Why is Lebron James called ‘King’? Origin and meaning of the nickname
Regardless of how you feel about him, it’s fair to say that LeBron James is the greatest basketball player of his generation and perhaps in the history of the game.
One of the most iconic basketball players on the planet, LeBron James is a four-time NBA champion, three-time NBA Finals MVP, and two-time Olympic gold medalist. Yet perhaps what many fans don’t know is how he got the nickname “King James.” Where did it come from, when was it first used and what does the man himself think about it? Let’s find out.
LeBron James: The man who would be king
Nicknames are often very personal things that can relate to family, history or even milestones that we reached in life. In the case of LeBron James it’s no different and dates back to a time before he even set foot on an NBA court. Indeed, the nickname “King James” appeared to have come from the days when he was still only in high school and being hailed as a future star of the NBA. A local sportswriter in Ohio felt James had the skill set and potential that was worthy of comparison with greats such as Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. Needless to say, he was right and the numerous achievements that James has today are testament to the fact.
Of course “King” wasn’t the only nickname associated with James over the years. There were others such as the ‘Akron Hammer’ in tribute to the city from which he hails, to the ‘L-Train’ in reference to his name and direct style of play. Then there was the not so subtle “Chosen One” which led some to think of James as a self-proclaimed talent. Yet, it’s the title of King that has stuck with James throughout. To that end, Nike officially coined the term in 2003, the year that he entered the NBA as the No. 1 overall pick in the Draft with the largest rookie shoe deal ever signed. A seemingly unprecedented stance to take on a player who had yet to play a single game in the league. You probably know it didn’t take long for fans and opponents alike to understand just how fitting the title of “King” was. Interestingly, none of the names attributed to him were his idea, something one of his childhood friends explained in detail.
The origin of “King James”
Speaking during an interview back in 2021, one of James’ closest friends, Randy Mims, revealed exactly where the idea of “King James” came from and as it turns out it was neither the idea of a journalist nor James himself.
“It became clear to me how big LeBron was freshman year. He and Maverick (Carter) won the state championship together. And these kids kept - like - running around the hotel talking about ‘King James’. I finally just stopped one of these kids like, ‘Who is this King James you guys keep talking about?’ and they’re like ‘You don’t know King James? That’s LeBron James.’ You know I checked in, I go to his room, I go ‘Hey man, the craziest thing is going on downstairs, these people are going around calling you King James’ and he laughed like ‘Yeah, that’s what they’ve been calling me.’ And I’m like, at that point, I realize like this is a real thing,” Mims said at the time. It goes without saying that James was then and still is the real thing, which has led to the conversation about whether or not he’s the GOAT, but that’s a story for another time.