LeBron James: The Making of an MVP

Excerpts from Chapter 1

The Ceremony

MVP ... MVP ... MVP . . .

Night after night throughout the 2008-09 season, that chant rocked Quicken Loans Arena as the Cavaliers racked up a 39-2 record on their home court.

MVP ... MVP ... MVP . . .

One spring afternoon, that battle cry echoed all over the Palace of Auburn Hills as the visiting Cavaliers were sweeping the Detroit Pistons out of the first round of the 2009 playoffs. It was the same court where LeBron and the Cavs were rudely booted out of the playoffs in Game 7 of the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals - only this time, there were as many Cavaliers fans in the house as Pistons fans watching the decline of their once-proud team.

MVP ... MVP ... MVP . . .

Now, those three letters were being screamed by high school kids from St. Vincent-St. Mary, the inner-city parochial school off West Market Street in the shadow of downtown Akron, Ohio. That's because in the spring of 2009 LeBron James chose to come here - home - for the ceremony at which he would receive the National Basketball Association's Most Valuable Player award.

He walked into the gym, built in 1950, with cement block walls painted white and green, where the side baskets have old, square, wooden backboards and the seats are long, wooden bleachers.

MVP ... MVP ... MVP . . .

LeBron James stepped to the podium, in a dark blue business suit with a light blue tie, looking as much like a young corporate executive as the 24-year-old star of the Cleveland Cavaliers. He only revealed his nerves by bouncing his fingers a bit on the podium. He took a deep breath and stared at the packed gym where he'd starred for the St. Vincent-St. Mary Fighting Irish when they were the nation's top-ranked high school team in 2003.

LeBron was here to talk about winning the NBA MVP award, which he had done in a landslide with 109 out of a possible 121 first-place votes.

He thanked his teammates, coaches, friends and family.

He also thanked great players such as Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Julius Erving "who laid this path before me."

That displayed an awareness rare among the young stars of the NBA. LeBron knows that the basketball galaxy did not begin with Michael Jordan. During his rookie year, LeBron was thrilled to meet Oscar Robertson, and knew the Hall of Fame guard once averaged a triple-double for a season when he was a star with the old Cincinnati Royals in the 1960s. He is truly touched to be mentioned in the same paragraph with any of the greats. By mentioning them in his address to an audience of teenagers, he did more than give a quick nod to history. He stressed that history mattered, that carrying on the legacy of the great players who came before him was part of being an MVP.

"When it comes to LeBron, the 'P' in the MVP award should also stand for 'Person,'" Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert has often said.

There is a part of LeBron James's personality that makes him want to please, to be a good person, to make his family, friends and hometown proud - which is why he came to Akron for the MVP award. He stood at the podium in the gym and waited for the MVP chants to quiet down. When he spoke he was composed, clear and, in his own way (even without notes), prepared.

"I graduated from here six years ago," said LeBron. "I'm not that far away from this school ... it has helped me become the man I am today."

Is LeBron James an MVP?

No doubt.

You can recite the numbers: an average of 28.4 points per game, 7.6 assists, 7.2 rebounds and finishing second to Orlando center Dwight Howard in the voting for the NBA's 2009 Defensive Player of the Year.

"To be 24 years old and accepting this award, I never thought it would happen this fast," said LeBron, looking at the students and teachers in the bleachers through eyes fighting back a couple of tears.

"LeBron could have accepted the award in Cleveland," said Patty Burdon, a James family friend who does public relations work for the school. "I bet the NBA would have preferred to have this at the Q [Quicken Loans Arena], but LeBron's office called and said he wanted to do it here - at home."

LeBron told Burdon that he wanted only the teachers and students to be admitted.

He arrived at the school in a $200,000 gray Ferrari with the top down and vanity license plates reading "WITNESS". Waiting for him outside the school were fans and students, along with television crews, all lining the streets. Police were there to keep order.

It was so different from when he first came to St. Vincent-St. Mary at the age of 14 in 1999. He was a young man who grew up in a mostly black, inner-city Akron environment and now was attending a mostly white, rather upscale private school where nearly every student would attend college and teachers had little patience for fools or slackers in the classroom.

A story seldom told is how LeBron graduated with a "B" average. How he was on the honor roll during his senior year. How he was only in trouble a few times for "yelling in the hallway," according to Headmaster David Rathz. LeBron could stand proudly in front of those students not only because he's the greatest high school player ever to come out of Northeast Ohio, or because he could now put the initials MVP next his name. He was a real student athlete, one who was recruited by universities such as Duke, North Carolina and Stanford. In his junior year it became clear that there would be no college, that LeBron was headed to the NBA. But he had earned the grades to attend those schools, if that had been his plan.

