Rough Start
LeBron James was born into poverty on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio. His mother, Gloria James, gave birth to LeBron when she was 16 years old. When LeBron was 4 years old, Gloria and LeBron moved to a low-income housing complex1 in Akron called Elizabeth Park. They lived with different family friends, each of whom would take them in for a little while.
Elizabeth Park was a tough place to grow up. “You had gunshots flying and cop cars driving around there all the time,” LeBron said. “As a young boy, it was scary2 but I never got into none of that stuff3. That just wasn't me.”
LeBron grew up never really having anything, no nice home, no nice toys, but LeBron was more secure4 in his own world. He was comfortable being alone, comfortable being with other boys only when they were involved in5 sports together. LeBron's Lifeline
LeBron first became involved in organized sports when he was 9. He played tailback6 for the South Rangers PeeWee7 football team. Soon after, he was invited to live with a family friend, Frankie Walker Sr.8 , and Walker's family.
“It was like a new beginning for me,” LeBron said later. “[The Walkers] are like my family too, and I wouldn't be here without them." LeBron thrived9 in the new environment, though he was startled by the change at first. The Walkers insisted that LeBron share the discipline of their three children. He had to take his turn cleaning the bathroom. He had a regular schedule for homework and bedtime. He went to school every day, taking pride in achieving a perfect attendance record10 in his fifth-grade year.
Sports continued to offer LeBron much-needed structure11 in his life—and they continued to expand his extended family12 This time, the sports was basketball.
Frankie Walker coached organized basketball in a recreation13 league Center, an inner-city rec[league]. One day when LeBron was 10 years old, Frankie Sr. took LeBron and his son to the playground to play ball, but one-on-one14, LeBron lost badly. The coach wasn't trying to embarrass LeBron. He put his arm around the boy and told him he would teach him not only how to play the game, but to understand it. LeBron wasn't particularly skilled at first, but each time he was shown a new move—a better way to control the ball or shoot or play defense—he got it.
“I had never coached a kid who picked things up15 and excelled in them as quickly as LeBron. What makes him stand out16 from the other kids playing the game was how quickly he learned to think basketball.”
A Role Model17
Frankie Walker Sr. was surprised by what LeBron had learned on the team during his fourth-grade year and impressed with the leadership skills he already showed. During LeBron's fifth-grade year he made LeBron an assistant coach of the fourth-grade team.
Acting as an assistant coach gave LeBron his understanding of what it meant to be a role model.
He had top grades during his seventh-grade and eighth-grade years. “LeBron was very serious about his grades,” said Joe Caito, the principal of Riedinger Middle School. “He was just a model student.”
Caito did recall a time when he caught LeBron where he wasn't supposed to be. Sixth-graders ate lunch before the seventh-graders and eighth-graders at Riedinger; after the kids ate lunch, they were allowed to go to the gym to play basketball until the lunch period was over. LeBron finished his lunch one day but decided later to go to the gym during the eighth-grade lunch period. Caito looked in the gym and saw LeBron schooling the eighth-graders. Caito didn't want to bust18 LeBron just yet; he kept hidden behind the door, watching the sixth-grader outplay19 kids two years older. Finally, Caito opened the door and motioned20 to LeBron. “I said, 'Are you supposed to be in here?' He said, 'No, sir.' Then I said, 'Okay, I don't want to see you in there again.' ”LeBron learned his lesson and walked away. Caito turned his head and said, “Oh, my goodness, that kid is going to be a great basketball player.”
You know the rest. LeBron went on to lead St. Vincent-St. Mary High School to three state championships in four seasons. He was drafted21 by the Cleveland Cavaliers as the Number 1 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. Now, as a starting guard22 for the Cavs, he is playing the most closely watched rookie23 season in pro-sports24 history, a season that began when LeBron scored 25 points and handed out nine assists25 in his first NBA game. “Basketball has just made my life fun,” he says. “At the end of my career, I want to know that I have become a better player, and a better person, as the years went on.”
