document_title: LeBron James

question_text: how many times did lebron go to the finals

text: LeBron James

text: Early life

text: James was born on December 30, 1984 in Akron, Ohio to a 16-year-old mother, Gloria Marie James, who raised the child on her own.[1][2]:22 When James was growing up, life was often a struggle for the family, as they moved from apartment to apartment in the seedier neighborhoods of Akron while Gloria struggled to find steady work.[3] Realizing that her son would be better off in a more stable family environment, Gloria allowed him to move in with the family of Frank Walker, a local youth football coach, who introduced James to basketball when he was nine years old.[2]:23

text: As a youth, James played Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball for the Northeast Ohio Shooting Stars.[3] The team enjoyed success on a local and national level, led by James and his friends Sian Cotton, Dru Joyce III, and Willie McGee.[2]:24 The players were inseparable and dubbed themselves the "Fab Four", promising each other that they would attend high school together.[2]:27 In a move that stirred local controversy, they chose to attend St. Vincent–St. Mary High School, a predominately white private Catholic school.[4][5]

text: High school career

text: Basketball

text: As a freshman, James averaged 21 points and 6 rebounds per game for the St. Vincent-St. Mary varsity basketball team.[6] The Fighting Irish finished the year 27–0, winning the Division III state title.[6] As a sophomore, James averaged 25.2 points and 7.2 rebounds with 5.8 assists and 3.8 steals per game.[7] For some home games during the season, St. Vincent-St. Mary played at the University of Akron's 5,492-seat Rhodes Arena to satisfy ticket demand from alumni, fans, and college and NBA scouts who wanted to see James play.[2]:51[8] The Fighting Irish finished the season 26–1 and repeated as state champions.[6] For his outstanding play, James was named Ohio Mr. Basketball and selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team, becoming the first sophomore to do either.[9]

text: Prior to the start of James' junior year, he appeared in SLAM Magazine and was lauded as possibly "the best high school basketball player in America right now" by writer Ryan Jones.[10] During the season, he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, becoming the first high school basketball underclassman to do so.[2]:104 With averages of 29 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 3.3 steals per game,[6] he was again named Ohio Mr. Basketball and selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team,[6] and became the first junior to be named boys' basketball Gatorade National Player of the Year.[2]:117 St. Vincent-St. Mary finished the year with a 23–4 record, ending their season with a loss in the Division II championship game.[2]:114 Following the loss, James seriously considered declaring for the 2002 NBA draft, unsuccessfully petitioning for an adjustment to the NBA's draft eligibility rules that required prospective players to have at least graduated from high school.[11] During this time, he used marijuana to help cope with the stress that resulted from the constant media attention he was receiving.[12][13][14]

text: Throughout his senior year, James and the Fighting Irish traveled around the country to play a number of nationally ranked teams, including a game against Oak Hill Academy that was nationally televised on ESPN2.[2]:142 Time Warner Cable, looking to capitalize on James' popularity, offered St. Vincent-St. Mary's games to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis throughout the season.[2]:143 For the year, James averaged 31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 3.4 steals per game,[9] was named Ohio Mr. Basketball and selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team for an unprecedented third consecutive year,[2]:178[6] and was named Gatorade National Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.[6] He participated in three year-end high school basketball all-star games—the EA Sports Roundball Classic, the Jordan Capital Classic, and the McDonald's All-American Game—losing his National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) eligibility and making it official that he would enter the 2003 NBA draft.[15] Many basketball analysts, scouts, and writers have remarked that James left high school as one of the best and most hyped prospects of all-time.[2]:142[16][17][18][19]

text: Also during his senior year, James was the centerpiece of several controversies. For his 18th birthday, he skirted state amateur bylaws by accepting a Hummer H2 from his mother, who had secured a loan for the vehicle by utilizing LeBron's future earning power as a professional athlete.[20] This prompted an investigation by the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) because its guidelines stated that no amateur may accept any gift valued over $100 as a reward for athletic performance. James was cleared of any wrongdoing because he had accepted the gift from a family member and not from an agent or any outside source.[15] Later in the season, James accepted two throwback jerseys worth $845 from an urban clothing store in exchange for posing for pictures, officially violating OHSAA rules and resulting in him being stripped of his high school sports eligibility.[15] James appealed the ruling and his penalty was eventually dropped to a two-game suspension, allowing him to play the remainder of the year. The Irish were also forced to forfeit one of their wins, their only official loss that season.[21] In his first game back after the suspension, James scored a career-high 52 points.[22]

text: Football

text: James played wide receiver for St. Vincent-St. Mary's football team and was recruited by some Division I programs, including Notre Dame.[2]:51[23] As a sophomore, he was named first team all-state, and as a junior, he led the Fighting Irish to the state semifinals.[7] He decided to stop playing high school football before his senior year, after he broke his wrist during an AAU basketball game.[24] Many sports analysts, football critics, high school coaches, and former and current players have speculated on whether he could have played in the National Football League.[2]:91[25][26][27][28]

