title: LeBron James

text: During the offseason, the Lakers hired Frank Vogel as their new head coach, and traded the majority of their young core to the Pelicans for superstar big man Anthony Davis. James immediately embraced Los Angeles's much-improved roster by transforming his playing style, moving to full-time point guard, and competing with a more consistent defensive effort. Behind James's leadership, the Lakers opened the 2019–20 season with a 17–2 record, matching the best start in franchise history. On January 25, James passed team legend Kobe Bryant for third on the all-time regular season scoring list, the day before Bryant's death in a helicopter crash. In early March, before the season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, James led the Lakers to a victory over the Bucks in a matchup of conference leaders, followed by a streak-breaking win against the Clippers. Regular season play resumed in July and concluded in August within the confined NBA Bubble, where James ended the regular season as the league leader in assists for the first time in his career, averaging 10.2 assists per game. James earned a record 16th All-NBA Team selection as part of the First Team, extending his record First Team selections to 13.


title: LeBron James

text: The Lakers entered the playoffs as the number one seed in the West and advanced to the Finals convincingly, with only three total losses along the way. In Game 5 of the Conference Finals against the Nuggets, James helped clinch the conference championship by scoring a game-high 38 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter. In the Finals, James and his teammates found themselves matched up with his former team, the Heat, and quickly took control of the series with a 2–0 lead. In Game 5, James had his best statistical performance of the Finals with 40 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 assists in a memorable duel with Miami's Jimmy Butler, but Los Angeles was ultimately defeated in a three-point game. The Lakers finally eliminated the Heat in Game 6, which earned James, who averaged 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game during the series, his fourth NBA championship and fourth Finals MVP award. At 35 years and 287 days old, he became the second-oldest player in league history to win the award, and the only player in NBA history to win the award with three different franchises. James and teammate Danny Green also became the third and fourth players in NBA history to win at least one championship with three different teams each.


title: LeBron James

text: The 2020–21 season, reduced to 72 games for each team and starting on December 22, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, began after the shortest offseason in NBA history with a 116–109 loss to the Clippers. On December 31, 2020, James became the first player in NBA history to score 10 points or more in 1,000 consecutive games in a 121–107 win against the Spurs. In a 109–98 loss to the Nets on February 18, James became the third player in NBA history with 35,000 career points, joining Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone; at 36 years and 50 days, he was the youngest player to reach the milestone. On March 20, James sprained his ankle against the Hawks, but he was able to hit a three-point shot afterwards to keep his 10-points streak alive before exiting the game. By March, the Lakers were No. 2, two games behind the Jazz, but they went 14–16 without Davis and 6–10 without James, falling to No. 5. James returned on April 30 after missing 20 games, the longest absence of his career.


title: LeBron James

text: In May, James was sidelined again after leaving a game against the Raptors, but he returned for the final two games, and finished the season with averages of 25.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.8 assists on 51.3 percent shooting in 45 out of 72 games; this was his 17th consecutive season averaging at least 25 points per game, the most in NBA history. In an injury-laden season, the Lakers ended with a 42–30 record, finishing No. 7 due to tiebreakers and facing the No. 8-seed Warriors in the play-in tournament. The Lakers won 103–100 after James scored the go-ahead, three-point shot in the final minute, posting a triple-double with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, along with 2 steals and 1 block. His shot before the shot clock buzzer was his longest basket of the season as well as his longest go-ahead shot in the closing three minutes of a game in his career.


title: LeBron James

text: In the first round of the playoffs, the Lakers faced the No. 2 Suns, the first time in James's career that he did not have home court advantage in the opening series. They were up 2–1 before Davis suffered a strained groin in Game 4, in which James finished with a game-high 25 points on 10-for-21 shooting, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists. The Lakers lost to the Suns in six games, making it the first time James lost in the first round in his career. He finished the series averaging 23.3 points, his fourth-lowest scoring output for a series over his career and his lowest mark since averaging 22.8 in the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals. He made his 17th consecutive All-NBA Team selection, extending the record for most selections in NBA history, being named for the third time to the All-NBA Second Team.


title: LeBron James

text: For the 2021–22 season, James was joined by Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook. In a game against the Pistons on November 21, James was ejected in the third quarter after getting into a scuffle with Isaiah Stewart during the 121–116 win; it was the second time in his career that he was ejected from a game, and he was suspended for one game due to his actions. In his next 16 games, James averaged 30.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.4 blocks on 54 percent shooting, also achieving his 100th triple-double, while becoming the third player in NBA history to surpass 36,000 career points; during this period, he played 35 percent of his minutes at center. From December 19 to February 26, 2022, playing 23 out of 27 games, he had a streak of 23 consecutive 25-point games.


title: LeBron James

text: In December, James became the second player in NBA history (after Michael Jordan) to post 40 points and zero turnovers at age 35 or older. In January, James met the minimum criteria for points per game by playing at least 70 percent of his team's games, averaging 28.6 points, and became the oldest player to average 25+ points per game, having already been the youngest to do so, as he averaged 27.6 points per game in his sophomore season at 20 years old. He also became the oldest player in NBA history to record at least 25 points in ten straight games, doing so at 37 years old. By January 20, James became the fifth player in NBA history to record at least 30,000 career points and 10,000 career rebounds; he is the first player to record at least 30,000 career points, 10,000 career rebounds, and 9,000 career assists. In the same period, he surpassed Oscar Robertson for 4th all-time free throws made, and Alvin Robertson for 10th all-time in career steals. In February, James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most points scored in both the regular season and playoffs; by March, he passed Karl Malone for second in the all-time minutes and regular season scoring lists. At the 2022 NBA All-Star Game held in Cleveland, James was celebrated among the other 75 players for the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. James led all players in fan votes with his 18th All-Star selection, tying Bryant and just one behind Abdul-Jabbar; his team achieved its fifth consecutive All-Star win, defeating Team Durant 163–161, with James hitting the game-winning dagger shot in front of his hometown crowd.


title: LeBron James

text: In March, James recorded two 50-point games, which were also his Lakers' career-high, becoming the oldest player to have multiple 50-point games in a season, as well as the first Lakers player since Bryant in 2008 to have back-to-back 50-point home games; it was James's 15th 50-point game in his 19-year career, including the postseason. He also recorded his 10,000th career assist, becoming the only player in NBA history to record at least 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, and 10,000 assists. On March 27, LeBron became just the second player in NBA history to score 37,000 points. Due to an ankle injury in late March, James missed out on a close three-players run for the NBA scoring title, having only played 56 games, two less than the necessary to qualify; aged 37, he would have broken Jordan's record of oldest scoring leader at 34.


title: LeBron James

text: For "The Athletic", Bill Oram wrote that James's ankle injury felt like "the moment that might signal the end of the Lakers season". On April 5, the Lakers were eliminated from both playoff and play-in contention for the first time since 2019 (James's first season with the Lakers) after a 121–110 loss to the Suns. It marked the fourth time in James's career that he missed the playoffs. James was ruled out the rest of the season due to soreness in his left ankle. He finished the season with a 7.6 box plus–minus (first among players in his age group) and averages of 30.3 points (first by 6.9 points among players in his age range), 8.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 2.9 threes, 1.3 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game on 52–35–75 shooting ranges. On May 24, He made his 18th consecutive All-NBA Team selection, extending the record for most selections in NBA history, being named for the second time to the All-NBA Third Team.


title: LeBron James

text: On August 18, 2022, James re-signed with the Los Angeles Lakers on a two-year, $97.1M deal. The contract extension made James the highest-paid athlete in NBA history at $528.9M, surpassing Kevin Durant in all-time earnings. On October 20, James made his 2,144th three-pointer in a game against the Los Angeles Clippers, surpassing Paul Pierce for tenth in total NBA career three-pointers made. On October 28, James posted 28 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals in an 111–102 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He recorded his 1,135th career 20-point game, passing Karl Malone for the most such games in NBA history. On December 2, in a 133–129 win against the Milwaukee Bucks, James recorded 28 points and 11 assists. He recorded his 10,142nd assist, surpassing Magic Johnson for sixth place on the NBA all-time career assists list. On December 13, James scored 33 points in a 122–118 overtime loss to the Celtics, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain for the second-most 30-point games in NBA history. He recorded 516 30-point games in 1,386 career appearances.


title: LeBron James

text: James made his debut for the United States national team at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. He spent the Games mostly on the bench, averaging 14.6 minutes per game with 5.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game in eight games. Team USA finished the competition with a bronze medal, becoming the first U.S. basketball team to return home without a gold medal since adding active NBA players to their lineup. James felt his limited playing time was a "lowlight" and believed he was not given "a fair opportunity to play"; his attitude during the Olympics was described as "disrespectful" by columnist Adrian Wojnarowski.


title: LeBron James

text: At the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan, James took on a greater role for Team USA, averaging 13.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game as co-captain. The team finished the tournament with an 8–1 record, winning another bronze medal. James's behavior was again questioned, this time by teammate Bruce Bowen, who confronted James during tryouts regarding his treatment of staff members.


title: LeBron James

text: Before naming James to the 2008 Olympic team, Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo and coach Mike Krzyzewski gave James an ultimatum to improve his attitude, and he heeded their advice. At the FIBA Americas Championship 2007, he averaged 18.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game, including a 31-point performance against Argentina in the championship game, the most ever by an American in an Olympic qualifier. Team USA went 10–0, winning the gold medal and qualifying for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. James credited the team's attitude and experience for their improvement, saying: "I don't think we understood what it meant to put on a USA uniform and all the people that we were representing in 2004. We definitely know that now." At the Olympics, Team USA went unbeaten, winning their first gold medal since 2000. In the final game, James turned in 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists against Spain.


