He is the eldest child and teammate of professional basketball player LeBron James Sr., making them the first active father-son duo in NBA history.

[6][7][8] During his childhood, James played for the Miami City Ballers with teammates such as Jett Howard and the Houston-based Gulf Coast Blue Chips.

[12] In July 2018, a youth game featuring James was canceled after a fan wearing a Michael Jordan jersey heckled his father and was denied entrance.

[19][20] Sierra Canyon's basketball program, under head coach Andre Chevalier, was one of the best in the nation and won the previous two California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Open Division state titles.

[25] On December 14, he scored 15 points, including a go-ahead layup, and was named the game's most valuable player (MVP) in a 59–56 victory over his father's alma mater, St. Vincent–St.

[27] Five days later, during a Hoophall Classic game against Paul VI Catholic High School, an orange peel was thrown by a young fan at James, causing a brief stoppage of play.

Although the offender was not immediately identified, a clip of the incident went viral, drawing criticism from James’ father, and the fan issued an apology.

[32] After missing most of the season, James returned against Centennial High School in the CIF Southern Section Open Division final on June 11.

[34] In James' junior season, his Sierra Canyon team was led by seniors Amari Bailey and Kijani Wright.

[36] His team was upset by Harvard-Westlake School in the CIF Southern Section Open Division semifinals, where he scored four points.

[37] Sierra Canyon reached the Open Division regional final, losing to Centennial High School, 83–59, and James was held scoreless while playing through hip soreness.

[43] After missing the first two regular season games with an illness, James made his senior debut on November 26, recording 13 points, four assists and three rebounds in a 63–60 overtime loss to Rancho Christian School.

[45] In January 2023, James missed four games with a knee injury and scored 19 points in his return on February 1 as his team lost to Notre Dame High School, 88–61, at the Mission League semifinals.

[50][51] He was selected to play in the McDonald's All-American Game and was named to the United States team for the Nike Hoop Summit.

[54][55] In the Nike Hoop Summit, he scored 11 points, 4 rebounds, a steal and a block as along with hitting the go ahead free-throws as his team won, 90–84.

[56] By 2015, James was receiving scholarship offers and letters of interest from college basketball programs, according to his father, who commented, "It should be a violation.

[65] On January 17, 2023, the Los Angeles Times reported that James would decide between attending college at Ohio State, Oregon or USC.

[71] Less than five months later, James made his collegiate debut for the Trojans on December 10, finishing with four points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block off the bench in an 84–79 loss against Long Beach State.

[89] On January 31, 2025, returning from the G league in a win over the Washington Wizards he put up five points on 1–for–6 shooting, two rebounds, and two assists, playing the entire fourth quarter.

[95][100] James's playing style has drawn comparisons to De'Anthony Melton, Lonzo Ball, Miles McBride, and Jrue Holiday.

[101] After James was selected to play in the 2023 McDonald's All-American Game, recruiting analyst Dinos Trigonis raised concerns about a "smell of nepotism here that isn't good for our kids.

[104] ESPN reporter Adrian Wojnarowski addressed the claims of nepotism by stating that such practices are prevalent in various roles in the NBA.

"[110] In June 2021, James made his first appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated alongside members of FaZe Clan, including NFL quarterback Kyler Murray.

[16] Then, in July 2024, James chose the number 9 jersey for his professional debut in the NBA during the 2024–25 Los Angeles Lakers season.