text: Professional career

text: Cleveland Cavaliers (2003–2010)

text: Rookie season (2003–2004)

text: James was selected by his home team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, as the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft.[29] In his first regular season game, he scored 25 points against the Sacramento Kings, setting an NBA record for most points scored by a prep-to-pro player in his debut performance.[30] At the conclusion of the season, he was named the NBA Rookie of the Year, finishing with averages of 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game.[31] He became the first Cavalier to receive the honor and just the third player in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game as a rookie.[32] The Cavaliers finished the season 35–47, failing to make the playoffs despite an 18-game improvement over the previous year.[33]

text: Rise to superstardom (2004–2008)

text: James earned his first NBA All-Star Game selection in 2004–05, contributing 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in a winning effort for the Eastern Conference.[34] Around the league, teams took note of his rapid development, with Denver Nuggets coach George Karl telling Sports Illustrated, "It's weird talking about a 20-year-old kid being a great player, but he is a great player ... He's the exception to almost every rule."[35] On March 20, James scored 56 points against the Toronto Raptors, setting Cleveland's new single-game points record.[36] With final averages of 27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 2.2 steals per game, he was named to his first All-NBA Team.[7] Despite a 30–20 record to start the year,[36] the Cavaliers again failed to make the playoffs, finishing the season 42–40.[37]

text: At the 2006 All-Star Game, James led the East to victory with 29 points and was named the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player.[38] Behind final season averages of 31.4 points, 7 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game,[39] he also finished second in overall NBA Most Valuable Player Award voting to Steve Nash.[40] Under James' leadership, the Cavaliers qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1998.[41] In his postseason debut, James recorded a triple-double in a winning effort versus the Washington Wizards.[42] In Game 3 of the series, he made the first game-winning shot of his career, making another in Game 5.[43] Cleveland would go on to defeat the Wizards before being ousted by the Detroit Pistons in the second round.[44][45]

text: In 2006–07, James' averages declined to 27.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.[7] Some analysts attributed the fall to a regression in his passing skills and shot selection, stemming from a lack of effort and focus.[48] The Cavaliers finished the season with 50 wins for the second consecutive year and entered the playoffs as the East's second seed.[49][50] In Game 5 of the Conference Finals, James notched 48 points with 9 rebounds and 7 assists, scoring 29 of Cleveland's last 30 points, including the game-winning layup with two seconds left, against the Pistons.[51] After the game, play-by-play announcer Marv Albert called the performance "one of the greatest moments in postseason history" and color commentator Steve Kerr described it as "Jordan-esque".[52] In 2012, ESPN ranked the performance the fourth greatest in modern NBA playoff history.[53] The Cavaliers went on to win Game 6 and claim their first-ever Eastern Conference championship,[54] earning them a matchup with the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.[55] During the championship round, James struggled, averaging 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game on just 35.6 percent shooting,[56] and Cleveland was eliminated in a sweep.[55]

text: In February of the 2007–08 season, James was named All-Star Game MVP for the second time behind a 27-point, 8-rebound, and 9-assist performance.[57][58] On March 21, he moved past Brad Daugherty as the Cavaliers' all-time leading scorer in a game against the Raptors, doing so in over 100 less games than Daugherty.[59] His 30 points per game were also the highest in the league, representing his first scoring title.[60] Despite his individual accomplishments, Cleveland's record fell from the year before to 45–37.[61] Seeded fourth in the East entering the playoffs, the Cavaliers defeated the Wizards in the first round for the third consecutive season before being eliminated in seven games by the eventual-champion Boston Celtics in the next round.[62] During the decisive seventh game in Boston, James scored 45 points and Paul Pierce scored 41 in a game the Associated Press described as a "shootout".[63]

text: First MVP tenure (2008–2010)

text: At the conclusion of the 2008–09 season, James finished second in NBA Defensive Player of the Year voting and made his first NBA All-Defensive Team, posting 23 chase-down blocks and a career-high 93 total blocks.[65][66] He also became only the fourth postmerger player to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks in a single season.[67] Behind his play and the acquisition of All-Star guard Mo Williams, Cleveland went a franchise record 66–16 and fell just one game short of matching the best home record in league history.[68] With final averages of 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game, James became the first Cavalier to win the MVP Award.[69] Reflecting on James' performance for ESPN, John Hollinger later wrote, "He's having what is arguably the greatest individual season in history, and it's time we gave him his due for it."[70]

text: In the playoffs, Cleveland swept the Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks to earn a matchup with the Orlando Magic in the Conference Finals.[71] In Game 1 of the series, James scored 49 points on 66 percent shooting in a losing effort for the Cavaliers.[53] In Game 2, he hit a game-winner to tie the series at 1–1.[72] Cleveland would lose the series in six games, and following the loss in Game 6, James immediately left the floor without shaking hands with his opponents, which was an act that many media members viewed as unsportsmanlike.[73][74] For the series, he averaged 38.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 8 assists per game,[75] finishing the postseason with a career playoff-high 35.3 points per game.[39]