title: LeBron James

text: James did not play at the 2010 FIBA World Championship but rejoined Team USA for the 2012 Olympics in London, England. He became the leader of the team, with Bryant, who would soon be 34, stepping back. James facilitated the offense from the post and perimeter, called the defensive sets, and provided scoring when needed. During a game against Australia, he recorded the first triple-double in U.S. Olympic basketball history with 11 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists. Team USA went on to win their second straight gold medal, again defeating Spain in the final game. James contributed 19 points in the win, becoming the all-time leading scorer in U.S. men's basketball history. He also joined Michael Jordan as the only players to win an NBA MVP award, NBA championship, NBA Finals MVP, and Olympic gold medal in the same year. Afterwards, Krzyzewski said: "[James] is the best player, he is the best leader and he is as smart as anybody playing the game right now."


title: LeBron James

text: Standing tall and weighing , James has played the majority of his career at the small forward and power forward positions, but he has also been deployed at the other positions when necessary. His playing style, which is athletic and versatile, has drawn comparisons to Basketball Hall of Famers Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan. Through the 2021–22 season, James's career averages are 27.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game. Throughout the 2010s, he was usually ranked as the best player in the NBA each season by ESPN and "Sports Illustrated".


title: LeBron James

text: As an 18-year-old rookie, James led the Cavaliers in scoring. He holds numerous "youngest to" distinctions, including being the youngest player to score 30,000 career points. During his first stint in Cleveland, he was primarily used as an on-ball point forward, and although his shooting tendencies were perimeter-oriented, he established himself as one of the best slashers and finishers in basketball. His combination of speed, quickness, and size often created matchup problems for opposing teams because he was capable of blowing by larger defenders and overpowering smaller ones. These qualities became more apparent in transition, where he developed a reputation for grabbing defensive rebounds and then beating the defense downcourt for highlight reel baskets. Around this time, James was frequently criticized for not having a reliable jump shot or post game. Teams would try to exploit these weaknesses by giving him space in the half court and forcing him to settle for three-pointers and long two-pointers, a strategy famously used by Spurs coach Gregg Popovich in the 2007 Finals, where James converted on only 36 percent of his field goals in four games.


title: LeBron James

text: In Miami, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra changed James's role to a more unconventional one. James spent more time in the post and improved his shot selection and accuracy on jump shots. He also learned how to work as an off-ball cutter in the Heat's "pass-happy" offense. Behind these improvements, James's overall scoring efficiency rose to historically great levels. During this time, ESPN's Tom Haberstroh called James's free-throw shooting his biggest weakness, describing it as "average". Upon returning to the Cavaliers, James began to experience subtle age-related declines in productivity, posting his lowest scoring averages since his rookie season in 2015 and 2016. His shooting also temporarily regressed, and he briefly ranked as the NBA's worst high-volume shooter from outside the paint. Despite these changes, he remained an elite offensive player who beat defenses with body control, strength, and varying attacking speeds.


title: LeBron James

text: For most of his career, James has controlled the offense as the primary ball handler on his team. His playmaking ability is generally considered one of his premier skills, and some analysts rank him among the greatest passers in NBA history. By exploiting his size, vision, and the attention he garners from opposing defenses, James creates easy points for his teammates with accurate assists. He executes unconventional passes, including after leaving his feet and through defensive traffic. His uncanny tendency to find the open man has helped force NBA teams to incorporate some elements of zone into their schemes to better cover the weak side of the court and prevent James from passing to open shooters. Early in James's career, he was criticized for overpassing in pressure situations, in particular for passing instead of shooting in the waning seconds of close games; however, as his career progressed, James's clutch performance was viewed more favorably.


title: LeBron James

text: At the beginning of James's NBA career, he was considered a poor defensive player, but he improved steadily through the years. In 2009, he became proficient at the chase-down block, which involves coming in from behind the opposition in transition to block the shot. In Miami, he developed into a more versatile defensive player, and the Heat relied on him to guard all five positions. Along with Shane Battier and Dwyane Wade, Miami used James in an ultra-aggressive defensive scheme, with James cheating off the ball to help out inside or get into rebounding position. Beginning in 2014, some analysts reported a regression in his defensive impact, stemming from a lack of effort and expected age-related declines. During his second stint in Cleveland, his defense progressively declined. After missed drives on offense, he often dawdled back on defense while complaining to the referees; he provided less help off the ball, and was less aggressive in switching. James himself admitted to taking plays off at times, referring to this approach as "chill mode". He eventually developed a reputation for raising his defensive level in the playoffs, which some analysts referred to as "Playoff LeBron".


title: LeBron James

text: James left high school as one of the most hyped prospects in NBA history. Upon entering the NBA, he made an immediate impact and was voted Rookie of the Year in his debut season. As of June 2022, he has been named to 18 All-NBA Teams, including 13 times to the First Team, which are both NBA records. His four MVP awards are matched only by Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, and Bill Russell; James and Russell are the only players to win four MVP awards in a five-year span. James has also won four Finals MVP Awards, which is the second-most all-time, and earned All-Defensive honors every season from 2009 to 2014. While James has never won the Defensive Player of the Year Award, he has finished second in the voting twice and lists it as one of his main goals. His teams have appeared in the Finals ten times and won four championships; his ten Finals appearances are tied for third all-time. Some analysts have criticized him for not having a better Finals record, while others have countered that James usually performed well but his team was defeated by superior competition.


title: LeBron James

text: On the basis of his career longevity and on-court performances, sports publications have consistently included James in rankings of the best basketball players in history, and he was named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Decade for the 2010s. In addition to praising James's on-court accomplishments, analysts have also noted James's influence on player empowerment throughout the NBA, which stemmed from his willingness to change teams during free agency. Ben Golliver of "The Washington Post" opined that James's move to the Heat in 2010 "defined a decade of player movement", and that he "fundamentally flipped the power balance between stars and their organizations." James's fellow players have also remarked on his influence, such as Warriors forward Draymond Green, who reflected: "We've taken control of our destiny. And I think a lot of people hate that ... . I think the doors that he's opened for athletes and especially basketball players is his biggest accomplishment."


title: LeBron James

text: James is also discussed within the context of being the greatest basketball player of all-time, which has resulted in frequent comparisons to Michael Jordan. In a 2016 interview with "Sports Illustrated", James acknowledged that his motivation was surpassing Jordan as the greatest. In February 2018, The Ringer spent an entire week devoted to both players, with Bill Simmons ultimately concluding that Jordan was still ahead. In polls, James has ranked second behind Jordan. The results strongly correlate with age, with older voters more commonly choosing Jordan. Davis "et al." of "Business Insider" stated: "The data would suggest that younger, more-engaged NBA fans lean toward James, as he's still playing. Older generations who watched Jordan play and tune in less today lean toward Jordan." Referring to James as the best challenger to Jordan's status as the greatest basketball player of all time, Sam Quinn of CBS Sports stated that "the margin for error where Jordan is involved is overwhelmingly slim" and that "in the rings-obsessed basketball discourse", Jordan having more titles and an "unblemished Finals record holds significant weight".


title: LeBron James

text: James has voiced his desire to play basketball into his forties, potentially alongside or against his sons Bronny and Bryce.


title: LeBron James

text: James married his high school sweetheart Savannah James on September 14, 2013, in San Diego, California. They have three children: two sons—Bronny and Bryce—and daughter Zhuri. During his stint with the Heat, James resided in Coconut Grove, where he bought a $9 million three-story mansion overlooking Biscayne Bay. In November 2015, James bought a 9,350 square-foot (870 m) East Coast-style mansion in Brentwood, Los Angeles for about $21 million. James owns another home in Brentwood, which he purchased for $23 million in December 2017.


title: LeBron James

text: James invests heavily in his health, reportedly having spent $1.5 million a year to pay for personal chefs and athletic trainers, as well as physical therapies of recovery. He has a heavy exercise regimen and dietary habits that some consider atypical for a top athlete. Tristan Thompson has stated that James eats desserts with every meal, and Kyle Korver says James's fitness routine is unrivaled. James drinks wine every night, believing that it is good for his heart. In January 2009, doctors at the Cleveland Clinic discovered a growth in the right side of James's jaw. Biopsy results showed that James developed a benign jaw tumor, specifically in his parotid gland, which required a five-hour surgery to remove on June 2 after the end of the Cavaliers' run in the 2009 playoffs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, James received a COVID-19 vaccine.


title: LeBron James

text: James's best friends in the NBA are Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and former Heat teammate Dwyane Wade. The trio have been referred to as the "banana boat crew". During an excursion to the Bahamas, James rescued Anthony from the water when Anthony was carried away from the boat by the current. During an Instagram Live session, Anthony later recounted: "He saved my life". When asked about how much danger Anthony was in prior to the rescue, James responded: "I don't really know what to say, to be honest. I'm just happy he's still here, obviously."


title: LeBron James

text: By 2015, James was considered by many people, including his fellow NBA players, to be the "face of the NBA". His opinions have yielded significant influence on people who make important league decisions; in 2014, he asked commissioner Adam Silver to increase the duration of the All-Star break, and the request was granted the following season. On February 13, 2015, James was elected the first vice president of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA).


title: LeBron James

text: Throughout his career, James has been ranked by "Forbes" as one of the world's most influential athletes, and in 2017, he was listed by "Time" as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. During his first stint with the Cavaliers, he was adored by local fans, and Sherwin-Williams displayed a giant Nike-produced banner of James on its world headquarters. Despite their affection for James, Cleveland fans and critics were frequently annoyed when he sported a Yankees hat when he attended Cleveland Indians baseball games versus the New York Yankees. Following his actions during the 2010 free agency period and "The Decision", he was listed as one of most disliked athletes in the United States. By 2013, his image had mostly recovered and he was reported by ESPN as the most popular player in the NBA for the second time in his career. In 2014, he was named the most popular male athlete in America by the Harris Poll. He has led the league in jersey sales six times.


title: LeBron James

text: Memorabilia associated with James is highly sought after; two of James's rookie cards are among the most expensive basketball cards ever sold at auction, and one of those cards also briefly held the record for the most expensive modern-day sports card when it sold for $1.8 million at auction in July 2020. A Mike Trout rookie card broke the record for a modern-day card the following month. All jerseys worn in the 2020 NBA All-Star Game were auctioned by the NBA and NBPA to raise funds for charity; James's jersey sold for $630,000, setting a record for a modern-day sports jersey.