On his way to the high school for the MVP ceremony, LeBron got off Interstate 77 at a different exit from the one he normally took.

"I took the long route," he told the students. "I went on some of those old roads that I used to walk. To ride on those roads you grew up on brought back some memories."

LeBron lived in about 10 different places while growing up - including two critical years with Pam and Frankie Walker, who gave him stability. He talked about having big dreams, but how people from Akron were not supposed to be able to dream big.

"When we were 11 years old, LeBron said he was going to turn pro after a year of college," said Sian (SEE-ahn) Cotton, who played with LeBron in summer leagues and later at St. Vincent-St. Mary. "He first dunked in the seventh grade. We were in an AAU tournament in Cleveland at a place called the Hilltopper. We had been telling him for a while that he was too scared to dunk, he'd get up over the rim - then just lay it in. But that day, he got up really high and looked down and ... boom. He threw it down."

LeBron held the ceremony up for about 20 minutes because his mother, Gloria, was stuck in traffic. She was 16 when LeBron was born, and he is her only child. LeBron looked in her direction and said, "I don't know how you did it. I'm still trying to figure it out. I may be able to figure out how to dunk a basketball or make a jumper, but I can't figure out how you raised me yourself."

MVP ... MVP ... MVP . . .

LeBron knew that many people had helped him win that award, and he wanted to mention them all.

The students wore T-shirts reading "WITNESS MVP." Rathz said the school was so proud that LeBron considered it home. "We don't want him to do anything for us, just keep coming back and saying hello like he's done. He does a great job of making people here feel good about what they did for him."

After winning the 2008 Olympic gold medal, he brought it to the school on Maple Street to show the teachers and some students. He comes to the school in private, not wanting the media or anyone outside of the Irish family to know he's there.

LeBron wanted someone else besides his family, friends and former summer league and high school coaches to join what he considers his second family at St. Vincent-St. Mary. He invited his Cavaliers teammates and coaches, and they all showed up.

"Individual accolades come when a team has success," LeBron said. "You look at those 14 guys over there - I got the award because of them. They put in the work."

Those Cavaliers indeed worked hard, but no harder than LeBron.

As Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry said when it was his turn to speak at the ceremony, "It takes a lot of sweat, and I'm sure he did a lot of sweating right here [in the high school gym]. I've been fortunate to watch him sweat [at the Cavs practice facility] when no one else was around. I just want to acknowledge that and give it a round of applause."

MVP ... MVP ... MVP . . .

Once again, the chant bubbled up from the students in the bleachers.

"I never dreamed about being MVP, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy this award," LeBron said. "Hard work does pay off. Dreams do come true ... This is the place where all my dreams started, where I thought they could become real. There really isn't a better place."

As part of the award, LeBron also received an automobile, a Kia Borrego SUV, which he donated to the Akron Urban League.

"LeBron never forgot where he came from," said Gloria James.

On that Monday afternoon, May 4, 2009, LeBron had the MVP trophy in his hands and maybe a tear or two in his eyes, and he didn't care if anyone thought it was corny or sentimental. To him, this was real life.

Excerpts from Chapter 14

Free Throws

Because he didn't have confidence in his shot from the foul line. That's hard to believe, because the free throw should be just that-free points. It's a free shot from 15 feet with no one guarding you. It's the freedom to wait up to 10 seconds to shoot. It's freedom to line the ball up any way you'd like in your hands.

It means you are free to take a deep breath ...

Or not.

You can bounce the ball once ... twice ... three times ...

Or not.

You can think about anything you want ...

Or think nothing at all.

You can shoot a jumper as NBA great Hal Greer did at the foul line ...

You can take a set shot with your feet flat on the floor ...

You can even attempt an underhanded shot, as Rick Barry did ...

It's all up to you.

The game stops. The official hands you the ball. Everyone lines up and watches.

Opposing players aren't supposed to yell or distract you in any way once you're at the foul line with the ball.

Here's the hard part: If you miss a free throw, there is no one to blame but yourself. You probably have watched games where good players seem to lose concentration at the foul line, their shots clanging off the rim.

You wonder, "How can they miss shots like that?

But they do.

When you're LeBron James and you're the star of the team, the last thing that you should do is miss free throws. You can drive and dunk over two guys. You can snake your way up the court, dribbling right, then left. You can dribble through your legs and around your back. You can freeze some defenders in their sneakers, making it appear they are cemented to the floor. You can fake so well defenders sometimes fall down attempting to stay with you. You can make shots that even you can't explain how you did it. You just made it up as you went along. It just happened, pure instinct. You are an athlete, and an athlete makes plays that defy description. Sometimes it happens so fast that not even the slow-motion, instant replay cameras can do it justice.

