LeBron James Kindergarten: What Did the Lakers Star Look Like as a Child?

LeBron James has become a household name all over the world, a big part of which has to do with his 21-year career in the NBA. James has spent the majority of his life in front of the media and their cameras, but not as much is known of the King’s childhood. However, recently, a kid LeBron’s hilarious image started making rounds on the internet.

This area of James’s life (his childhood) has been of utmost curiosity to fans lately, as the King seems to defy aging itself. Ironically enough, an X (formerly Twitter) sports page by the name of ‘ButtCrack Sports’ recently posted a picture of James as a kid. In the image, LeBron appears to be a chubby kid with glasses.

This image left many fans in awe, as not many photos from James’s early days exist. But sadly enough for fans, the picture turned out to be a fake. The X page posted the AI-generated picture as part of a parody post, as it showcased an AI-generated of Michael Jordan and LeBron James side by side.

However, a few pictures from James’s early childhood do exist. One of the earliest pictures of LeBron seems to be his famous picture with a blue elephant.

The picture seems to be from LeBron’s elementary school days. Ironically enough, the young king chooses to go with the blue elephant over a basketball in the picture. Adding to the fire, LeBron’s mother Gloria James also recently posted a picture of her son to Instagram, finally clearing up fans’ doubts about a baby LeBron’s appearance.

In the picture, a baby “Lebron” is enthusiastically holding a basketball, the single object that would change the fate of the entire James household forever. LBJ sported his iconic smile even back then.

A trip down memory lane

LeBron James was born LeBron Raymone James, and just like many other inner-city Cleveland kids, he was a product of a single-parent household. What many don’t understand is that James went through hardships from the jump, with his mother often struggling to find a steady job that could provide for James and herself.

Unlike his kids Bronny, Bryce, and Zhuri, James wasn’t provided with luxuries of any sort, resulting in him rarely getting his photos taken as a child. But once James started making headlines as a basketball player, the media came calling. One of James’s earliest viral photos came as a teenager when he did his ‘field of dreams’ inspired photoshoot back in 2002.

Pictures from that time often saw LeBron warming up for games, stretching out, and getting his conditioning in, a trend that follows him to this day. Last but not least is the picture of a young Lebron meeting Michael Jordan back in 2003. James would continue to chase Jordan for the next 21- years, as he finally nudges closer to making his point as the greatest of all time.