LeBron Raymone James (born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who plays as a forward for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "LBJ" and "King James", he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and has won four NBA championships from 10 NBA Finals appearances, including eight consecutive appearances between 2011 and 2018. He has won three Olympic gold medals as a member of the U.S. national team. James is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time and has been considered by many to be the greatest, amid an ongoing debate over whether he or Michael Jordan ranks first in NBA history. James ranks fourth in NBA career assists and sixth in NBA career steals, and has won four NBA MVP awards, four Finals MVP awards, three All-Star Game MVP awards, the Rookie of the Year award, the inaugural NBA Cup MVP, and the Olympics MVP. A record 22-time All-Star and 21-time All-NBA selection (including a record 13 First Team selections), he has also made six All-Defensive Teams. The oldest active player in the NBA, he holds league records for the most seasons played with 23, the most games played, the most minutes played, and the most field goals. Born and raised in Akron, Ohio, James gained national attention at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School and was heavily touted as a future NBA superstar for his all-around scoring, passing, athleticism and playmaking abilities. A prep-to-pro, the Cleveland Cavaliers selected James with the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft. He won Rookie of the Year and quickly established himself as one of the league's premier players, leading Cleveland to its first NBA Finals appearance in 2007 and winning the scoring title in 2008. After winning back-to-back MVPs in 2009 and 2010, he joined the Miami Heat as a free agent in 2010, a controversial move announced in the television special The Decision. With the Heat, James won his first two NBA championships in 2012 and 2013, earning MVP and Finals MVP honors both years. After four seasons in Miami, he returned to Cleveland in 2014, leading the Cavaliers to their first-ever championship in 2016, ending the Cleveland sports curse. He signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, winning another title in 2020 and becoming the first player to win Finals MVP with three different teams. James was the first player in NBA history to accumulate $1 billion in earnings as an active player and has been listed by Forbes as one of the world's ten highest-paid athletes fifteen times. Time named him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world four times—the most for a professional athlete.