But not at the foul line, where the camera and the human eye reveal it all.

Some nine-year-old kids can make 45 of 50 free throws. So can some 60-year-olds. We are talking boys and girls, men and women. We're talking all sizes and ages. They may not be able to dribble the ball six times and make a lay-up on the run, but they can regularly swish free throws.

So what's the problem?

You'll never hear LeBron talk about any of this. He's a man who denies that pressure even exists.

"I hear the word 'pressure' all the time," LeBron once said. "There is a lot of pressure on me, but I don't put a lot of pressure on myself. I feel if I play my game, it will take care of itself."

That sounds good but it's a total rationalization that has no basis in reality.

Every player has, at some point, lost the battle with pressure. Yes, athletes hate it when fans and media people say they "choked," meaning their throats grew tight, their hands sweated and they failed to perform as they normally do. But choking is real. Hall of Fame NBA Coach Pat Riley has said that everyone chokes at some point. It could be the salesman who fails to close the deal when he can't find the right words. It can be the parent who sits down for an important meeting with her child, but becomes frustrated and loses her temper, rather than thoughtfully delivering the message she intended the child to hear. It can be anyone on a project, staring at a blank piece of paper, unable to put down a word as a deadline comes.

And yes, it can even be a great basketball player missing a free throw.

"Choking sometimes occurs because players do not know themselves," wrote Riley in his excellent book, "The Winner Within." "While putting on a good front, inside they really have little self-confidence. This can stop a player from ever proving himself to the fullest or going all out to develop his skills ... He puts a performance cap on himself. Another result of a player not knowing himself is that he will think he is ready for a challenge when he hasn't properly prepared for it. The challenge is beyond his level of preparation."

Former Cavs coach Paul Silas noticed that at a certain point in LeBron's rookie season, he "began to shy away from contact." LeBron would drive to the basket, defenders would challenge him-and LeBron would fall away on his shot, rather than go up strong and take a chance of being hit by the defender.

It was not because he was physically fearful of injury.

"He was just at a point where he was not making his free throws," recalled Silas.

LeBron didn't want to go to the foul line a lot because he was missing more than he thought he should. And, as Riley wrote, he put a "performance cap" on himself by not drawing fouls-something he does nearly as well as anyone in the league. Drawing fouls is good because it not only leads to free shots for LeBron and extra points for his team, but it saddles the opponents with personal fouls-perhaps leading the opposing coach to take some of his players out of the game. It can put the opposition in the "penalty," leading to even more free throws for LeBron's team.

In LeBron's first two seasons, he ranked 15th and then 10th in total free throws attempted. Hard to believe, but in the next four years, he ranked exactly third each season in free throw attempts.

Part of the reason the number of trips to the foul line increased is that officials became used to LeBron's style. Yes, it means giving him some "star calls" on plays that could go either way-a personal foul on the defender, or a charging foul on LeBron. Officials deny that stars receive a break on those plays, but most coaches and players have a different opinion.

Here's a look at LeBron James at the foul line with the Cavs:

LeBron's free throw attempts rose dramatically in his first three seasons, from 460 to 636 to 814. Part of the reason was a rule change made before the 2004-05 season. In the late 1990s and early in the 2000s, teams were having trouble scoring 100 points per game. Many final scores were in the 80s, sometimes even the 70s. Coaches were demanding their players defend by pushing, holding, shoving and any other ploy they could get away with. The belief was officials would not call most fouls because to do so would lead to a parade to the free throw line and result in a very choppy, unappealing game to watch. But to the league's credit, a mandate came down to outlaw hand-checking. In the past, a defender put his hand on a player's back, and would "steer" him away from the hoop as he tried to drive. Now, you no longer could put your hands on a player when he was away from the basket. The new rule meant there was no way to stop a guy from driving to the basket unless you could get in front of him. This meant LeBron now could get inside-and draw fouls-much more easily.

That's a problem, though, if you're having trouble finding a comfort zone at the foul line.

Riley talks about how choking results from "the challenge being beyond his level of preparation."

LeBron is a routine-oriented person, like many NBA players. His game day approach is scripted and he follows it closely. When it gets altered, he is upset. But when it came to free throw shooting, he was all over the place. He often changed his free throw and shooting routines vastly during the early seasons. This is particularly obvious in comparison with a player like LeBron's teammate Mo Williams. The Cavs guard, who is one of the better free throw shooters in the NBA, has not altered his free throw routine since he was a sophomore in high school. His form is nearly perfect, and it is the same all the time.