title: LeBron James

text: In March 2008, James became the first black man, as well as the third man overall after Richard Gere and George Clooney, to appear on the cover of "Vogue", when he posed with Gisele Bündchen. In response, ESPN columnist Jemele Hill considered the cover offensive and "memorable for the wrong reasons", describing the demeanor of James and his holding Bündchen as a reference to classic imagery of the movie monster King Kong, a dark savage capturing his fair-skinned love interest.


title: LeBron James

text: James is an active supporter of non-profit organizations, including After-School All-Stars, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and Children's Defense Fund. He also has his own charity foundation, the LeBron James Family Foundation, which is based in Akron. Since 2005, the foundation has held an annual bike-a-thon to raise money for various causes. In 2015, James announced a partnership with the University of Akron to provide scholarships for as many as 2,300 children beginning in 2021. In 2016, he donated $2.5 million to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture to support an exhibit on Muhammad Ali. In 2017, he received the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award from the NBA for his "outstanding service and dedication to the community." In November of that same year, the Akron School Board approved the I Promise School, a public elementary school created in a partnership with the LeBron James Family Foundation to help struggling elementary school students stay in school. James later reflected that it was his most important professional accomplishment of his life. The school officially opened on July 30, 2018.


title: LeBron James

text: Throughout his career, James has taken stances on controversial issues. On several occasions, he mentioned a feeling of obligation to effect change using his status. Those include the War in Darfur, the killing of Trayvon Martin, the now-former NBA owner Donald Sterling's racist comments in 2014, the Michael Brown verdict, and the death of Eric Garner. Following a racist incident at his Los Angeles home in 2017, James expressed that "being black in America is tough. We got a long way to go for us as a society and for us as African Americans until we feel equal in America." Later on that year, in the aftermath of the Unite the Right rally, James questioned the "Make America Great Again" slogan and said: "It's sad what's going on in Charlottesville. Is this the direction our country is heading? Make America Great Again huh? Our youth deserve better!!" James also called Trump a "bum" after the president rescinded a White House invitation to Stephen Curry. During a 2018 interview with CNN journalist Don Lemon, James accused Trump of attempting to divide the country with sports, suggesting that "sports has never been something that divides people it's always been something that brings someone together." He declared that he would "never sit across from him. I'd sit across from Barack [Obama] though." In response, Trump tweeted: "LeBron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon. He made LeBron look smart, which isn't easy to do." James has supported Colin Kaepernick in the aftermath of his participation in the U.S. national anthem kneeling protests, saying that he was being blackballed from a new contract in the National Football League and he would hire him if he owned a football team. He has worn his clothing in a show of support several times.


title: LeBron James

text: In June 2008, James donated $20,000 to a committee in support of Obama for the 2008 U.S. presidential election. Later that year, James gathered almost 20,000 people at the Quicken Loans Arena for a viewing of Obama's 30-minute "American Stories, American Solutions" television advertisement. The advertisement was shown on a large screen above the stage, where Jay-Z later held a free concert. In November 2016, James endorsed and campaigned for Hillary Clinton for the 2016 U.S. presidential election.


title: LeBron James

text: During the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, a statement James made about a since-deleted tweet by Daryl Morey, in which Morey expressed support for the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, became the subject of controversy. James said Morey was "misinformed". His statement drew backlash from some Hong Kong protesters and in February 2022, political commentator Bill Maher called James hypocritical for not taking a critical stance towards China's human rights abuses. James has taken various other stands on issues regarding sports, such as the Kaepernick controversy and the Houston Astros sign stealing scandal.


title: LeBron James

text: In August 2020, James wore a modified MAGA hat that called for the arrest of the police officers involved in the shooting of Breonna Taylor. On August 19, 2020, he announced his intentions to support the Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign and that of his running-mate Kamala Harris in advance of the 2020 U.S. presidential election. James spoke in support of the More Than a Vote movement and encouraged members of the African-American community to vote. He said: "People in our community have been just lied to for so many years. We have people that have had convictions in the past, that've been told they cannot vote because they got a conviction. That is voter suppression."


title: LeBron James

text: On August 27, James and his Lakers teammates, as well as the Milwaukee Bucks, began boycotting the 2020 NBA playoffs to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake. In response, senior White House advisor Jared Kushner stated that he was planning to reach out to James regarding the boycott. Following a players' committee to discuss the boycott, James and others reached out to Barack Obama, who reportedly advised them to continue playing and finish that year's NBA season.


title: LeBron James

text: On April 21, 2021, in response to the death of Ma'Khia Bryant, James took to Twitter and posted a picture of the police officer who is believed to have fatally shot Bryant, saying: "YOU'RE NEXT #ACCOUNTABILITY." He later deleted the post, explaining: "I'm so damn tired of seeing Black people killed by police. I took the tweet down because its being used to create more hate -This isn't about one officer. it's about the entire system and they always use our words to create more racism. I am so desperate for more ACCOUNTABILITY."


title: LeBron James

text: On November 10, 2021, in response to Kyle Rittenhouse having an emotional break down in court, James tweeted "What tears????? I didn't see one. Man knock it off! That boy ate some lemon heads before walking into court." On December 6, 2021, Rittenhouse said in response that "I was a Lakers fan too before he said that. I was really pissed off when he said that, because I liked LeBron and then I'm like, you know what fuck you LeBron."


title: LeBron James

text: In June 2022, James condemned the ruling of "Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization" that overturned "Roe v. Wade", saying that the decision is about "power and control".


title: LeBron James

text: Public and charitable initiatives undertaken by James in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, under the LeBron James Family Foundation banner:


title: LeBron James

text: James has signed numerous endorsement contracts; some of the companies that he has done business with are Audemars Piguet, Beats by Dre, Coca-Cola, Dunkin' Brands, McDonald's, Nike, and State Farm. Coming out of high school, he was the target of a three-way bidding war among Nike, Reebok, and Adidas, eventually signing with Nike for approximately $90 million. His signature shoes have performed well for Nike. In 2011, Fenway Sports Group became the sole global marketer of his rights, and as part of the deal, he was granted a minority stake in the English Premier League football club Liverpool, who he has claimed his support for. As a result of James's endorsement money and NBA salary, he has been listed as one of the world's highest-paid athletes. In 2013, he surpassed Bryant as the highest paid basketball player in the world, with earnings of $56.5 million. In 2014, James realized a profit of more than $30 million as part of Apple's acquisition of Beats Electronics; he had originally struck a deal to get a small stake in the company at its inception in exchange for promoting its headphones. In 2015, he was ranked the sixth highest earning sportsperson, and third highest in 2016 (after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi). James has stated that he would like to own an NBA team in the future, albeit in a hands-off capacity. In 2011, James co-founded the designer retail store UNKNWN in Miami, Florida.


title: LeBron James

text: James and comedian Jimmy Kimmel co-hosted the 2007 ESPY Awards. In other comedic pursuits, he hosted the 33rd-season premiere of "Saturday Night Live". He has also tried his hand at acting, appearing in a cameo role on the HBO series "Entourage". In 2015, he played himself in the Judd Apatow film "Trainwreck", receiving positive reviews for his performance. That same year, James's digital video company Uninterrupted raised $15.8 million from Warner Bros. Entertainment and Turner Sports to help expand the company's efforts to bring athlete-created content to fans. It is hosted on Bleacher Report and is used by several other athletes including Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski and cornerback Richard Sherman.


title: LeBron James

text: James and his business partner Maverick Carter own production company SpringHill Entertainment, whose first work was the Lions Gate documentary "More Than a Game", which was released in 2009 and chronicled James's high school years. Series produced by SpringHill include the NBC game show "The Wall", the Disney XD sports documentary show "Becoming", the Starz sitcom "Survivor's Remorse", and the animated web series "The LeBrons". In 2016, CNBC aired an unscripted series hosted by James called "Cleveland Hustles", where four up-and-coming Northern Ohio entrepreneurs will be financed on the condition of revitalizing a neighborhood in Cleveland. In the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival, a 60-minute Vince Carter documentary entitled "The Carter Effect" was executive produced by James and Maverick Carter along with rapper Drake and Future the Prince. In February 2018, it was announced that James's production company will produce a new film in the "House Party" series with James expected to make a cameo. Later that month, Fox News host Laura Ingraham told James to "shut up and dribble" as a response to his political agendas. This largely contributed to James creating a documentary film series looking at the changing role of athletes in the current political and cultural climate, aptly named, "Shut Up and Dribble" on Showtime. James partnered with Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2018 to found Ladder, a company that developed nutritional supplements to help athletes with severe cramps after dealing with that issue during the 2014 Finals.


title: LeBron James

text: In February 2019, it was revealed that James would executive produce rapper 2 Chainz's new album "Rap or Go to the League". A Def Jam press release said the intent of the album is "celebrating black excellence and focusing on the power of education and entrepreneurship." The press release also says the title "challenges the notion that the only way out of the inner city is either to become a rapper or a ball player." As of September 2019, James is the most followed basketball player on Instagram.


title: LeBron James

text: In June 2022, it was announced James is launching a media company in partnership with professional tennis player Naomi Osaka and Maverick Carter's SpringHill Company. The production and content creation company will be named Hana Kuma, which means "flower" and "bear" in Japanese.


title: LeBron James

text: In 2012, James, Carter and Paul Wachter made an investment of less than $1 million in the Pasadena-based fast casual chain Blaze Pizza; their investment had grown to $25 million by 2017. James later became a spokesman for the company and began appearing in advertisements after ending his contract with McDonald's.


title: LeBron James

text: During the 2019 off-season, James filed for a trademark through a shell company on the term "Taco Tuesday" for use in downloadable audio/visual works, podcasts, social media, online marketing, and entertainment services. This was related to James's use of the term on Instagram for his family's taco dinners. The request was denied by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, stating that Taco Tuesday was "a commonplace term, message or expression widely used by a variety of sources that merely conveys an ordinary, familiar, well-recognized concept or sentiment."


