years as a teenage athlete to his time as a professional athlete and public figure, LeBron has never shied away from trying new things, learning from his triumphs and mistakes as he does so. Hes also been patient with himself and with others, learning as much as he can by observing and working alongside them. LeBron fights for what he believes in, and he consistently defines and redefines what it is that motivates him on a deeper level. Even in a career thats pushing an improbable two decades, hes still giving his endeavors his all, challenging himself (and the rest of us) to be the very best. When we examine his life and the choices he makes along the way, we can see the qualities that define a champion.

This book is about finding motivation, that hard-to-define, know-it-when-you-feel-it sense that makes you get up, go, and do it. LeBron James found it and never lost it, and he has used it to live out his wildest dreams. What LeBron learned about successfully reaching and exceeding goals is a blueprint that anyone with bold aspirations can follow.

When a person discovers what it is they love to do, they will readily devote their lives to it, learning every aspect of it, studying its history, developing their skills, firing up their passions, and even helping it evolve into something better. To some, basketball is a game, a sport. But to others it is a calling, a passion, and a way of life. Those who choose to do it professionally, and who are talented and lucky enough to do so, find that it becomes a part of them. It makes them feel alive, like they have purpose, like playing that sport is what they were put on this planet to do.

LeBrons reason for being is not just to play basketball. Once he became one of the most successful and prominent athletes to ever pick up a ball, he expanded his goals. Not content to be one of the best (if not the best) to ever play hoops, he used his influence and gifts to open up his world and inspire others to do the same. LeBron James was lucky to discover what he wanted to do very early in life.

HEART ON HIS SLEEVE

LeBron acknowledged his mothers importance by having her name tattooed on his right arm. It reminds him every day that she helped him grow into the person he is.

LeBron James was once, as he likes to humbly refer to himself, a kid from Akron. He was born on December 30, 1984, in the northeastern Ohio city of Akron. His mother, Gloria James, was 16 years old and still in high school when LeBron was born. She was living with her mother, Freda, and her brothers, Terry and Curt. LeBrons biological father wasnt a part of his life then or ever. He was an ex-convict who wanted no part of fatherhood, and for that reason LeBron hasnt pursued a relationship with him or talked much about him publicly. He relies on, and is devoted to, his doting mother.

The lack of his biological fathers presence and influence in his life, both as a child and beyond, had a lasting impact on LeBron. But instead of dwelling on the struggle of not having a father around, he used it to light a fire in himself. In a 2014 GQ profile, LeBron imagines what hed say to his father if he could:

I dont know you. I have no idea who you are. The fuel that I use todayyou not being thereits part of the reason I grew up to become who I am. Its part of the reason why I want to be hands-on with my endeavors. So me in a position allowing people around me to grow, that maybe wouldnt have happened if I had two parents, two sisters, a dog, and a picket fence.