Not so for LeBron.

Many fans would notice it at the foul line. During one season, he actually angled himself slightly so that he was not square-in a straight line-as he faced the basket for a free throw. That often leads the shot to drift slightly, rather than head directly over the front of the rim. In another season, he started doing deep knee bends before taking the free throw. Another year, he would kiss his two wrists before shooting. He was kissing the tattoos on his wrists that listed his mother's name and his longtime girlfriend Savannah's name. It was a calming influence, he said. But it had him switching the ball in and out of each hand and not looking at the rim. He may have copied this from one of his friends and mentors, Jason Kidd. Kidd famously used to blow a kiss at the foul line, supposedly to his wife in the stands (he stopped it after he got divorced a couple years ago). But when Kidd did it he never took his eyes off the rim. Kidd is a 78 percent career free throw shooter, above the NBA average of 76 percent.

Former Cavalier Mark Price, set the NBA record with a career average of 90 percent at the foul line.

At one point early in the 2006-07 season, LeBron had made only 59 of 98 free throws, for 60 percent. This was during his wrist-kissing period.

"Right now, I'm in Strugglesville," he said at the time. "I'm just trying to make them. I've shot in the high 70s my whole career and in the 80s in high school. It has never been a problem for me, and it's not going to be a problem now. I just have to go up there and make them."

Let's take a look at LeBron as a free throw shooter in high school.

As a freshman, he was at his best at .797. He dropped to .711 as a sophomore. Anything over 70 percent is good for a high school player early in his career. But LeBron really fell apart as a free throw shooter his junior year, dropping to .593. It also was a season when he took the most free throws of his career. As a senior, he was up to .678.

In his pro career, his percentage dropped over his first four seasons, from .754 to .750 to .738 to .698.

At one point in 2007, as he was under 70 percent for the season, LeBron admitted: "It can be mental sometimes, and right now it is. At practice, I don't miss. I get in the game, and I miss."

The NBA free throw average most seasons is in the .765 range. It wasn't until his MVP season of 2008-09, when he connected at a career-best .780 pace, that he was above the NBA average.

With the exception of big men such as Wilt Chamberlain (.511), Shaquille O'Neal (.525) and even Tim Duncan (.685), great players often make more than 80 percent of their free throws. Here's a sample:

So why does LeBron have such wide swings in his free throw shooting, and why doesn't he shoot as well at the line as most elite players?

The answer may partly be that he's ambidextrous. Although he plays right-handed, he's actually left-handed. He writes left-handed. He shoots bank shots driving to the basket as well with his left hand as he does with his right. But his jump shot is always right-handed. Being able to shoot inside with either hand is a huge advantage because the defender does not know which hand he will use-making his shot harder to block. But when the game stops, and when LeBron goes to the foul line to take a shot that is pure rote and routine, zero creativity or spontaneity is needed, then maybe this ability to shoot with either hand is a liability. Sometimes, LeBron starts at the line with the ball in his left hand. He might spin it and sometimes even dribble it with his left hand. As he lines up, he might set it against his left hip-and then bring it over to his right hand. Most experts will tell you that you need to set it on the right hand. Keep everything on the right side, the side where you plan to shoot the ball.

In LeBron's MVP season of 2008-09, he raised that total to a career-high .780. He stopped kissing his wrists, staring at the ceiling, taking extra bounces. Shooting coach Chris Jent helped LeBron "clean up" his shot, as scouts call it. That means he cut out the extra movement, and the result was a more consistent shot, more free points. It was the first time in his six-year pro career that he was a better than average NBA free-throw shooter. He also made a huge jump from .712 to .780.

He also dealt better with pressure.

As Pat Riley also wrote in "The Winner Within": "Somewhere along the way we have to stop being afraid of the consequences. Because when you go for something significant ... consequences become irrelevant. Nothing matters except that we are in this together."

You can see LeBron's growth in the playoffs at the free throw line:

LeBron was willing to drive in the lane more each year, take more fouls and attempt more shots. While his percentage didn't change much over the four years of playoff basketball (ranging between .731 and .759), his confidence in making plays that lead to free throws-helping his team in the process-made a dramatic rise. LeBron ceased "being afraid of the consequences." NBA fans saw it in big ways as he became a leader, not only of the Cavaliers, but also of the U.S. Olympic team-at the age of 24. But it's there in little ways, too, as in the way LeBron worked on his free throws. And that's a part of his evolution into an MVP that is rarely mentioned.