title: LeBron James

text: In November 2020, James became an angel investor of the tequila and mezcal company Lobos 1707. After personal frustration with comments on the Black Lives Matter movement made by Republican U.S. senator Kelly Loeffler, who at the time was the owner of the WNBA's Atlanta Dream, James assisted Dream player Renee Montgomery in her ultimately successful bid to buy the team in March 2021. Also in 2021, James joined Fenway Sports Group as a partner, making him a part-owner of the Boston Red Sox, New England Sports Network, RFK Racing, and Liverpool F.C., the latter of which he already owned a two-percent share in individually. The investment made James and Carter the company's first black partners.


title: LeBron James

text: James has expressed his interest in owning an NBA team once he finishes playing basketball, specifically a team located in Las Vegas, Nevada, either through expansion or relocation.


title: LeBron James

text: James is represented by agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports. His first agent was Aaron Goodwin, whom he left in 2005 for Leon Rose. Rose joined Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in 2007, and he worked with fellow CAA agent Henry Thomas, who represented Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, to bring James to Miami in 2010. James left CAA for Paul in 2012. James, Paul, Maverick Carter, and Randy Mims—all childhood friends—formed agent and sports-marketing company LRMR after James left Goodwin. LRMR handles James's marketing, including the marketing of "The Decision", for which it was criticized.


title: LeBron James

text: Throughout his career, James has taken a unique approach to his NBA contracts, usually opting to sign shorter-term deals in order to maximize his earnings potential and flexibility; in 2006, he and the Cavaliers negotiated a three-year, $60 million contract extension instead of the four-year maximum as it allotted him the option of seeking a new contract worth more money as an unrestricted free agent following the 2010 season. This move ultimately allowed James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh to sign together with the Heat. During the 2011 NBA lockout, James received contract offers to play professional football from the Dallas Cowboys and the Seattle Seahawks, which he gave serious consideration to and even began training with it in mind. During his second stint in Cleveland, based on a negotiation strategy devised by NBA agent Mark Termini, who worked with Paul and specialized in contract negotiation and construction, he began opting out, or re-signing, on new contracts after each season in order to take advantage of higher salaries resulting from the NBA's rising salary cap. In 2016, he signed with the Cavaliers on a three-year deal, becoming the highest-paid player in the league for the first time in his career.


title: Dua Lipa

text: Dua Lipa ( , ; born ) is an English and Albanian singer and songwriter. Possessing a mezzo-soprano vocal range, she is known for her signature disco-pop sound. Lipa has received numerous accolades, including six Brit Awards, three Grammy Awards, two MTV Europe Music Awards, an MTV Video Music Award, two Billboard Music Awards, an American Music Award, and two "Guinness World Records". "No Lie" and "New Rules", each have over 1 billion views on YouTube, with "New Rules" having reached over 2.7 billion views.


title: Dua Lipa

text: After working as a model, she signed with Warner Bros. Records in 2014 and released her eponymous debut album in 2017. The album peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart and yielded eight singles, including "Be the One", "IDGAF", and the UK number-one single "New Rules", which also peaked at number six in the US. The album has been certified platinum in numerous countries worldwide and won Lipa the Brit Awards for British Female Solo Artist and British Breakthrough Act in 2018.


title: Dua Lipa

text: Her 2018 single "One Kiss" peaked at number one in the UK and became the years longest-running number-one single by a female artist, winning the 2019 Brit Award for Song of the Year. In 2019, she won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, as well as the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording for her Silk City collaboration "Electricity". Later that year, Lipa released "Don't Start Now" as the lead single from her second studio album, "Future Nostalgia" (2020). Reaching number two in the UK and US, and number four on the US year-end chart, it was the most commercially successful song by a female artist in the US in 2020. Its follow-up singles "Physical", "Break My Heart" and "Levitating" also charted in the top ten, with the lattermost reaching number one on the US year-end chart in 2021.


title: Dua Lipa

text: "Future Nostalgia" received critical acclaim and earned six Grammy nominations—including Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Song of the Year—and became her first UK number-one album. The album helped Lipa win British Female Solo Artist and British Album of the Year at the 2021 Brit Awards. She was included on the "Time" 100 Next list in 2021.


title: Dua Lipa

text: Dua Lipa was born in London, the eldest child of Kosovo Albanian parents Anesa () and Dukagjin Lipa from Pristina, FR Yugoslavia (present-day Kosovo). Her family is Muslim. Through her maternal grandmother, she is of Bosnian descent.


title: Dua Lipa

text: Her ancestry can also be traced back to the city of Peja, Kosovo. Both of her grandfathers were historians. She has a sister named Rina and a brother named Gjin. Lipa was musically influenced by her father, who was the lead singer and guitarist of the Kosovan rock band Oda. Her father continued to play music at home, including his own compositions and songs of artists such as David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Radiohead, Sting, the Police and Stereophonics. Lipa started singing at the age of five.


title: Dua Lipa

text: Lipa grew up in West Hampstead, London. She attended Fitzjohn's Primary School, where her music lessons included the cello. When she auditioned to enter the school choir, the teacher told her that "she could not sing". At the age of nine, she began weekend singing lessons at the Sylvia Young Theatre School. Lipa moved with her family to Pristina after Kosovo declared independence in 2008. There, she attended Mileniumi i Tretë School, learned more about the Albanian language and considered a musical career.


title: Dua Lipa

text: Lipa moved back to London at age 15. At Parliament Hill School she passed her A-Levels, then re-entered Sylvia Young Theatre School part-time. She uploaded her own songs to SoundCloud and YouTube. She began posting videos of herself covering songs such as "If I Ain't Got You" (2004) by Alicia Keys and "Beautiful" (2002) by Christina Aguilera on YouTube. Lipa modelled with Topshop and signed with a modelling agency, helping her land a role as a "singer" in an ITV advertisement for "The X Factor" in 2013, covering the song "Lost in Music" (1979). She acquired a producer and a manager.


title: Dua Lipa

text: In 2013, Lipa signed a contract with Tap Management, directed by Ben Mawson and Ed Millett, while working as a waitress in a cocktail bar. Lipa was introduced to Mawson by her lawyer, who discouraged her from signing another publishing deal that was offered to her. Subsequently, they offered her a monthly salary to leave her job and focus on recording music. During one of the sessions, Lipa co-wrote the song "Hotter than Hell", which would eventually lead to her signing a record deal with Warner Bros. Records in 2014. Millett retrospectively elaborated: "Dua was really smart – she signed to Warner Bros. partly because they didn't have a big female pop artist and they needed one. They really wanted her, so she had the focus of the team from day one." In August 2015, Lipa released her first single, "New Love", produced by Emile Haynie and Andrew Wyatt. Her second single, "Be the One", was issued to European success in October 2015, reaching number one in Belgium, Poland and Slovakia, as well as charting in the top ten in over eleven European territories. In Australia and New Zealand, the song became an airplay success, reaching numbers 6 and 20 respectively. In November 2015, she was revealed as one of the acts on the BBC Sound of... 2016 long list. Her first tour in the UK and Europe began in January 2016, and concluded in November 2016.


title: Dua Lipa

text: On 18 February 2016, Lipa released her third single, "Last Dance", followed by "Hotter than Hell" on 6 May. The latter was successful, particularly in the UK, where it peaked at number 15. On 26 August, her fifth overall single, "Blow Your Mind (Mwah)", was released, peaking at number 30 in the UK. It became the singer's first entry on the US "Billboard" Hot 100, debuting at number 72. The song also topped the "Billboard" Dance Club Songs chart and reached number 23 on the "Billboard" Mainstream Top 40 chart. Lipa was featured on Sean Paul's single "No Lie", released in November 2016, which reached number ten in the UK. The song became a top-ten hit in seven countries six years after its release, and it became Sean Paul's most-streamed song as of December 2022. The music video (directed by Tim Nackashi) surpassed 1 billion views on YouTube in April 2022, making it Sean Paul's most popular music video as of December 2022. The following month, a documentary about Lipa named "See in Blue" was commissioned by "The Fader" magazine. In January 2017, Lipa won the EBBA Public Choice Award, and released the single "Scared to Be Lonely", a collaboration with Martin Garrix, reaching number 14 in the UK. In May 2017, she performed at the anniversary of Indonesian television channel SCTV and won the award for Young and Promising International Artist at the SCTV Music Awards.


title: Dua Lipa

text: Lipa's self-titled debut studio album was released on 2 June 2017. Its sixth single, "New Rules", released in the following month, became Lipa's first number one in the UK, and the first by a female solo artist to reach the top in the UK since Adele's "Hello" in 2015. Her best-selling single to date, the song also charted in the top ten of other countries, including number two in Australia, number six in the US, and number seven in Canada. Lipa performed at the Glastonbury Festival in June. The following month, Lipa performed at the We The Fest, an Indonesian music festival in Jakarta. She performed on BBC's "Later... with Jools Holland" in October. In December, Lipa was named the most streamed woman of 2017 in the UK by Spotify. She had four singles reach the UK top 10 in 2017, with "Be the One", "New Rules", "No Lie", and "Bridge over Troubled Water", a charity single for the families of the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire in London. In January 2018, Lipa received nominations in five categories at the Brit Awards, more nominations than any other artist that year. She was nominated for MasterCard British Album of the Year for "Dua Lipa", British Single of the Year and British Video of the Year for "New Rules", British Female Solo Artist, and British Breakthrough Act, winning the latter two. This was the first time that a female artist had received five nominations.


title: Dua Lipa

text: Lipa performed at the awards ceremony held on 21 February at the O2 Arena in London. The singer collaborated with American DJ Whethan on the song "High" for the "Fifty Shades Freed" , released in February 2018. She started working on new material for her second album in March 2018. On 6 April, Lipa and Calvin Harris released the single "One Kiss", which topped the UK Singles Chart on 20 April, making it Lipa's second number one in the chart; Lipa provided the vocals and is also credited as a writer. The single went on to become the biggest selling song in the UK of 2018 and topped the chart for eight consecutive weeks. She performed in the opening ceremony of the 2018 UEFA Champions League Final in Kyiv on 26 May. It was reported that Lipa would be releasing collaborations with other artists coming out later in 2018, such as one with Mark Ronson and Diplo's newly formed superduo Silk City. Ronson later confirmed the song's title would be "Electricity". The song was released on 9 September. Lipa was also featured in "If Only", a song from Italian singer Andrea Bocelli's sixteenth studio album "Sì".


