Lebron James

On the Court with...LeBron James (Matt Christopher Sports Biographies)
$4.99
Outstanding. Unbelievable. Mindblowing.

These are just a few of the words used to describe the talents of LeBron James. He was a sensation in his early days playing AAU ball in Akron, Ohio-and continued to amaze through his four years as a high school phenomenon. Now going into his fifth year as a star of the Cleveland Cavaliers, he is touted as the best player in basketball today. And for good reason: his dunks are monstrous, his no-look passes are things of beauty, his three-pointers seem effortless. But even more importantly, he is that one-of-a-kind superstar whose main goal isn't to rack up the stats-it's to make his team better.

LeBron James: The Rise of a Star
$14.95
I can only finish the first five chapters! This book is for my B-ball-inspired son. One can imagine the anxiety of a teenaged boy to read this book and have no fingerprint mark on it (I was warned). : D

From what I've gathered, Mr. James's life is a predominant factor in life. There are many starving artists in our world. He is blessed with a mom who quickly identified her issues and snapped into retrieving her life and her son's life to address poverty (and other issues). Thank G-d for her awakening and motivation. Because it is her awakening that helped get real "good friends" into the life of this amazingly blessed and skilled young man.

Some people never recover from their oppressives (whether it is drugs, prostitution, gambling, etc.).

LeBron has a wonderful, loving family and I'm sure a host of good friends.

In five chapters, I received a lot of information. It was difficult for me to put down the book. If I can finish reading the remaining 7 or 8 chapters, I can write a more comprehensive review.

You got my point! It's a well-written biography of the life of Mr. LeBron James -- A Highly motivated and most inspiring look into a fantastic basketball player in the 21st century.

This book is highly recommended for scholastic libraries throughout the world!

Shooting Stars
$26.95
I live in a pro basketbal town so thought I would enjoy this book but I read part of it only just couldn't finish. My thirty-something year old son saw it and took it home to read. This is his review:

I thought the book was ok at best, I am a basketball fan but not necessarily a Lebron fan. I think his young fan's (14-20 yrs old) would enjoy this book and use it to inspire their own sports goals. I had high hopes for this book when I first started reading about his and his friend's early years and the different backgrounds they came from. I also like his honesty about the love he has for the people that helped raise him when his mother struggled to do so herself, especially Coach Dru. At times it became a little far fetched with his take on the dreams of middle school basketball players inspiring to be the best. I thought Lebron was overstating his and his friends maturity at a young age while at the same time using youth as an excuse for mistakes or character flaws. The book went quickly but with not much substance other than highlights of ball games and kids being kids. Towards the end of the book it became more about Lebron defending himself using some bad judgment and letting the reader know who the people were that were against him succeeding. Quick read but not inspirational like a sports story should be.

The Franchise: Lebron James and the Remaking of the Cleveland Cavaliers
$19.95
It used to be a game. Not any more. Once the players pass the age of about six or so, basketball (and probably every other major league sport, as well) becomes BIG Business, married without redemption to Entertainment. It's best not to forget that fact while you rejoice in the wonder that is LeBron James. HE certainly gets it! Apparently, he enjoys it all immensely, while never losing his head over it all. He seems to have been born to be a celebrity, as well as one of the greatest athletes who ever lived. And he's barely twenty-three, which coincidentally, is the number on his uniform!

This book by Cleveland sportswriter Terry Pluto and Akron's Brian Windhorst analyzes the Cleveland Cavaliers in every way imaginable throughout the team's 38-year-old history, with very special attention paid to the last seven years. If you have ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes in a major league team office, here's your guide. You will learn some amazing things, such as how to tear apart a team that's just slightly started on the slippery slope downward, in order to build up a hopefully better one that will be capable of pursuing championships in a legitimate way. It makes for fascinating reading.

And to think, it's all happening right here-in Cleveland!

Chapter Ten, which describes in minute detail the events of the Lottery evening in New Jersey, could not be more tense or suspense-laden if it were an Alfred Hitchcock movie! And if you remember that evening, you'll rejoice all over again, as Cleveland-finally!-got the grand prize.

There's an entire chapter devoted to Carlos Boozer. You can judge for yourself who was honorable and who wasn't as a result of that debacle. If you've followed the team during these last years (and who locally hasn't?) you'll find all the familiar players and coaches, as well as some maybe not-quite-so-familiar names. It's truly fascinating, if for no other reason than the intimate looks at the many behind-the-scenes episodes related here, to which most of us peons can never get close.

Don't be too misled by the photo of LeBron on the cover, however. This is not just a book about LeBron. The title is, after all 'The Franchise' and that's the thrust of this volume. Certainly, LeBron is (and will hopefully continue to be) a major part of the franchise, but basically, there's much to be learned about the former owner Gordon Gund and the current one, Dan Gilbert. He REALLY wants a championship, and seems willing to do whatever it takes to bring one here. I hope there will soon be a book of Gilbert's 'isms' - that would be an instant best-seller!

Maybe next year will be OUR year!