Excerpts from Chapter 19

Team USA

LeBron was part of a group of young players who saw themselves as the future of the Olympic program and the NBA. It also included Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Amare Stoudemire. LeBron was excited by the opportunity, and especially to play for Brown, a Hall of Fame coach. Brown had praised LeBron during his rookie season, a year when Brown had led the Detroit Pistons to a championship.

The team trained in Jacksonville, Florida. When LeBron arrived, he hooked up with veteran Allen Iverson, whom he had been introduced to while still in high school. It seemed like a good match. Iverson had been the MVP three years earlier, and he had played for Brown in Philadelphia. Brown also named Iverson as one of Team USA's captains. Iverson was one of the veterans LeBron admired.

But a few days after the start of camp, LeBron, Iverson and Stoudemire showed up late for a team meeting. Brown was angry. To set an example, he suspended all three for an exhibition game that week against Puerto Rico. It was out of character for LeBron, who is known for always being on time. It was a sign that he was trying to fit in and go with the crowd on the veteran team. It also was a reminder that he was only 19.

LeBron received a reasonable amount of playing time during the series of exhibition games in Europe on the way to Athens, Greece, the host city of the 2004 Olympics. But once the real Olympic games began, Brown barely played LeBron or the other young players. This was a shock to them. Brown had not spelled out their role, and they all believed they were key parts of the team. Instead, most of the minutes went to Stephon Marbury, Richard Jefferson and Lamar Odom. All played inconsistently.

During a stretch of games when LeBron and Wade played well, they came up with a nickname for themselves, along with Anthony and Stoudemire. They started calling themselves the "Young Guns." That didn't exactly thrill Brown, who saw it as a sign of arrogance.

LeBron played 18 minutes and had 10 points and five rebounds in a win over Australia. He thought he'd played well. But he played only six minutes in the next game against Lithuania, which Team USA lost. Then LeBron played only six minutes in the next game. Against Angola, LeBron was on the court for 27 minutes, scoring 11 points. He felt confident about his stature on the team, and the nicknames were being tossed around again. But in the next two games of the medal round, including a loss to Argentina that ended gold medal hopes, LeBron played a total of 10 minutes.

Brown wasn't enamored with the younger players. He complained about their failures and almost seemed to be setting them up to take the blame if the Olympic team failed to grab the gold medal. He rarely said anything encouraging to them. Anthony and Stoudemire openly showed their disdain for Brown, refusing to join huddles during timeouts. LeBron kept his spirits up, cheering from the sidelines. But inside he was burning. Never in his career had he sat out crunch time of close games.

Team USA lost three times, twice in the qualifying rounds, and to Argentina in the semifinals. LeBron averaged only 5.4 points in 12.1 minutes per game. This was his first experience of a coach not believing he was among the top players on the team - a coach not showing confidence in LeBron to make big plays, or even be on the court when it mattered most. He was angry with Brown. (The next season, LeBron scored 41 points in his first game against Brown's Pistons.) He also wasn't sure he wanted to play in the Olympics, with some players who didn't take it that seriously, and a coach who was fearful of looking bad if the team failed.

Meanwhile, USA Basketball, the body that selects the U.S. Olympic team, was under new leadership. Jerry Colangelo, the managing director of the men's senior national team, realized the world had made a statement on the court in several international competitions: Team USA was no longer a dominant basketball power. Especially if Team USA continued to approach these events by just throwing a team of stars together with a big-name coach and expecting them to win on sheer talent. Colangelo had to take a new approach, and he wanted LeBron to be the cornerstone of a team that he hoped would reclaim the gold medal in the 2008 Olympics.

Colangelo met with LeBron right after Christmas in 2005 when the Cavs were in Chicago. Convincing LeBron to sign on to the program was vital. He could be a magnet to attract other young stars. But Colangelo was asking a lot, a three-year commitment leading up to the 2008 Olympics. It was an effort to construct team chemistry, and for the players to know this was not just another All-Star game or casual summertime romp on the court. In the past, pro players wavered on their commitments up until June before the Olympics. Many players backed out as the date approached. The three-year concept didn't appeal to some. Olympic veterans like Tim Duncan passed and so did Shaquille O'Neal.

LeBron told Colangelo that he was disillusioned by how he was treated in 2004, and how Brown alienated the young stars. There was some talk that LeBron, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade would perhaps skip playing for the national team. Entering the meeting, Colangelo was aware of this feeling. Bringing LeBron into the fold right away wouldn't only help convince others to accept the three-year deal but also signify a truly fresh start.