title: Dua Lipa

text: Lipa performed at F1 Singapore Grand Prix in September. In the same month, Lipa endorsed British car brand Jaguar's new electric car, I-PACE. The brand created a remix of Lipa's song "Want To" and launched a service where fans could create their own version of Dua Lipa x Jaguar's song on the Join the Pace website, based on their own driving behaviour or the music they listen to, and share it on social media. According to Lipa's team, Jaguar and Lipa set the world record for the "most remixed song ever". In October, the singer released "", an expanded version of her debut album that includes three new songs, including the aforementioned "Want To", and her previous collaborations with other artists. This included a collaboration with South Korean girl group Blackpink called "Kiss and Make Up".


title: Dua Lipa

text: In January 2019, Lipa released the single "Swan Song" as part of the soundtrack to the 2019 film "". That same month, Lipa stated that she spent the preceding year in the writing process for her second studio album. Lipa commented that the album's sound would be a "nostalgic" pop record that "feels like a dancercise class". In August 2019, Lipa partnered with brand Yves Saint Laurent to endorse their fragrance Libre.


title: Dua Lipa

text: Following the release of its lead single "Don't Start Now", Lipa's second album, "Future Nostalgia", and its accompanying tour were announced in December 2019. "Don't Start Now" peaked at number two on both the UK Singles Chart and the US "Billboard" Hot 100. It also peaked at number one on the US "Billboard" Mainstream Top 40 chart. Lipa's second single leading up to the release of the album was "Physical". It was released on 30 January 2020 and the song's music video was released a day later. "Physical" debuted at number 60 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100. "Future Nostalgia" was released on 27 March to widespread critical acclaim, following the release of the record's third single "Break My Heart" on 25 March. The album debuted at number two on the Official UK Albums Chart, 5550 copies behind 5 Seconds of Summer's "Calm". "Future Nostalgia" peaked at number one on the Official UK Albums Chart the following week in April 2020, while four of the album's singles entered the top ten of the Official Singles Chart. The album holds the record for having the lowest one-week sales while at the top of the chart in the modern era; when it was number one—the week beginning 15 May 2020—the album accumulated a mere 7,317 sales. At the time of the album's release, Lipa became the first British female artist since Vera Lynn to have three top-ten singles in a single calendar year, with Lynn having three in 1952. Lipa eventually overrode this record with the single "Levitating", which also peaked within the top ten on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart, becoming her third top-ten in the US overall. Lipa's music video for "Physical" was nominated for Best Art Director at the Berlin Music Video Awards in 2020. The art director of the music video is Anna Colomer Nogué.


title: Dua Lipa

text: On 11 August 2020, she was named global ambassador of the French mineral water brand Évian. Lipa made the announcement on social media, where she stated that "it had been an honor" working with the brand. On 13 August, Lipa released a remix of "Levitating" featuring American artists Madonna and Missy Elliott. It served as the lead single from "Club Future Nostalgia", a remix collection of "Future Nostalgia" tracks by the Blessed Madonna and Mark Ronson, which was released on 28 August. On 2 October 2020, Lipa released the second remix of "Levitating" featuring American rapper DaBaby; on the same day, Lipa released the music video for the second remix. On 14 October 2020, Lipa and Belgian singer Angèle were photographed on the set of a music video. Later in the month, the singers announced the release of their collaboration, "Fever"; it was released on 30 October 2020. It is included on the French re-release of "Future Nostalgia". Lipa was featured on "Prisoner", a song from Miley Cyrus' seventh studio album "Plastic Hearts". The single was released on 19 November 2020 alongside the music video. In November it was announced that Lipa would be the musical guest on 19 December episode of "Saturday Night Live". On 27 November, Lipa performed in a livestream concert titled Studio 2054, where she sang various songs from "Future Nostalgia", a new unreleased track with FKA Twigs, as well as some previous singles such as "New Rules", "One Kiss" and "Electricity". The event featured many special guests like the Blessed Madonna, Angèle, Kylie Minogue and Elton John, among others. "Future Nostalgia" was the most streamed album by a woman (and fifth most streamed album overall) on Spotify in 2020.


title: Dua Lipa

text: On 11 February 2021, Lipa released a single titled "We're Good", along with "". On 26 February 2021, Aleyna Tilki released her debut English-language single "Retrograde", co-written by Lipa. Lipa released the song "Can They Hear Us" from the soundtrack of the film "Gully" on 4 June 2021. On 13 August 2021, Lipa worked again with Elton John on the song "Cold Heart (Pnau remix)", released as the lead single from John's studio album "The Lockdown Sessions". On 15 October, the single reached the number one spot on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Lipa's third song to achieve this feat. In February 2022, Lipa launched a weekly lifestyle newsletter entitled "Service95" as well as its accompanying podcast "".


title: Dua Lipa

text: On 18 February 2022, a source close to the issue confirmed to "Variety" that Dua Lipa had parted with her longtime management business, Ben Mawson and Ed Millet's TaP Management. Contrary to other reports, the insider claims that the singer is not currently meeting with other management firms, but she will do so in the future.


title: Dua Lipa

text: On 11 March 2022, Lipa and Megan Thee Stallion released "Sweetest Pie" accompanied by its music video. The song marks their first collaboration and serves as the lead single from Megan's second studio album "Traumazine". On 27 May, Lipa collaborated with Calvin Harris and Young Thug to release "Potion", serving as the lead single from Harris's sixth studio album "Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2". It marks the second collaboration between Harris and Lipa following their 2018 single "One Kiss".


title: Dua Lipa

text: Lipa has been the cover girl of several magazines. She signed with Next Models. She was in the cover of "Boom Boom Tick" editorial for "Elle"'s January 2016 issue. In April 2016 she was again in an editorial of "Elle". She was in a supplement cover of British "Vogue" in November 2016. She starred an editorial for the January 2017 issue of "V". In the same month, she was in the cover for issue 102 of "Clash". In March 2017, she became a global ambassador for the American shoe company, Foot Locker, to present women's collections offered by the brand. She was in an editorial for "Interview" released in April 2017. She modelled for an editorial of "Paper", published on 6 June 2017. She was featured in the summer 2017 issue of "Teen Vogue" in an editorial titled "Fine Tuned". She was in an editorial for June 2017 issue of "InStyle". She was in an editorial called "Game Changers" for Fall 2017 issue of "V". She was the protagonist of the Fall/Winter 2017–18 advertizing campaign of the Italian brand Patrizia Pepe, as well as recorded a cover of the song "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" (1966) as a soundtrack for the commercial for the said campaign. She was in the cover and an editorial for November 2017 issue of "Evening Standard". In the same month, she released her second collaboration with the brand Foot Locker for autumn/winter collection. In January 2018, she was part of a promotional clip for an Adidas Originals campaign called "Original Is Never Finished". She starred the cover of April 2018 issue of "Teen Vogue". She was one of the covers for issue 113 of "V" entitled "The Music Issue", published in May 2018 as a limited edition. She partnered with the fashion brand Nyden on a project to create four clothing collections, but it subsequently failed and Lipa "discontinued" her work with the brand.


title: Dua Lipa

text: She was in the cover of British "GQ" for May 2018 issue. She was in the cover for May 2018 issue of Turkish edition of "Vogue". She was in the cover for June 2018 issue of British edition of "Elle". In October 2018, she was part of an Adidas campaign called "Here to Create" in which she wore brand clothes. She appeared in a "Billboard" editorial called "Grammy Preview" alongside Post Malone and Ella Mai. She starred the cover for January 2019 issue of British "Vogue" and an editorial called "Youth Quake". She was the image for the Pepe Jeans London spring/summer 2019 collection campaign, settling down as the first musician to be global ambassador for the brand. Months later, she launched her first-ever capsule with the same brand for the autumn/winter collection where she designed clothing inspired by the fashion of the 90s and early 2000s and whose decades she spent part of her childhood in London and remembered her mother talking to her in a Pepe Jeans store in Portobello Road; the collection included chain mail dresses, "casual" denim outfits and garments based on Lipa's "style" released in September 2019.


title: Dua Lipa

text: Lipa was in the cover for May 2019 issue of "Elle". She starred one of the four covers in the first issue and an editorial of the re-launch of "The Face" released in September 2019. She was the cover girl of the October 2019 issue and an editorial for the Spanish edition of "Vogue". She starred in a "Vogue" sitcom clip set in the 90s titled "Dua's World" where she wore the "best" collections of New York Fashion Week. She released her second design collaboration with Pepe Jeans London for spring/summer 2020 collection inspired by the fashion of late 1980s and early 1990s whose collection included "oversized" blazers, cropped knitwear, bodycon dresses and "metallic" miniskirts. She was in the cover and an editorial called "True to form" for April 2020 issue of "Vogue" Australia.


title: Dua Lipa

text: She appeared in a "Rolling Stone" editorial published in April 2020 to discuss about her second studio album "Future Nostalgia" (2020). She starred the cover of "Elle" May 2020 issue and an editorial titled "Dua Lipa Gets Physical", and months later she was in the cover for its Canadian and British edition. She was the cover girl for June 2020 issue of "GQ" on its British edition. She starred one of two covers for "W" magazine's "The Music Issue" published in September 2020. Lipa released her third design collaboration with Pepe Jeans London for autumn/winter 2020 collection and she stated that it would be her last collaboration with the brand called "Denim decades", which was inspired by every decade since Pepe Jeans started selling denim. In November 2020, she signed a multi-year partnership with Puma becoming the global ambassador of the brand. She was in the cover for December 2020 issue of "Attitude". She starred the cover for February 2021 issue of British "Vogue". In the same month, she was protagonist of the cover for issue 1348 of "Rolling Stone". She was the cover image for March 2021 issue of "Time", representing the 100 Next list about the "future 100 most influential people in the world". In the same month, she starred on the cover of "The New York Times" "Music Issue". She designed her outfit at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards red carpet featuring a dress in collaboration with the brand Versace inspired by the Aurora Borealis. She protagonised a Puma brand campaign called "She Moves Us" in which she designed a shoe called "Mayze" released in April 2021. In June 2021, Lipa was an announced as the face of Versace's Fall-Winter 2021 campaign.


