LeBron Raymone James is born in Akron, Ohio, at what was then Akron General Medical Center (now Cleveland Clinic Akron General).
James is introduced to basketball by youth football coach Frank Walker and begins playing the sport seriously.
He plays Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball for the Northeast Ohio Shooting Stars alongside friends including Dru Joyce III; they become known as the "Fab Four" and decide to attend high school together.
James enters St. Vincent–St. Mary High School, a decision that draws local attention and controversy.
As a freshman, he averages 18 points and 6 rebounds per game; St. Vincent–St. Mary goes 27–0 and wins the Ohio Division III state title, finishing undefeated.
James playing for the St. Vincent–St. Mary Fighting Irish on January 20, 2003
He averages 25.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 3.8 steals; the team repeats as state champions. He is named Ohio Mr. Basketball and makes the USA Today All-USA First Team, becoming the first sophomore to achieve either honor.
James is featured in Slam magazine, which calls him possibly the best high school player in the United States at the time.
He appears on the cover of Sports Illustrated, becomes the first junior to win the male basketball Gatorade National Player of the Year, and again earns Ohio Mr. Basketball and All-USA First Team honors.
After the season, James unsuccessfully petitions for a change to NBA draft eligibility rules to enter the 2002 NBA draft.
St. Vincent–St. Mary plays Oak Hill Academy in a nationally televised game on ESPN2.
James is involved in high-profile eligibility controversies tied to accepting a Hummer H2 and later jerseys; he is ultimately allowed to return after a reduced suspension and later scores a high school career-high 52 points in his first game back. St. Vincent–St. Mary wins the Ohio Division II championship.
After participating in multiple high school all-star games, he forgoes NCAA eligibility and officially enters the 2003 NBA draft.
Coming out of high school, James signs a major endorsement deal with Nike, reported as a seven-year agreement.
The Cleveland Cavaliers select James with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft; he chooses jersey No. 23 in honor of Michael Jordan.
In his first regular-season game, he scores 25 points, setting an NBA record for points by a prep-to-pro player in a debut.
At the end of the 2003–04 season, James wins the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
As a 19-year-old rookie, he debuts for the United States at the 2004 Olympics in Athens; Team USA wins bronze.
James is selected to his first NBA All-Star Game.
He scores 56 points against the Toronto Raptors, setting a Cleveland single-game scoring record at the time.
James signs a three-year, $60 million contract extension with the Cavaliers, with an option for a fourth year.
At the 2006 All-Star Game, he scores 29 points, is named All-Star MVP, and later finishes second in NBA MVP Award voting behind Steve Nash.
Cleveland reaches the playoffs for the first time since 1998; in his postseason debut, James records a triple-double against the Washington Wizards.
At the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan, James plays a larger role for Team USA as co-captain; the team wins bronze.
James leads Cleveland to its first NBA Finals appearance, highlighted by a 48-point double-overtime Game 5 in the Eastern Conference finals vs. the Detroit Pistons; the Cavaliers are swept by the San Antonio Spurs.
James comes off the bench for the first time in his career, timing his entrance to match teammate Anderson Varejão amid a pay dispute to avoid fans booing Varejão.
James wins his first NBA scoring title (30 points per game) and surpasses Brad Daugherty as the Cavaliers’ all-time leading scorer.
James donates $20,000 to support Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign and later helps draw a large crowd for a Jay-Z concert and an Obama campaign-ad viewing in Cleveland.
At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Team USA goes undefeated and wins gold, the program’s first Olympic gold since 2000.
James attempting a shot over China's Yao Ming at the 2008 Summer Olympics
James appears on the cover of Vogue with Gisele Bündchen, making him the first Black man and third man overall to appear on the magazine’s cover.
With Cleveland going 66–16, James wins his first NBA Most Valuable Player award and makes his first All-Defensive Team.
James undergoes surgery at the Cleveland Clinic to remove a benign tumor in his right parotid gland.
James wins his second straight NBA MVP award with the Cavaliers, then Cleveland is eliminated by the Celtics in the 2010 playoffs amid heavy scrutiny of his performance.
As a free agent, James announces on ESPN’s The Decision (TV program) that he will sign with the Miami Heat, a move that draws major backlash despite the broadcast raising money for charity.
James with the Cavaliers in 2009
James signs a six-year, $110 million contract with Miami, switches to jersey No. 6, and joins with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh as the Heat’s "Big Three."
James goes in for a slam dunk as a member of the Heat in March 2011.
Miami reaches the 2011 NBA Finals but loses to the Dallas Mavericks; James’ Finals scoring drops sharply compared with the regular season.
James wins his third NBA MVP award; Miami wins the 2012 NBA Finals, giving him his first NBA championship, and he is named Finals MVP.
At the 2012 Olympics in London, James leads Team USA, records the first triple-double in U.S. Olympic men’s basketball history, and wins a second straight Olympic gold medal.
James attempting a dunk at the 2012 Summer Olympics
James marries Savannah Brinson in San Diego, California; the couple later has two sons (Bronny and Bryce) and a daughter (Zhuri).
Miami wins the 2013 NBA Finals for a second consecutive championship; James is named Finals MVP again.
James scores a career-high 61 points against the Charlotte Bobcats.
James opts out of his Heat contract and returns to the Cavaliers on a two-year deal, switching back to jersey No. 23; the move is received more positively than his 2010 departure.
James takes a shot in November 2014. During that season, James became the Cavaliers' all-time assists leader.
Cleveland reaches the 2015 NBA Finals, but loses to the Golden State Warriors.
In a rematch with the Warriors, the Cavaliers come back from a 3–1 Finals deficit to win the 2016 NBA Finals; James posts a triple-double in Game 7 and is unanimously voted Finals MVP, delivering Cleveland’s first major pro sports title in 52 years.
James surpasses Michael Jordan as the NBA’s all-time postseason scoring leader during the Eastern Conference finals, and Cleveland reaches a third straight Finals vs. the Warriors.
The Akron School Board approves the I Promise School, a public elementary school created in partnership with the LeBron James Family Foundation.
Cleveland reaches the 2018 NBA Finals after defeating Boston, giving James his eighth consecutive Finals appearance; the Cavaliers are swept by the Warriors.
The I Promise School opens in Akron; James calls it his most important professional accomplishment.
James signs with the Los Angeles Lakers on a four-year, $153.5 million contract.
The Lakers trade for Anthony Davis, and James moves to full-time point guard ahead of the 2019–20 season.
After NBA executive Daryl Morey supports Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, James calls Morey "misinformed," drawing criticism from protesters.