All three players were members of the 2003 draft. All had each other on cell phone speed dial. All felt a combination of competition and admiration for each other. And even in 2005, Colangelo believed LeBron had the strongest leadership gifts of the three - despite being the youngest. That's why he pursued LeBron first. If LeBron agreed, there was an excellent chance the others would follow.

When Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski was hired to take over as coach of Team USA, LeBron was convinced the change would make the team better. In his first few years of high school, LeBron sometimes talked about attending Duke and playing for Krzyzewski. LeBron also was impressed when Krzyzewski assembled an excellent staff with Phoenix Suns coach Mike D'Antoni, Portland Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan, and Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim.

When the team gathered for practice in the summer of 2006 in Las Vegas, the roster included veteran players such as Shane Battier and Antawn Jamison. Kobe Bryant wanted to play, but he was out with knee surgery. In the 2005-06 season, LeBron led the Cavs to 50 victories and a second-round spot in the playoffs. He also was second in the Most Valuable Player Award. With that momentum, the Team USA coaching staff was hoping LeBron would be one of the team leaders. They counted on his energy and upbeat personality to rub off on some of the other players in practice. But in his first days with the team LeBron seemed distracted. While he said he wanted a different approach to the Olympics, he was still stuck in the 2004 model where players went through the motions during the day, thinking about what they had planned for that evening. The coaches and even some of the players felt LeBron was going through the motions in drills. He wasn't showing much leadership when the team did its 5-on-5 work in practice. He often seemed indifferent in team meetings.

Without Bryant, and with a new and mostly younger cast, the expectation was that LeBron would step up and grab at least some of the leadership. Krzyzewski had a few talks with LeBron, and the young star slowly improved in all areas, on and off the court. But that first training camp was generally a letdown, at least to the coaches who arrived with high expectations.

"LeBron was young and Coach K was feeling his way," said Jerry Colangelo. "They both had heard a lot about each other but didn't know each other. That first summer was important for them."

"It was a feeling-out process with Coach K and with all the players," said Mike D'Antoni. "It's why Colangelo wanted a three-year commitment, so that you can define [player] roles. The first time that you see it, everything was a little bit of a shock for everyone. We didn't get it totally right that first summer but we kept working and it solidified. We understood what LeBron could do. Coach K had a lot of talks [with LeBron], and he eventually just seized that moment. LeBron was one of the three guys who we had for all three summers. That ended up being huge for us, and huge for LeBron too because by the end he fully grasped it."

When Team USA went to Japan for the World Championships, they won their first six games easily. But in their first tough game, they were wiped out by Greece's pick-and-roll offense. The Greeks ran the same basic play time and time and time again without Team USA stopping it. Greece had several NBA draft picks on the team along with veteran point guard Theo Papaloukas, who was a well-known European star.

Krzyzewski never changed his defense, when a zone would have been the antidote. Another problem was that LeBron and the other leaders didn't show signs of stepping up to gather the team together in the crucial moments.

These events were the turning point for Krzyzewski, LeBron and many of the other players. After the loss to Greece, there was an off-day with no practice. Krzyzewski had a private meeting with LeBron, Anthony and Wade at the team hotel. He challenged them to recover to win the bronze medal game because it would set the tone for the next two summers. They were playing Argentina, who had won the 2004 Olympic gold medal. It turned out to be the first time there was a serious leadership statement from LeBron. During the meeting, he asked to be moved to point guard, where the team had been having trouble. That showed he knew what needed to be done - and was willing to do it, even if it meant him playing out of his natural position and perhaps sacrificing some scoring. LeBron went out and led a dominating win over Argentina at point guard, avenging the loss to Argentina in the 2004 Olympics. He had 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as Team USA won 96-81.

"When you are a superstar, you have a unique opportunity to be a leader. What you can do on the floor will inspire your teammates," said D'Antoni. "So what you try to do as a coach is present to the player what you think he can do for you. The opportunity was there for LeBron to become a great leader. He was already one of the best players on the planet. He eventually seized the moment. He bought into it and represented the United States."

A year after taking the bronze medal in the 2006 World Championships, Team USA had to play in the FIBA Americas Championships to earn a spot in the Olympics, at an event in Las Vegas. Now healthy again, Kobe Bryant joined Team USA for the first time in his career. And to help with the point guard issues, Colangelo convinced veteran Jason Kidd to join the team. Both additions ended up having a significant impact on LeBron. Kidd and LeBron knew each other, but were not close. A few months before, LeBron had knocked Kidd's New Jersey Nets out of the playoffs on the way to his first NBA Finals appearance. LeBron and Bryant had virtually no relationship. While they saw each other at All-Star Games and various summer events, and were also featured Nike pitchmen, they moved in opposite worlds. Bryant was much older. LeBron still had his high school buddies, and his NBA friends from the 2003 draft.