title: Dua Lipa

text: For a Versace dress and Bulgari diamonds she was rated as one of the "best" dressed celebrities of the 61st Annual Grammy Awards ceremony by various media. For her Alexander Wang dress with 90s style, she was rated as one of the "best" dressed celebrities of the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony. For a Versace dress and Bulgari jewelry she was rated as one of the "best" dressed celebrities of the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony.


title: Dua Lipa

text: She released a limited edition lip gloss called "Cremesheen Glass" in collaboration with MAC Cosmetics for its campaign called "Future Forward". She became the face of a perfume called "Libre" for a Yves Saint Laurent campaign launched in September 2019 for which she recorded a promo cover of the song "I'm Free" (1965) featured in advertisements for Lipa's campaigns with the brand. Later she was the face of a new version of the same perfume called "Libre Intense". She became an ambassador for the mineral water brand Évian in July 2020. In March 2021 she performed an a cappella of her song "Levitating" (2020) for an advertisement for the "Drink True" campaign of the brand Évian.


title: Dua Lipa

text: She made her runway debut at Versace's Spring/Summer 2022 show at Milan Fashion Week which was soundtracked by tracks from her album "Future Nostalgia" (2020).


title: Dua Lipa

text: Lipa has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Her music is primarily pop, and has also been described as disco, house and R&B. Stylistically, her music has been described as dance-pop, synth-pop, R&B, dream pop, alternative pop, and nu-disco subgenres. Lipa herself describes her musical style as "dark pop". She is also noted for singing in a "distinct, husky, low register", and her "sultry" tone. Regarding her songwriting process, Lipa states she usually comes to the studio with a concept and starts developing the song with her co-writers. She cites Kylie Minogue, Pink, Nelly Furtado, Jamiroquai, Kendrick Lamar and Chance the Rapper amongst her musical influences. "My idea of pop has been P!nk and Christina Aguilera and Destiny's Child and Nelly Furtado", said Lipa in a "GQ" interview in 2018. Her second studio album "Future Nostalgia" (2020) was inspired by artists that she listened to during her teens, including Gwen Stefani, Madonna, Moloko, Blondie and Outkast.


title: Dua Lipa

text: A study conducted by the Office for National Statistics revealed that the number of people born with the name "Dua" in England and Wales was 63 in 2017, the year Lipa earned her first UK number one song with "New Rules"; this increased to 126 in 2019. In May 2018, she was included on British "Vogue"s inaugural list of the 25 most influential British women of 2018 with Lipa being the youngest on the list at the age of 22. The magazine's review praised her 2017 song "New Rules" as an "anthem of female empowerment [that] laid out a blueprint for modern sex lives", and described her as a "culture definer".


title: Dua Lipa

text: In February 2019, the first wax figure of Lipa was unveiled at Madame Tussauds London, inspired by her appearance during her performance at Glastonbury Festival 2017. Two months later, a second wax figure sculpted of Lipa was unveiled at Madame Tussauds Amsterdam in allusion to her performance at the 2018 "Billboard" Music Awards.


title: Dua Lipa

text: Lyndsey Havens from "Billboard" credited Lipa as the protagonist in disco's revival in 2020 through her song "Don't Start Now" (2019). "People" magazine called her "the Future of Pop" due to the success of her sophomore album, "Future Nostalgia". She inspired the French photographer, Hugo Comte, in his first photo-book. She was included in "Time"s 100 Next list on future 100 world's most influential people by Australian singer Kylie Minogue who in her review called Lipa a "shining star". Mark Sutherland and Jem Aswad from "Variety" rated Lipa as one of the most impactful women in the global entertainment industry.


title: Dua Lipa

text: Lipa has received several accolades throughout her career, including five Brit Awards from thirteen nominations, one MTV Video Music Award from fifteen nominations, one American Music Award from six nominations, one iHeartRadio Music Award from eight nominations, and three Grammy Awards from eight nominations. Lipa has received two "Guinness World Records"; in 2020 for most tickets sold for a livestreamed concert by a solo female artist, and in 2021 for most monthly listeners on Spotify for a female artist, but without surpassing the all-time peak achieved by Ariana Grande the year prior.


title: Dua Lipa

text: Lipa identifies as a feminist. She has spoken out against sexism within the music industry, using social media to raise awareness of women's problems. Lipa has advocated for the social equality amongst the LGBT community. On 12 February 2018, she raised a rainbow flag while performing her song "Be the One" in a presentation at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles as part of The Self-Titled tour. On the 2018 Brit Awards red carpet she wore a white rose dress in support of Time's Up movement. Additionally, at the same event, she stated in her acceptance speech for an award her delight of having "women present in these stages" and more "women winning awards". She explained that her perception of feminism is not about misandry but demanding the same opportunities.


title: Dua Lipa

text: In November 2018, Lipa expressed dissatisfaction over the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union due to Brexit because according to her personal experience "no refugee leaves their country without having to". In June 2019, she made public her support for the ongoing Sudanese transition to democracy on social media by sharing a blue image that showed the phrase "Stand with Sudan" where she detailed her rejection of the Khartoum massacre writing about all "women, men and children fighting for a peaceful transition to democracy". She also described the event as: an attempt to "brutal murder and rape" by government forces those who try to call for democracy, a "violation of the freedom rights" of Sudanese citizens for blocking their internet and a "violation of human rights". In December of the same year, Lipa endorsed the Labour Party led by Jeremy Corbyn in the 2019 United Kingdom general election, comparing the policies of both Labour and Conservatives on various issues on social media and affirming that it was "the most important election in a generation". She characterised Boris Johnson's victory in the election as a "total disaster".


title: Dua Lipa

text: Lipa was the headliner party host for the 2020 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade and she was part of the parade, before performing several songs. In July 2020 she signed an open letter to the UK government being received by the then Minister for Women and Equalities, Liz Truss, to request the banning of conversion therapy. Dua is in favour of universal health care and wonders why people weren't protesting about it. In addition, she stated that in her country of birth, the United Kingdom, the National Health Service is considered a "right".


title: Dua Lipa

text: In June 2020, Lipa shared an Instagram post that criticised the Israel Defense Forces' treatment of Palestinians and showed Israeli soldiers detaining Palestinian minors. The post also referred to "fake Jews in the Israeli government" and "fake Christians in the mid west [United States]" who, it said, had created Hamas for people to "believe that Hamas is the reason for the decades worth of occupation, oppression, ethnic cleansing, and murder." An Im Tirtzu petition signed by over three thousand people was sent to the Israeli Minister of Defense, Benny Gantz, and the Israeli Minister of Culture and Sport, Hili Tropper, demanding that Lipa's songs be banned from Israeli Army Radio and Galgalatz due to what Im Tirtzu said was "the incitement against IDF soldiers, the antisemitism, the blood libel, conspiracy theories and the blatant lies in the post" shared by Lipa. In response, the Army Radio said that "Galgalatz does not boycott any artist" and "the songs are chosen at the discretion of the editors of each segment."


title: Dua Lipa

text: In July 2020, Lipa supported a campaign called "Let the Music Play" in which she signed an open letter sent to the then-Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, calling for support from the government of United Kingdom for the UK's live music industry's economic loss under the COVID-19 pandemic. On 18 July 2020, Lipa shared a post on her Instagram story explaining "why Kosovo is not and will never be Serbia", urging followers to sign a petition which called for Apple to include Kosovo in its mapping services as an independent state. The following day, she published on her social media an image of a banner containing an irredentist map of Greater Albania that reflected parts of Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Greece and North Macedonia as one nation appended with the definition of the word "autochthonous". As the banner is commonly associated with extreme Albanian nationalism, she received backlash on social media where she was accused of ethnic nationalism and fascism. She subsequently stated that her post had been "misinterpreted" by people who promote ethnic separatism, an ideology that she "completely rejects". In August, she urged her Instagram followers to vote against Donald Trump in the 2020 United States presidential election.


title: Dua Lipa

text: After endorsing, and campaigning for, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders in the 2020 Democratic primaries, Lipa expressed support for Joe Biden to become the U.S. president at a virtual event aimed at Albanian Americans later that year during the general election season, arguing that the Kosovars "owed" support to Biden because he was against the massacre and ethnic cleansing of Albanians by having supported the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. In January 2021, she published a call to her Instagram followers to encourage Kosovo citizens to vote in the 2021 Kosovan parliamentary election.


title: Dua Lipa

text: In May 2021, after expressing solidarity for the death of innocent Palestinian civilians due to the Israel–Palestine crisis, Lipa criticised "The New York Times" for publishing an advertisement characterizing her, along with Bella and Gigi Hadid, as antisemitic.


title: Dua Lipa

text: In July 2021, through her Sunny Hill Foundation, Lipa joined an initiative that was launched by the Municipality of Tirana, called "Adopt a Kindergarten". The aim of the project was to reconstruct a kindergarten that was severely damaged by the 2019 Albania earthquake. She was quoted saying, "The kindergarten will be very beautiful and I am very proud that Sunny Hill Foundation is a part of it. Let's see better things for our country. I am very proud to be Albanian." The kindergarten was completed in October 2021, and was named "Sunny Hill Kindergarten".


title: Dua Lipa

text: In August 2022, Lipa was named an Honorary Ambassador of Kosovo by the President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani. In response, Lipa wrote that it was an "honour and a privilege to be able to represent my country all over the world" and that she supports the right of Kosovans "to visa liberalization, freedom to travel and to dream big."