出身贫苦
勒布朗·詹姆斯于1984年12月30日出生在俄亥俄州阿克伦城的一个贫穷家庭。他的妈妈葛洛妮娅·詹姆斯十六岁时生了他。勒布朗4岁时，妈妈带他搬到阿克伦当地一个被称为“伊丽莎白公园”的低收入家庭住宅区。他们跟不同的家庭好友搭伙住，每个家庭都收留他们一段时间。
伊丽莎白公园的环境不利于成长。“在那里，子弹满天飞，警车随时都在街头转悠，”勒布朗说道，“那样的环境对于一个小男孩而言有点吓人，但是我从没有搅进去过，我天性不喜欢惹事。”
勒布朗在成长过程中从未真正地拥有过什么东西: 没有舒适稳定的家，也没有好玩的玩具，但他在自己的个人世界里倒也安然自得。他喜欢独处，和其他男孩相处时，只有一起参与体育活动时他才能感到自在。
勒布朗的生命线
勒布朗9岁时第一次参加有组织的体育活动。他在南方漫游者少儿橄榄球队担任尾后卫。不久，他被邀请到家庭好友老法兰克·沃克家生活。
“这对于我而言就像一个新的开始”，勒布朗后来说，“（沃克一家）就像我的亲人一样，如果没有他们，我不可能走到今天。”勒布朗在新的环境中茁壮成长，尽管一开始他为这样的变化感到吃惊。沃克一家坚持要求勒布朗像家里其他的三个孩子一样遵守家庭的规矩。他也必须轮流打扫卫生间，并且依照规律的作息表来做作业和上床睡觉。勒布朗上学从不逃课，到五年级时从未缺课的记录让他颇感自豪。
体育运动继续为勒布朗提供一种生活的框架——并且让他所属的大家庭不断扩大。这一次，篮球成为他热爱的运动。
法兰克·沃克在一个娱乐联赛（一种城市间的娱乐联赛）中心担任篮球教练。勒布朗十岁的某一天，老法兰克把他和自己的儿子一起带到运动场打球，但是一对一单打，勒布朗输得很惨。教练并非有意让勒布朗难堪。他拥抱他并告诉他，他不仅要教他如何打球，还要教他如何懂得打球。一开始勒布朗并不熟练，但是每次教练教他一种新的打法——一种更好的控球、投球或者防守方式——他都能掌握。
“我从未教过像勒布朗这么快就上手并且一点就通的孩子，他对篮球那种迅速的领悟能力让他从打球的孩子中脱颖而出。”
模范学生
老法兰克对于勒布朗四年级时在球队训练中所学到的东西感到吃惊，并且对他表现出的领导才能印象深刻。勒布朗五年级时，他让勒布朗当上了四年级篮球队的助理教练。
当助教的经历让勒布朗对模范学生的意义有了自己的理解。
勒布朗七、八年级的成绩是全年级最好的。“勒布朗对学习成绩非常认真，”瑞丁杰中学的校长乔·凯透说道，“他完全是一个模范学生。”
凯透回忆起一次他在勒布朗不应该在的地方抓到他的情景。在瑞丁杰中学，六年级生在七、八年级学生之前吃午饭；饭后，允许孩子们到体育馆玩篮球直到该年级的午餐时间结束。有一天勒布朗吃完午餐后决定等到八年级学生用餐时间再进体育馆。凯透巡视体育馆时看到勒布朗在训练八年级的学生们。凯透当时并没有立即上前败他的兴致，而是躲在门后观看这个六年级学生如何击败比他大两岁的孩子们。最后，凯透打开门招手让勒布朗过去。“当时我问，‘你应该在这里吗？＇他答道，‘不，先生。’然后我说，‘好的，我希望不要再次在这个地方看到你。’”勒布朗接受了教训走开了。凯透转了一下头说，“上帝啊，那个孩子将来会是一名了不起的篮球运动员。”
以后的事情大家都知道了。勒布朗接下来带领圣文森特－圣玛丽中学在四个赛季里夺得三次州中学篮球赛冠军，在2003年的NBA新秀选拔赛上作为新秀状元被克里夫兰骑士队挑中。如今，作为骑士队的后卫新手，勒布朗正在职业体育运动史上最受关注的新人赛季里大显身手，这个赛季勒布朗在首场NBA赛事里拿下25分并完成9次助攻。 “篮球让我的生活充满乐趣，”他说，“在我事业的终点，我想看到自己随着岁月的推移已经成为了一个更出色的球员、一个更优秀的人。”
1. complex n． 建筑群
2． scary adj． 骇人的，令人惊慌的
3． never got into none of that stuff：（不规范用法）相当于 never got into any of that stuff
4． secure adj． 安全的；安心的
5． be involved in 参与
6． tailback n． (美式橄榄球) [ 离对阵争球线最远的] 攻方尾后卫
7． PeeWee n． （口语）小家伙，（这里指）儿童
8． Frankie Walker Sr．：Sr．是senior的缩写。英美习惯，若老少两代同名，各自加上senior和junior于姓名之后以示长幼之别。
9． thrive v． 繁荣，茁壮成长
10． attendance record 出勤纪录
11． structure n． 条理（性）
12． extended family 原指二代或三代同堂的大家庭，这里是个比喻。
6． tailback n． (美式橄榄球) [ 离对阵争球线最远的] 攻方尾后卫
7． PeeWee n． （口语）小家伙，（这里指）儿童
8． Frankie Walker Sr．：Sr．是senior的缩写。英美习惯，若老少两代同名，各自加上senior和junior于姓名之后以示长幼之别。
9． thrive v． 繁荣，茁壮成长
10． attendance record 出勤纪录
11． structure n． 条理（性）
12． extended family 原指二代或三代同堂的大家庭，这里是个比喻。
13． recreation n． 消遣，娱乐 rec：recreation的非正式表达形式。
14． one－on－one 篮球术语，指一对一单打篮球对抗赛
15． pick．．．up 学会
16． stand out 突出，出类拔萃
17． role model 模范人物，在学校亦称model student
18． bust v． 打击，（此处）批评
19． outplay v． 击败
20． motion ] v． 打手势； 点头示意
21． draft v． 征召，招募。亦可作名词用，见下文。
22． guard n． (足，篮球的) 后卫
23． rookie n． 新手，新人
24． pro－sports： professional sports的缩写
25． assist n． (此处) 助攻