LeBron arrived in Las Vegas with a new sense of confidence after leading the Cavs to the 2007 Finals, which had ended only a month before. LeBron also had a new determination to improve after a poor showing in the Finals when the Spurs exposed his inconsistent mid-range jumper. LeBron had dedicated himself to upgrading his game, approaching this with more passion than at any previous point in his pro career.

In Kidd, LeBron saw an incredible leader, not just on the floor, but in huddles and team meetings. Kidd also put on a remarkable display of unselfishness during that FIBA Americas Tournament, going entire games without shooting the ball. He was also dedicated to the new system that the coaches wanted to play. Team USA started blowing everyone out and won easily to get the berth in China. Even Krzyzewski showed some growth. On the first possession of the tournament, the Americans came out in a zone defense.

But what really struck LeBron was Kidd's attitude.

"He is one of the best point guards in the history of the game," LeBron said after that summer experience. "For me personally, it was definitely a good experience to watch how he put the team before himself and it carried over to everyone."

Then there was Bryant, whose impact on LeBron was just as profound. As is his nature, Bryant was serious about the task at hand, and his work ethic was nearly unrivaled by the other stars. Bryant was often the first player on the practice floor and the last player off. On the court, Bryant has a sharp edge to his personality, much like Michael Jordan. He is as demanding on his teammates as he is relentless to beat his opponent. But he pushes himself harder than anyone else. Bryant didn't have the same close relationships as Kidd and LeBron did with many of the Team USA players. But his intense focus was eye-opening for everyone. Soon, LeBron was following a similar practice regimen. Cavs assistant coach Chris Jent had flown in from Cleveland to put in time with LeBron on his shot, and they were spending more time in the gym than ever before. LeBron had two schedules going: his USA Basketball commitments and his own private workouts with Jent and others.

"Kobe served as an impetus for LeBron, whether LeBron knew that or not," said Jerry Colangelo. "Just by him being there, Kobe raised the bar for everyone - but especially LeBron. Over the last 40 years I've spent working in the NBA, I learned that sometimes players aren't totally aware of what they have left to give. LeBron had a lot more to give, and Kobe helped bring that out in him. When Kidd and Kobe got there, it helped considerably. They grew together and had a unique chemistry. Off the court they were friendly, but different. Kobe is more private and LeBron is more outgoing. But on the court they served as a constant challenge for each other."

LeBron never doubted he could blend his game with Bryant's.

"I'm probably the ultimate team player," he told the media covering Team USA. "I'll sacrifice whatever for the success of the team. Kobe is a great, great, great player. It's not hard for me and Kobe to get along."

That summer, LeBron unveiled his new and more technically sound jumper - a nagging issue for years. He'd had a bad habit of fading backward on his shots. LeBron started making shots with stunning regularity, which took some by surprise. He'd made only 32 percent of his shots in the Finals just weeks before. During the 2007 tournament, LeBron shot a remarkable 62 percent on three-pointers by making 23 of 37. The FIBA three-point line is about a foot closer than in the NBA, but there was little doubt that LeBron's shooting had improved.

Something else was becoming apparent: Kidd had emerged as the soul of the team. He was driven to convince his teammates to surrender their egos for the larger goal of winning the gold. Bryant was the go-to player on the court, as he had been for every team he'd ever been on, the guy who takes the most important shot in the most critical situations. But LeBron was becoming the team's voice. His personality and mixture of skills, his willingness to learn and to concentrate upon making the offense work impressed his coaches and older teammates.

"I'm not sure I've ever seen a young man mature as quickly as he did," said Colangelo. "He took major, dramatic steps."

LeBron took his new shot with him to the 2007-08 NBA season with the Cavs. He set a career high by shooting 48 percent from the field, which helped him win his first scoring title, averaging 30 points per game. After missing it the year before, LeBron was voted back onto the first team, All-NBA. He also finished third in the MVP voting. It was LeBron's best personal season as a pro. And there was no doubt much of it was a carryover from the summer before.

When LeBron re-joined his Team USA teammates in Las Vegas in late June of 2008 to begin the final preparations for the Beijing Olympics, the coaching staff was amazed at the way LeBron conducted himself, compared with two years earlier when they first worked with him.

About his leadership on the team, LeBron told reporters, "I knew it had to come from someone. It doesn't matter how good individuals are, if you don't have a leader, it's not going to be right. I took that responsibility from day 1, saying I'm going to be the vocal leader."

After several meetings over 18 months with LeBron, Krzyzewski realized his young star really did embrace the leadership role.