title: Dua Lipa

text: On 13 November 2022, Lipa dismissed reports that she was to perform at the opening ceremony of that year's FIFA World Cup and denied ever being involved in any negotiation to perform, calling out the tournament's host country of Qatar for human rights violations.


title: Dua Lipa

text: Together with her father Dukagjin, she co-created the Sunny Hill Foundation in 2016 to raise funds to help people in Kosovo experiencing financial difficulties. In August 2018, she organised a festival to raise money for that foundation, called the Sunny Hill Festival. The then-Mayor of Pristina, Shpend Ahmeti, awarded her the Pristina Key, the first time one had been awarded. Lipa went on to host the festival for the second year in 2019, with Miley Cyrus included as part of the performer line-up. In mid-November 2018, Lipa was part of a campaign organised by UNICEF called "Go Blue" in support of children's rights, on the occasion of World Children's Day (20 November). Her contribution consisted of a short video about dressing in blue or displaying the colour blue, with her in a studio re-recording the lyrics of her song "Be the One" (2015). She changed the word "red" to "blue" in the song for the occasion. In December 2018, Lipa participated in a benefit concert for the Ellie Goulding's "Streets of London" annual charity event at Wembley Arena, which "funds specialist support for people who are homeless in London and raises awareness about homelessness." In April 2019, she became an UNICEF supporter during a three-day visit to a camp for refugee children and youth in Beirut, Lebanon. The camp included many uprooted by the conflict in Syria who did not have "adequate" health care or education and Lipa also visited young Palestinians and Syrians in Bourj el-Barajneh refugee camp. She subsequently supported a campaign by her management company with a plan to raise £100,000 to help raise awareness of charities such as The Black Dog and CALM.


title: Dua Lipa

text: She asked for a better mental health care for artists in creative industries, as she was "shocked" to read that "suicide rates amongst women working in the arts are almost 70% higher than in the world population". Lipa described mental health as the "issue of our generation". On 26 November 2019, following the 2019 Albania earthquake, Lipa asked fans for donations and support for victims. To raise funds she co-released a limited edition line of t-shirts called "Pray for Albania" in collaboration with Albanian fashion designers. All proceeds went to families and victims affected by the seismic event. On 15 March 2020, she asked her fans to make donations to the UNHCR agency to deal with COVID-19 pandemic because refugees are "the most vulnerable on this planet" and they "often live in crowded places" with "limited health services". In the same month, she was part of a television special called "Home Fest" on "The Late Late Show with James Corden From His Garage" with the goal of raising money for CDC and Feed the Children where she performed her song, "Don't Start Now" (2019), from an apartment in London. On 16 May 2020, she did a live performance of her song "Break My Heart" (2020) on the television special "" aimed at the high school students whose graduation ceremonies and proms were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the end of May 2020, she participated in a digital event called "Dream With Us" with the aim of raising funds, whose event consisted of a streaming concert at which a portion of proceeds would go to organisations that help fight the disease of COVID-19.


title: Dua Lipa

text: She was part of a charitable project organised for BBC Radio 1 for a cover version of "Times Like These" released on 23 April 2020 in the segment Live Lounge. She was part of the charity supergroup Live Lounge Allstars in which each member recorded and filmed their contribution to the song from their respective households to encourage social distancing in which profits from the single would primarily go to "Children in Need" and Comic Relief, as well as COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. She used social media to promove Lebanese citizens to donate blood to victims affected by the 2020 Beirut explosion. She donated 5,000 euros to the Theatre of Dodona so that the venue could have its own ticket system and website. She was part of an initiative organised by Belgian singer Angèle and KickCancer Foundation to fund research against childhood cancer, and it was about a charity raffle in which Lipa offered a manuscript of her song "Don't Start Now" (2019) as a prize. She performed at 2021 Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Award Party virtually to benefit the AIDS Foundation to combat HIV disease, whose event raised US$3 million.


title: Dua Lipa

text: On 1 March 2022, reggae band Artikal Sound System filed a suit against Lipa and her label Warner Records alleging copyright infringement, asserting similarities between "Levitating" and their 2017 song "Live Your Life". A second suit by songwriters L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer claimed that "Levitating" infringed on their 1979 disco song "Wiggle and Giggle All Night".<ref name="Kreps_3/6/2022"></ref>


title: Dua Lipa

text: Lipa's first name "Dua" was her grandmother's suggestion and means "love" in Albanian. She is occasionally referred to affectionately by fans as "Dula Peep", which originated as a mispronunciation by American talk show host Wendy Williams in 2018. She has since positively embraced the nickname.


title: Dua Lipa

text: Lipa's native language is Albanian, though she was born and mostly raised in London and has a London accent when speaking English.


title: Dua Lipa

text: In 2013, Lipa began an on-again, off-again relationship with English chef Isaac Carew, with the two first splitting up in February 2017. She dated American singer Paul Klein, the former frontman of LANY, from August 2017 to January 2018. She then resumed her relationship with Carew from January 2018 to June 2019. In June 2019, she began a relationship with American model Anwar Hadid, and the two broke up in December 2021.


title: Dua Lipa

text: Lipa has described herself as an "Honorary Liverpool supporter", after her song "One Kiss" was adopted by the football club's fans in the wake of her performance at the 2018 UEFA Champions League final, since becoming a Reds anthem after significant Liverpool victories.


title: Dua Lipa

text: On 27 November 2022, Lipa was granted Albanian citizenship by president Bajram Begaj, one day before the country's 110th independence celebrations.


title: Raindrop cake

text: Raindrop cake is a dessert made of water and agar that is supposed to resemble a raindrop. It first became popular in Japan in 2014, and later gained international attention.


title: Raindrop cake

text: Originally a Japanese dessert known as mizu shingen mochi (水信玄餅), the dish is as an evolution of the traditional Japanese dessert "shingen mochi" (信玄餅). Shingen mochi was first created the Sengoku era by the daimyo, Takeda Shingen, as an emergency food during made from rice flour and sugar.


title: Raindrop cake

text: In modern Japan, locals in Hokuto-cho began incorporating fresh mineral water into the dessert. The Kinseiken Seika Company in Yamanashi Prefecture was one of the first stores to sell this during the weekends.


title: Raindrop cake

text: "Mizu" means water and "shingen mochi" is a type of sweet rice cake (mochi) made by the Kinseiken company. The year prior in 2013, the creator wanted to explore the idea of making edible water. The dessert became a viral sensation and people made special trips to experience the dish.


title: Raindrop cake

text: Darren Wong introduced the dish to the United States in New York City at the April 2016 Smorgasburg food fair. Shortly after, London restaurant Yamagoya worked four months to develop another version.


title: Raindrop cake

text: The dish is made from mineral water and agar; thus, it has virtually no calories. The water from the original dish was obtained from Mount Kaikoma of the Southern Japanese Alps, and it has been described as having a mildly sweet taste. Agar is a vegan alternative to gelatin that is made from seaweed. After being heated, it is molded and cooled. A molasses-like syrup, called "kuromitsu", and soybean flour, called "kinako", are used as toppings. The dish appears like a transparent raindrop, although it has also been compared to breast implants and jellyfish. The largely tasteless dessert melts when it enters the mouth and must be eaten immediately, or it will melt and begin to evaporate after twenty minutes.


title: Raindrop cake

text: The dessert is also sold in kits to be made at home. It has been showcased by mainstream American media on "The Today Show", BuzzFeed and ABC News.


title: Michael Jordan

text: Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time." He played fifteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls. Jordan is the principal owner and chairman of the Charlotte Hornets of the NBA and of 23XI Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. He was integral in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s, becoming a global cultural icon in the process.


title: Michael Jordan

text: Jordan played college basketball for three seasons under coach Dean Smith with the North Carolina Tar Heels. As a freshman, he was a member of the Tar Heels' national championship team in 1982. Jordan joined the Bulls in 1984 as the third overall draft pick, and quickly emerged as a league star, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring while gaining a reputation as one of the game's best defensive players. His leaping ability, demonstrated by performing slam dunks from the free-throw line in Slam Dunk Contests, earned him the nicknames "Air Jordan" and "His Airness". Jordan won his first NBA title with the Bulls in 1991, and followed that achievement with titles in 1992 and 1993, securing a three-peat. Jordan abruptly retired from basketball before the 1993–94 NBA season to play Minor League Baseball but returned to the Bulls in March 1995 and led them to three more championships in 1996, 1997, and 1998, as well as a then-record 72 regular season wins in the 1995–96 NBA season. He retired for the second time in January 1999 but returned for two more NBA seasons from 2001 to 2003 as a member of the Washington Wizards. During the course of his professional career he was also selected to play for the United States national team, winning four gold medals (at the 1983 Pan American Games, 1984 Summer Olympics, 1992 Tournament of the Americas and 1992 Summer Olympics), while also being undefeated.


title: Michael Jordan

text: Jordan's individual accolades and accomplishments include six NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, ten NBA scoring titles (both all-time records), five NBA MVP awards, ten All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, fourteen NBA All-Star Game selections, three NBA All-Star Game MVP awards, three NBA steals titles, and the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. He holds the NBA records for career regular season scoring average (30.12 points per game) and career playoff scoring average (33.45 points per game). In 1999, he was named the 20th century's greatest North American athlete by ESPN, and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press' list of athletes of the century. Jordan was twice inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, once in 2009 for his individual career, and again in 2010 as part of the 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team ("The Dream Team"). He became a member of the United States Olympic Hall of Fame in 2009, a member of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2010, and an individual member of the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2015 and a "Dream Team" member in 2017. In 2021, Jordan was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.


title: Michael Jordan

text: One of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation, Jordan is known for his product endorsements. He fueled the success of Nike's Air Jordan sneakers, which were introduced in 1984 and remain popular today. Jordan also starred as himself in the 1996 live-action animation hybrid film "Space Jam" and is the central focus of the Emmy Award-winning documentary miniseries "The Last Dance" (2020). He became part-owner and head of basketball operations for the Charlotte Bobcats (now named the Hornets) in 2006, and bought a controlling interest in 2010. In 2016, Jordan became the first billionaire player in NBA history. That year, President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. As of 2022, Jordan's net worth is estimated at $1.7 billion.


