Congrats to our guy, LeBron James, for being named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for Feb. 18-24.  In four games, King James averaged 28.8 points on 50.6 percent shooting, 12.3 rebounds and 10.5 assists. The Cavs went 3-1 over this span. Lebron has now won the award 13 times in his career: three times this season, twice in 2006-07, five times in 2005-06 and on three occasions during the 2004-05 campaign.

During All-Star Weekend, Jay-Z and LeBron James held their 2nd annual Two Kings Dinner.  Check out some of the pics!

Back on February 11th, LeBron James missed his first pre-game nap, EVER. Apparently LeBron James ALWAYS naps before night games. On this night, the Cavs flight was delayed out of Cleveland to Orlando, and LBJ was not thrilled. Keep on doing what you are doing LBJ!

Check this Sporting News article out, is LBJ the best ever?

LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan

He has won more championships than he has fingers on a single hand. He has won multiple MVP awards in both the regular season and playoff finals. He was the 1984 rookie of the year. He is the greatest player the NBA has ever seen. He is Michael Jordan.

Fast forward 20 years later. He entered the NBA at the young age of 18. He came into the NBA with the most hype one single player has ever had when making the jump from high school hoops to the NBA. He became the youngest rookie of the year winner ever. Another 4 years later, this kid, now 23, is considered the next greatest player the NBA has seen. He is LeBron James.

So, nearly a full 20 seasons apart from rookie debuts, have you ever wondered how LeBron James compared statistically with Michael Jordan in the same amount of games? If you have ever wondered such a thing, then you are a lot like me, and came to the right place! That is because I looked it all up and summed it up in an easy-to-follow statistical format. Here is the breakdown of the two elite talents:

Comparison based on first 355 NBA games (regular season)-

LeBron James……………..Michael Jordan:
NBA Games: 355.…………NBA Games: 355
NBA Years: 4 ½…………..NBA Years: 6 1/8th
Age: 23, 1 month, 0 days.Age: 26, 9months, 13 days
Total Points: 9,610.……….Total Points: 11,599
Field Goal %: 46.5%.…….Field Goal %: 50.3%
3pt FG %: 32.3%.…………3pt FG%: 20.8%
Rebounds: 2,401.………….Rebounds: 2,197
Assists: 2,314.……….…….Assists: 2,109
Steals: 634.………………..Steals: 990
Blocks: 273.………….……Blocks: 418
Turnovers: 1,173.……..…..Turnovers: 1,180

As you can see Michael Jordan was a more effective scorer in his first 355 games, and shot a greater percentage, a percentage (50.3%) rarely shot in the modern day NBA, by a guard. In total, Jordan scored nearly 2,000 more points. LeBron shot the 3-point ball better, which was a surprise to me. LeBron has pulled down nearly 200 more rebounds. It’s worth noting that LeBron is 6’8, Jordan is 6’6. LeBron also out-assisted Jordan by nearly 200 assists. Michael Jeffrey Jordan was not considered the greatest player in NBA history just based on offensive statistics, he was considered the greatest for the other reasons such as his killer instinct on the court, his non-fear of taking the last shot, and for his defense — That brings me to my next point. Jordan dominates LeBron in the Steals and Blocks categories as you can see above. Obviously, these stats do not take into consideration his man-on-man defense skills, but these do show you how much better he was on defense regardless. Finally, the turnovers category is as close as it gets.

Consider this:

Some things you have to take into consideration when comparing the stats are factors like those that LeBron did what he did coming straight in from high school, and he had no college experience. He also has put up his stats at an earlier age, so I am not sure how to weight these results, but you should consider them. If you are wondering why it took Jordan so long to play 355 games, it is because he played 18 total games his second year. He had a near season ending injury (broken foot) and played 18 total regular season games that year.

Team records and Playoff notes:

Jordan-

Michael Jordan and the Bulls made the playoffs his rookie season. The Bulls finished 38-44 that year, and lost in the first round to the Milwaukee Bucks, 3-1. The second season, the Bulls again made the playoffs despite finishing 30-52. Jordan scored 63 points against Boston, however his team was swept in the first round. The Bulls finished 40-42 in his third season, the Bulls were again swept in the first round, and again by the Boston Celtics. In Jordan’s 4th year the Bulls finished 50-32, it was the first time his Bulls squad had finished the season with a winning record. It was also the first time they won a playoff series. They beat Cleveland 3-2 in the first round before losing to the Detroit Pistons in the second round. Jordan and the Bulls made the playoffs and were turned away by the Pistons in the next two years. Jordan and the Bulls finally swept the Pistons in the 1990-91 season , and went onto win their first NBA title as they defeated the LA Lakers. They won two more in a row defeating the Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns the next two years. He went onto win six total championships in his NBA career, his first was at the age of 28, his 7th NBA season.

James-

The Cavilers finished 35-57 in James rookie season missing the playoffs by one game. It was a huge improvement as the Cav‘s won just 17 games the previous season. In his second season, he led the team to a solid 42-40 record, however they also missed the playoffs, and this time they missed out as New Jersey held the tiebreaker over Cleveland. In LeBron’s third season, his Cav’s broke through and made the playoffs after finishing 50-32. It was the Cav’s first time making the playoffs since the 1998 season. The Cav’s beat the Wizards 4 games to two in the first round before losing in seven games to the defending Eastern Conference champions; the Detroit Pistons. The Cav’s again finished 50-32 in his fourth NBA season and this time were the number two seed in the Conference. The James-led Cleveland squad met up with Washington once again, they swept the Arenas-less Wizards in the first round. They then took on the Nets and advanced out of the second round with a 4-2 series win. A date was set with the Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals. The Cav’s were down 0-2 but managed to win the next two to make it a 2-2 series tie. James scored 48 points in game five, including 29 of the Cav’s final 30 points and helped them win a key double overtime game, they went onto win the next game and reach the NBA finals were they were swept by the Spurs. LeBron averaged 25-8-8 for the entire postseason last year.

