LeBron James by Matt Christopher

Author:Matt Christopher [CHRISTOPHER, MATT]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: JNF007000
ISBN: 9780316039901
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: 2008-09-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

2004–2005

No Slumping Sophomore

With his rookie season behind him, LeBron James removed his Cavaliers jersey to don a navy blue and red one with the letters USA emblazoned on the front. It was an Olympic year and LeBron was headed to Athens for the competition in August. He was the youngest player ever to suit up for Team USA and was excited for the opportunity.

“It’s a dream come true for me to represent my country,” he told reporters.

Unfortunately, that dream fell short of a gold medal. Despite a roster of massive talent, Team USA walked away with a bronze. Some observers felt the reason for the third-place showing was because the team was made up of superstars who all wanted to take top billing.

But others grumbled that the loss was Coach Larry Brown’s fault. They said he should have played LeBron more since the team played better when he was on the floor. Overall, LeBron played an average of 12.1 minutes over eight games, and logged 5.4 points, 1.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in that time.

LeBron, while disappointed with the team’s showing, didn’t criticize his coach or dwell on the loss. He was too busy preparing for his sophomore season with the Cavaliers—and for the media onslaught that would come with it.

He was also preparing for something that some nineteen-year-old men might find intimidating: fatherhood. Eight days before LeBron’s first preseason game, his longtime girlfriend, Savannah Brinson, gave birth to their son, LeBron James Junior.

“This is a happy time for me,” the new father told reporters. But beyond that, he chose to keep the matter private and to focus on basketball.

The Cavaliers won six of eight games in the October preseason. But they seemed to fall apart at first when the official season began, losing an overtime opening match to the Indiana Pacers and then dropping two more in the first week. Some said they were adjusting to the departure of one of their key players, Carlos Boozer, who now played for the Utah Jazz.

If so, they adjusted quickly in the next weeks. One victory followed another, until they had racked up 9 wins in their next 11 games to end November with a record of 9-5.

One of those wins came on November 24 against the Detroit Pistons. That night, LeBron showed that while other second-year players might suffer from the so-called “sophomore slump,” he wouldn’t. In the first quarter, he brought fans to their feet with a slam dunk less than three minutes in. Two minutes later, he threw down another. By the end of the first 12 minutes, he had chalked up 14 of Cleveland’s 24 points. He added 7 more in the second quarter to help his team to a 54–37 lead going into halftime.

But the Pistons weren’t ready to throw in the towel just yet. They exploded in the first minutes of the second half, scoring eight straight points.

LeBron didn’t let them steal the game, however. At 9:07, he dished an assist to teammate Eric Snow who stuck an eighteen-foot jump shot to put the Cavs back up by ten.

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