LeBron James: The Making of an MVP
By Terry Pluto and Brian Windhorst
Gray & Co.

"LeBron scores 25 as East edges West in the All-Star Game..." Is there any other single name that is more immediately recognized around the globe these days than LeBron? Frankly, I rather doubt it.

If you read either the sports or entertainment pages, you’ll surely know to whom that name belongs. Especially if you live in the Northeast section of Ohio.

LeBron Raymone James has worked hard—and smart—to make that name a household word, and if he continues in this fashion, he deserves every speck of success that comes to him. He is almost too good—in every aspect of his life, not just the basketball court—to be believed. And he’s right here in Cleveland! That’s the most amazing feat of all.

This book—a lovely, hefty, 8 ¼” by 10 ¾” in size, with a dandy color photo on nearly every page—will surely extend your knowledge of our home-grown phenomenon. It was written by two of the better sportswriters in the area who’ve been privileged to follow LeBron’s career from the very beginning, which isn’t really all that long ago. James is still, after all, barely 25, having achieved that age on the next-to-the-last day of 2009.

Everyone knows the story of his mother, Gloria, and her fierce devotion to her only son, born when she was still a teenager herself. She loved him enough to sometimes share him with others who were capable of supplying some of what she couldn’t, in spite of her good intentions. She was by all accounts an excellent mother, but could hardly also be a father to or male influence on the fast-growing boy. Fortunately, she realized that other people could and would help fill in those blanks, and the rest is history. True – it’s history still in the making, as seemingly every game provides a new record of some sort.

Imagine being on the cover of a leading national magazine at age 17 (Sports Illustrated) and being named “The Chosen One." Imagine signing contracts for more than $100 million in endorsements before completing his first NBA dribble. LeBron wasn’t even old enough to go out partying after practice or a game with his team-mates. But on the other hand, that may well have been a good thing, considering how spoiled some of them were. Now, of course, he is old enough to do so, but smart enough not to do it very often—and always quietly. For an athlete who spends so much time in the air, he is extremely well-grounded.

His first NBA game (against the Sacramento Kings who’d been in the playoffs the previous season) was a indication of things to come: LeBron scored 25 points, with 9 assists, 6 rebounds and 4 steals. In spite of this best ever debut of an NBA rookie, the Cavs lost. His first game was better than those of the other stars who skipped college and went straight from high school—Kevin Garnett, Moses Malone, Kobe Bryant and Darius Miles.

The season ended with James holding the Rookie of the Year trophy he’d earned by scoring more than 1000 points in the season, and being the youngest to score 40 points in one game. He didn’t get voted into the All-Star game, however; surely the biggest snub in NBA history! Still, attendance at the then-Gund Arena jumped by nearly 7000 per game between that first season and the one that followed. He made up for it the next season, though, by not only being voted into the game as a starter, but also winning the MVP trophy for his efforts. He won it again in 2008/09, but this time he was old enough to legally party after the game.

He was voted a team captain the year he turned 21. Nearly every observer of LeBron James and how he plays the game comments on his remarkable skills and talent. A good many of them note his attention to details, especially the history of the league. He can quote stats about players who retired from the game even before he was born. He understands that to get respect, he first has to give it to those who’ve earned it, clearing the pathway for his astonishing success.

Personally, I am thrilled that the editors chose to include a photo (page 40) by PD photographer Tracy Boulian, which is the best sports photo I’ve ever seen. In it, the mature James is comforting a player from the team that had just lost the state championship game to James’s alma mater. James ‘gets it’ entirely, even though he hasn’t lost all that many games in his life. The photo says so much about the man, who’s never forgotten his own boyhood. That’s why he chose his alma mater – St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, to host the ceremony in which he received his first NBA MVP award.

Fittingly, this story is Chapter 1 of the 22 in this book, which is filled with respect and humor and inside looks at one of the greatest athletes to ever live and compete in our area. The photographs—mostly by PD photographers—are stupendous.

The chapters include the Olympics, his charitable ventures that give back to the community, and LeBron’s inner rivalry with the legends of the past, as well as with himself. You’ll come away from reading this book feeling that you’d watched this kid grow up – right next door. Almost. It would make a great gift to the budding young athlete in your family – or to keep for yourself.

You can learn more about the book from Gray & Company, Publishers, and read a free sample chapter here: http://www.grayco.com/cleveland/books/10591/sampleChapter.html. ISBN 978-1-59851-059-1 $15.95 softcover: 156 pages / 90 color photos

PD photo by Tracy Boulian, originally appeared March 31, 2009, reprinted here by courtesy of the Plain Dealer.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz, who writes: My most recently published book is Ardenwycke Unveiled (e-book and trade paper). Cerridwen has another contemporary romance from me, But Not For Love, currently available only as an e-book, but perhaps will be in print next year. I hope to soon get around to completing some of the 30+ incomplete books in my computer!

By the way, Cerridwen has also accepted two of my short stories in their Scintillating Samples (complimentary reads) area: Song of the Swan and Unexpected Comfort. I love photography as well, as you can see here. Occasionally I teach writing workshops and sometimes do editing or ghostwriting on a free-lance basis. But over and above everything else, there's always been the writing. I can't imagine my life without it.