Interesting Notes:

-Michael Jordan has won a record six NBA Finals MVP awards.

-Michael Jordan averaged a record 41 points for a series in the 1993 NBA finals.

-Michael Jordan has scored the most points all-time in the playoffs, has averaged the most points per game in the playoffs, and has the most 50, 40, 30, and 20-point games in playoff history, and scored the most points in a single playoff game (63). He is also the only player to have back-to-back games of 50+ points in the playoffs.

-LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Oscar Robinson were the only three rookies in NBA history to average 20-5-5 in their first NBA season.

-LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant are the only three players to score 35 points or more in nine straight games since 1970.

-LeBron James and Michael Jordan are two of only four players to average at least 30 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds for a season.

-LeBron James and Oscar Robinson are the only two players to average 27-6-6 for three straight years.

-LeBron James is the youngest player to score 40 points in a NBA game, to score 50 points in a NBA game, to win the rookie of the year award, to record a triple double (he did it against my Blazers, I was at the game!), to be selected to the all-star team, to average 30 points for a season.

Conclusion:

There is no doubt, both players are the greatest players in there era. However, who will be the greatest of all-time when LeBron hangs his shoes up? Only time will tell, it’s up to you to speculate until that time comes.

The LeBron James Family Foundation today announced a nationwide initiative to build innovative and safe playgrounds for various communities across the country. The first playground will be installed at the St. Bernard Recreation Center in New Orleans, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina and rebuilt in September 2006. The playground will open on Thursday, February 14, 2008, prior to NBA All-Star Weekend.

This initiative represents the latest effort by the Foundation to develop and sponsor programs and activities for children and families in need. State Farm is sponsoring the inaugural playground installation at the St. Bernard Recreation Center.

“I feel good knowing that the kids at St. Bernard will have a new playground with the very best equipment,” said LeBron James, who established the Foundation in 2004. It’s going to be a great place to play, have fun and hang out with friends and family. I am proud to be working with State Farm to help the children of New Orleans.”

“State Farm, as the #1 insurance company in America, is pleased to be teaming up with the #1 player in the NBA to provide a safe and fun place for children and families,” said Pam El, State Farm Marketing vice president. “We share the common goal of positively impacting lives of people in the community through education, health and wellness.”

“These innovative playgrounds will provide families with the opportunity to be together and play together,” said Jakki Nance, executive director of the LeBron James Family Foundation. “Our goal is to build family-focused play spaces that will encourage kids to stay fit and active while encouraging creative play. This new Foundation initiative will also help to strengthen the family unit and develop stronger ties between family members.”

The playground at St. Bernard will feature the latest in play-system equipment and design from Landscape Structures, Inc., providing kids with a multi-dimensional experience that will keep them challenged so that they will play longer and more energetically. No Fault, the industry leader for playground and athletic surface products, is partnering with the Foundation to install a specially designed safety surface that will replicate a basketball court.

About State Farm
State Farm® insures more cars and homes than any other insurer in the U.S., the leading insurer of watercraft and is also a leading insurer in Canada. State Farm’s 17,000 agents and 68,000 employees serve over 76 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than 1.7 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 31 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com® or in Canada statefarm.ca®.

About The LeBron James Family Foundation
Founded in 2004, the LeBron James Family Foundation empowers children and single-parent households through innovative programming and initiatives, building hope for those who are dealing with adversity through education, recreation, employment and better health. The Foundation sponsors a wide range of events and activities that strengthens the bonds between family members and provides families with the opportunity to make their own choices. In addition, the Foundation plans and develops the “King for Kids Bikeathon” and other events that demonstrate its commitment to the community and create special memories for families in need. For more information on the LeBron James Family Foundation, call 216-325-0792 or go online to LeBron.msn.com.

Cavaliers vs Nuggets - Sun., Feb. 10th, 2008

So how badly is LeBron’s speeding ticket going to hurt?

Well, King James is making $ 13,041,250 a year to play Basketball.

That is:
$ 159,039.63 per game played
$ 3313.33 per minute played
$ 55.22 per second played

So his speeding ticket is going to cost him, $259.

He can pay that ticket off after five seconds of his next game.

Interesting, huh? We think you are worth EVERY PENNY LBJ!

The Associated Press is reporting our boy LeBron King James is pleading no contest to his charge of speeding 101mph in December, on his 23rd birthday.

LeBron was traveling on Interstate 71 in Cleveland on December 30th.

Thanks to Slim Shady!
But no, seriously, thanks to the Associated Press for this

LeBron James returned to the Cavaliers’ lineup Saturday night against the Los Angeles Clippers after missing a game because of a sprained right ankle.

James missed Cleveland’s 101-95 loss in Seattle on Thursday night after injuring the ankle the previous night against Portland.

James, the NBA’s leading scorer at 30.1 points per game, went through a hard workout on the court before the game Saturday. The Cavaliers announced he would start about 45 minutes before gametime.

Cleveland is 0-6 without James this season. He missed five games in late November and early December after spraining his left index finger. The Cavaliers were 9-3 during the previous two years when James was sidelined.

James hurt the ankle with 23 seconds left before halftime against the Trail Blazers, but still played 44 minutes. He finished with 37 points and 14 rebounds, and his layup with less than a second left gave Cleveland an 84-83 victory.

James’ injury wasn’t the only problem the Cavaliers have been dealing with. Forward Anderson Varejao is expected to miss up to four weeks because of a left ankle sprain, and guard Sasha Pavlovic is out six weeks with a left mid-foot sprain.