"[When I first met him], I thought he was a great young player," Mike Krzyzewski told the media covering Team USA. "Now, he's a great player. You didn't know he was going to be a leader. He's a terrific leader. He's one of the best leaders I've been around."

The Duke coach allowed LeBron to lead the team in drills and speak to the team before some practices. He also spoke in huddles during games, along with taking aside a player just to encourage him or listen to what a teammate had on his mind.

Thinking back to the 2004 Olympics, four years later LeBron told reporters: "We didn't have a leader. We just weren't a good team. We got to the semifinals just because of our individual abilities. It's totally different now."

LeBron loved the "team first" approach, and the coaching staff noticed the difference in his attitude.

"He had become our quarterback," said Mike D'Antoni. "What is special about LeBron is he sees the game without any sort of selfishness. That's a winning vision. When you have a guy with that ability, he needs to communicate it. When you have that, it is easier to make a united team."

Nate McMillan, the assistant who led the defense, said, "His voice became a part of what we did. First, he has a very loud, deep voice that everyone could hear. He acted like the quarterback on defense. We'd put him back there and he'd help his teammates because he sees the floor so well with his size and with his knowledge of what is going on within the game."

It says a lot about LeBron that he ended up as the triggerman of the offense for the 2008 team that finally won the gold medal. That roster included talented point guards in Chris Paul and Jason Kidd. But the coaches recalled LeBron's operating of the offense back in 2006 in the World Games in Japan when Team USA rallied to win the bronze medal.

The 6-foot-8 LeBron played point guard during parts of some games, then switched to power forward to help inside. The 2008 Team USA was somewhat "small," as Colangelo had tried to stack the team with tall wing defenders and good shooters to deal with the matchups they expected to face. That was why LeBron spent some time at power forward. D'Antoni designed numerous plays that put LeBron in the high post, where he would get the ball with good position, with the option to dribble, pull up, and shoot or pass. This proved devastating for the opposition, who always had problems knowing how many defenders should cover LeBron. He would continually find weaknesses in the defense. If he was double-covered, he passed to an open man for a lay-up. If a single, smaller defender tried to cover him, LeBron used his size to drive to the basket.

"You could put him anywhere on the floor and he'd be effective as a playmaker." marveled D'Antoni. He wasn't the point guard, but he pretty much became the point person for a lot of our players. He's one of the biggest and strongest players on the court."

Team USA coaches believed the team's depth and pure athletic talent - namely its speed and jumping ability - was reason to increase the tempo and play a pressing and aggressive style of defense. Olympic games are eight minutes shorter than 48-minute NBA games. Most of the players on Team USA usually played at least 35 minutes or more a night. So by substituting liberally to constantly have fresh players on the floor, they put their most physical effort into the defensive end of the court. Because he could cover every position on the floor, LeBron spent time guarding everyone from point guards to centers. He was the point man on the pressing defense, often defending the other team's best player - unless Bryant had that role. Then LeBron took the second-best scorer.

Team USA won the 2008 gold medal by defeating Spain, 118-107. Dwyane Wade led the team with 27 points, Bryant added 20, while LeBron scored 14 and grabbed six rebounds.

"After 2004, we touched base with each other and said we wanted to make a commitment to be part of USA Basketball and try to accomplish something we've never done before - win a gold medal," said LeBron. "Once we came together and we put in our time and our hearts - we gave up our summers."

But those summers made LeBron a better player in the winter, especially in the 2008-09 season. Cavs Coach Mike Brown studied Team USA's games closely. He came to training camp in 2008 planning to increase LeBron's time at power forward. It created a series of so-called "small" lineups that led to big success for LeBron and the Cavs the next season. The Olympic experience inspired LeBron to improve his defense during the NBA season. He consistently guarded the opposition's top wing scorer. He came from the weak side to block the shots of players defended by teammates. He was voted to the NBA All-Defensive Team for the first time.

"I'm just a better basketball player mentally, physically and emotionally," LeBron said after the Olympics.

He proved it with the Cavs in his MVP season.

"When he won the MVP, the entire USA Basketball family took great pride," said Colangelo. "There's a special bond between all of us. We certainly understand that all of these guys are valuable assets to their teams. Some see playing with us in the summer as a great risk. But I think what happens is players all come back from the experience better off than being left on their own."

That was certainly LeBron's perspective.

"Winning the gold medal was one of the most special moments in my life, it was a great accomplishment," LeBron said. "I came away knowing that I could be a leader on a team that had Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant and guys like Jason Kidd. Now I know I can be a leader on any team I'm on."