LeBron Raymone James

LeBron James (blogs.umass.edu)

My Hero. What does that mean? Is it somebody with a cape who can shoot lasers out of their eyes? No, it’s not human to shoot lasers out of your eyes. It would be cool though. A hero, to me, is somebody who is a role model to others or is someone who helps out other people in time of need. A hero is somebody who will stand up for you when you are in trouble. There are a lot of people who fit that category. However, one person in particular is LeBron Raymone James.

LeBron James was born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio. Gloria James, his mother, was only 16 when LeBron was born. LeBron's biological father, Anthony McClelland, was an ex-con. LeBron to this day uses his mom's last name. Even though Gloria raised LeBron on her own, they have a great family.

Life for LeBron and his mom was a struggle. Gloria battled personal problems during much of LeBron’s childhood. Some of the reason was Gloria’s mother’s death, who passed away when LeBron was an infant. Gloria moved them around a lot in order to keep a steady job in either retail or accounting. LeBron and Gloria got to know all the seedier neighborhoods of Akron, a city of more than 200,000 located less than a hour south of Cleveland, Ohio. Despite Gloria’s failings, she worked hard to be a loving mother and protect LeBron from all the violence in the streets.

At an early age, LeBron showed a lot of talent for basketball. When LeBron was an infant his mother gave him a miniature hoop and ball, and LeBron amused himself for hours each day. When LeBron was 3 he could dunk on a toy goal. LeBron had the genes necessary to become a great basketball player. Even though his mom is only 5-5, she has relatives that are a lot taller. Though LeBron is a tremendous basketball player, he played football, also. When LeBron played football for the first time in peewee, he scored 19 touchdowns in just 6 games.

LeBron gets paid a ton of money for playing basketball. He gives back by donating his time and some of his money to charities. One of LeBron's charities is the LeBron James Family Foundation, or LJFF. The foundation collects canned goods that go to poor families. Every year, he holds a bike-a-thon to support "The Big Green Help" to raise money. LeBron has a wife and children who join him in his efforts, too. His wife is Savannah Gibson, and their kids are LeBron James Jr. and Bryce Maximas. They also support the foundation and help with the fundraising. One year, LeBron gave out 1,000 backpacks with school supplies for kids in need.

Not only is LeBron one of the greatest basketball players of all time, he also supports other people around the world by giving up his time just to help, and possibly save, other people's lives. That is why he is my hero.