title: Michael Jordan

text: Jordan was born at Cumberland Hospital in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, New York City, on February 17, 1963, the son of bank employee Deloris (née Peoples) and equipment supervisor James R. Jordan Sr. In 1968, he moved with his family to Wilmington, North Carolina. Jordan attended Emsley A. Laney High School in Wilmington, where he highlighted his athletic career by playing basketball, baseball, and football. He tried out for the basketball varsity team during his sophomore year; at , he was deemed too short to play at that level. His taller friend Harvest Leroy Smith was the only sophomore to make the team.


title: Michael Jordan

text: Motivated to prove his worth, Jordan became the star of Laney's junior varsity team, and tallied some 40-point games. The following summer, he grew four inches (10 cm) and trained rigorously. Upon earning a spot on the varsity roster, Jordan averaged more than 25 points per game (ppg) over his final two seasons of high school play. As a senior, he was selected to play in the 1981 McDonald's All-American Game and scored 30 points, after averaging 27 ppg, 12 rebounds (rpg), and six assists per game (apg) for the season. Jordan was recruited by numerous college basketball programs, including Duke, North Carolina, South Carolina, Syracuse, and Virginia. In 1981, he accepted a basketball scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he majored in cultural geography.


title: Michael Jordan

text: As a freshman in coach Dean Smith's team-oriented system, Jordan was named ACC Freshman of the Year after he averaged 13.4 ppg on 53.4% shooting (field goal percentage). He made the game-winning jump shot in the 1982 NCAA Championship game against Georgetown, which was led by future NBA rival Patrick Ewing. Jordan later described this shot as the major turning point in his basketball career. During his three seasons with the Tar Heels, he averaged 17.7 ppg on 54.0% shooting, and added 5.0 rpg and 1.8 apg.


title: Michael Jordan

text: Jordan was selected by consensus to the NCAA All-American First Team in both his sophomore (1983) and junior (1984) seasons. After winning the Naismith and the Wooden College Player of the Year awards in 1984, Jordan left North Carolina one year before his scheduled graduation to enter the 1984 NBA draft. Jordan returned to North Carolina to complete his degree in 1986, when he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in geography. In 2002, Jordan was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team honoring the 50 greatest players in ACC history.


title: Michael Jordan

text: The Chicago Bulls selected Jordan with the third overall pick of the 1984 NBA draft after Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets) and Sam Bowie (Portland Trail Blazers). One of the primary reasons why Jordan was not drafted sooner was because the first two teams were in need of a center. Trail Blazers general manager Stu Inman contended that it was not a matter of drafting a center but more a matter of taking Bowie over Jordan, in part because Portland already had Clyde Drexler, who was a guard with similar skills to Jordan. Citing Bowie's injury-laden college career, ESPN named the Blazers' choice of Bowie as the worst draft pick in North American professional sports history.


title: Michael Jordan

text: Jordan made his NBA debut at Chicago Stadium on October 26, 1984, and scored 16 points. In 2021, a ticket stub from the game sold at auction for $264,000, setting a record for a collectible ticket stub. During his rookie 1984–85 season with the Bulls, Jordan averaged 28.2 ppg on 51.5% shooting, and helped make a team that had won 35% of games in the previous three seasons playoff contenders. He quickly became a fan favorite even in opposing arenas. Roy S. Johnson of "The New York Times" described him as "the phenomenal rookie of the Bulls" in November, and Jordan appeared on the cover of "Sports Illustrated" with the heading "A Star Is Born" in December. The fans also voted in Jordan as an All-Star starter during his rookie season. Controversy arose before the 1985 NBA All-Star Game when word surfaced that several veteran players, led by Isiah Thomas, were upset by the amount of attention Jordan was receiving. This led to a so-called "freeze-out" on Jordan, where players refused to pass the ball to him throughout the game. The controversy left Jordan relatively unaffected when he returned to regular season play, and he would go on to be voted the NBA Rookie of the Year. The Bulls finished the season 38–44, and lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in four games in the first round of the playoffs.


title: Michael Jordan

text: An often-cited moment was on August 26, 1985, when Jordan shook the arena during a Nike exhibition game in Trieste, Italy, by shattering the glass of the backboard with a dunk. The moment was filmed and is often referred to worldwide as an important milestone in Jordan's rise. The shoes Jordan wore during the game were auctioned in August 2020 and sold for $615,000, a record for a pair of sneakers. Jordan's 1985–86 season was cut short when he broke his foot in the third game of the year, causing him to miss 64 games. The Bulls made the playoffs despite Jordan's injury and a 30–52 record, at the time the fifth-worst record of any team to qualify for the playoffs in NBA history. Jordan recovered in time to participate in the postseason and performed well upon his return. Against a Boston Celtics team that is often considered one of the greatest in NBA history, Jordan set the still-unbroken record for points in a playoff game with 63 in Game 2, but the Celtics managed to sweep the series.


title: Michael Jordan

text: Jordan completely recovered in time for the 1986–87 season, and had one of the most prolific scoring seasons in NBA history; he became the only player other than Wilt Chamberlain to score 3,000 points in a season, averaging a league-high 37.1 ppg on 48.2% shooting. In addition, Jordan demonstrated his defensive prowess, as he became the first player in NBA history to record 200 steals and 100 blocked shots in a season. Despite Jordan's success, Magic Johnson won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. The Bulls reached 40 wins, and advanced to the playoffs for the third consecutive year but were again swept by the Celtics.


title: Michael Jordan

text: Jordan again led the league in scoring during the 1987–88 season, averaging 35.0 ppg on 53.5% shooting, and he won his first league MVP Award. He was also named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, as he averaged 1.6 blocks per game (bpg), a league-high 3.1 steals per game (spg), and led the Bulls defense to the fewest points per game allowed in the league. The Bulls finished 50–32, and made it out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time in Jordan's career, as they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games. In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Bulls lost in five games to the more experienced Detroit Pistons, who were led by Isiah Thomas and a group of physical players known as the "".


title: Michael Jordan

text: In the 1988–89 season, Jordan again led the league in scoring, averaging 32.5 ppg on 53.8% shooting from the field, along with 8 rpg and 8 apg. During the season, Sam Vincent, Chicago's point guard, was having trouble running the offense, and Jordan expressed his frustration with head coach Doug Collins, who would put Jordan at point guard. In his time as a point guard, Jordan averaged 10 triple-doubles in eleven games, with 33.6 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 10.8 apg, 2.9 spg, and 0.8 bpg on 51% shooting.


title: Michael Jordan

text: The Bulls finished with a 47–35 record, and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, defeating the Cavaliers and New York Knicks along the way. The Cavaliers series included a career highlight for Jordan when he hit "The Shot" over Craig Ehlo at the buzzer in the fifth and final game of the series. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pistons again defeated the Bulls, this time in six games, by utilizing their "Jordan Rules" method of guarding Jordan, which consisted of double and triple teaming him every time he touched the ball.


title: Michael Jordan

text: The Bulls entered the 1989–90 season as a team on the rise, with their core group of Jordan and young improving players like Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant, and under the guidance of new coach Phil Jackson. On March 28, 1990, Jordan scored a career-high 69 points in a 117–113 road win over the Cavaliers. He averaged a league-leading 33.6 ppg on 52.6% shooting, to go with 6.9 rpg and 6.3 apg, in leading the Bulls to a 55–27 record. They again advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals after beating the Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers; despite pushing the series to seven games, the Bulls lost to the Pistons for the third consecutive season.


title: Michael Jordan

text: In the 1990–91 season, Jordan won his second MVP award after averaging 31.5 ppg on 53.9% shooting, 6.0 rpg, and 5.5 apg for the regular season. The Bulls finished in first place in their division for the first time in sixteen years and set a franchise record with 61 wins in the regular season. With Scottie Pippen developing into an All-Star, the Bulls had elevated their play. The Bulls defeated the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers in the opening two rounds of the playoffs. They advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals where their rival, the Detroit Pistons, awaited them; this time, the Bulls beat the Pistons in a four-game sweep.


title: Michael Jordan

text: The Bulls advanced to the Finals for the first time in franchise history to face the Los Angeles Lakers, who had Magic Johnson and James Worthy, two formidable opponents. The Bulls won the series four games to one, and compiled a 15–2 playoff record along the way. Perhaps the best-known moment of the series came in Game 2 when, attempting a dunk, Jordan avoided a potential Sam Perkins block by switching the ball from his right hand to his left in mid-air to lay the shot into the basket. In his first Finals appearance, Jordan had 31.2 ppg on 56% shooting from the field, 11.4 apg, 6.6 rpg, 2.8 spg, and 1.4 bpg. Jordan won his first NBA Finals MVP award, and he cried while holding the Finals trophy.


title: Michael Jordan

text: Jordan and the Bulls continued their dominance in the 1991–92 season, establishing a 67–15 record, topping their franchise record from 1990–91. Jordan won his second consecutive MVP award with averages of 30.1 ppg, 6.4 rbg, and 6.1 apg on 52% shooting. After winning a physical seven-game series over the New York Knicks in the second round of the playoffs and finishing off the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Conference Finals in six games, the Bulls met Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers in the Finals. The media, hoping to recreate a Magic–Bird rivalry, highlighted the similarities between "Air" Jordan and Clyde "The Glide" during the pre-Finals hype.


title: Michael Jordan

text: In the first game, Jordan scored a Finals-record 35 points in the first half, including a record-setting six three-point field goals. After the sixth three-pointer, he jogged down the court shrugging as he looked courtside. Marv Albert, who broadcast the game, later stated that it was as if Jordan was saying: "I can't believe I'm doing this." The Bulls went on to win Game 1 and defeat the Blazers in six games. Jordan was named Finals MVP for the second year in a row, and finished the series averaging 35.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, and 6.5 apg, while shooting 52.6% from the floor.