text: In February of the 2009–10 season, James was forced into a temporary point guard role following a series of injuries to the Cavaliers' backcourt.[76] Behind his leadership, Cleveland lost no momentum, finishing the year with the best record in the league for the second consecutive season.[77] Due in part to his increased minutes as the Cavaliers' primary ball handler, James increased his statistical production, averaging 29.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1 block per game on 50 percent shooting en route to another MVP Award.[78] To open the playoffs, Cleveland advanced past the Bulls to earn a matchup with the Celtics in the second round.[79] James was heavily criticized for not playing well in Game 5 of the series, shooting only 20 percent on 14 shots and scoring 15 points.[80] The team suffered its worst loss in franchise history, and at the conclusion of the game, James walked off the court to a smattering of boos from Cleveland's home crowd.[81] The Cavaliers were officially eliminated from the postseason in Game 6, with James posting 27 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists, and nine turnovers in the losing effort.[79]

text: 2010 free agency

text: James became an unrestricted free agent at 12:01 am EDT on July 1, 2010.[83] During this time, he was contacted by several teams, including the Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets, and Cavaliers.[84] On July 8, he announced on a live ESPN special titled The Decision that he would sign with the Heat.[85] The telecast was broadcast from the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich, Connecticut and raised $2.5 million for the charity. An additional $3.5 million was raised from advertising revenue, which was donated to other charities.[86][87] The day before the special, fellow free agents Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade had also announced that they would sign with Miami;[88][89] reports later arose that back in 2006 the trio had discussed among themselves their upcoming 2010 free agencies.[90] James decided to join with Bosh and Wade in part so that he could shoulder less of the offensive load; he thought that his improved teammates would give him a better chance of winning an NBA championship than had he stayed in Cleveland.[91][92] Heat president Pat Riley played a major role in selling James on the idea of playing with Bosh and Wade.[93] James would be relieved of the burden of scoring, and he thought he could be the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double in a season.[91]

text: James drew intense criticism from sports analysts, executives, fans, and current and former players for leaving the Cavaliers. The Decision itself was also scrutinized and viewed as unnecessary. Many thought the prolonged wait for James' choice was unprofessional as not even the teams courting him were aware of his decision until moments before the show.[94] Upon learning that James would not be returning to Cleveland, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert published an open letter to fans in which he aggressively denounced James' actions.[95] Some angry fans of the team recorded videos of themselves burning his jersey.[96] Former NBA players, including Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, were also critical of James, condemning him for joining with Bosh and Wade in Miami and not trying to win a championship as "the guy".[97][98][99] James drew further criticism in a September interview with CNN when he claimed that race might have been a factor in the fallout from The Decision.[100][101] As a result of his actions during the 2010 free agency period, he quickly gained a reputation as one of America's most disliked athletes, a radical change from years prior.[102][103] The phrase "taking my talents to South Beach" became a punch line for critics.[104][105]

text: Immediately following The Decision, James claimed that there was nothing he would change about the handling of his free agency despite all the criticism.[106] During the 2010–11 season, he expressed some regret, admitting, "[I] probably would do it a little bit different ... But I'm happy with my decision."[107] Before the 2011–12 season, he relented, "... if the shoe was on the other foot and I was a fan, and I was very passionate about one player, and he decided to leave, I would be upset too about the way he handled it."[103]

text: Miami Heat (2010–2014)

text: Year of controversy (2010–2011)

text: James officially became a member of the Heat on July 10, 2010.[108] With the move, he became only the third reigning MVP to change teams and the first since Moses Malone in 1982.[109] That evening, the Heat threw a welcome party for their new "big three" at the American Airlines Arena, an event that took on a rock concert atmosphere.[110] During the gathering, James predicted a dynasty for the Heat and alluded to multiple championships.[111][112] Outside of Miami, the spectacle was not well-received, furthering the negative public perception of James.[113][114]

text: Throughout the 2010–11 season, James embraced the villain role that was bestowed upon him by the media. He played for the Heat with an angry demeanor and less joy than in years past, and later admitted that he regretted this approach.[115] On December 2, he faced the Cavaliers in Cleveland for the first time since departing as a free agent. He scored 38 points and led Miami to a win while being booed every time he touched the ball.[116][117] He finished the season with averages of 26.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7 assists per game on 51 percent shooting.[39] Miami entered the playoffs as the East's second seed and advanced to the Finals before stumbling against the Dallas Mavericks, losing in six games despite holding a 2–1 series lead going into Game 4.[118] James received the brunt of the criticism for the loss, averaging only three points in fourth quarters in the series.[119] His Finals scoring average of 17.8 points per game signified an 8.9-point drop from the regular season, the largest point drop-off in league history.[120]

text: Back-to-back championships (2012–2013)

text: James was humbled by the Heat's loss to the Mavericks, and he spent the offseason working with Hakeem Olajuwon on his post game.[121] His work with Olajuwon paid off, fueling what Grantland's Kirk Goldsberry called "one of the greatest and most important transformations in recent sports history".[122] Behind James' more post-oriented play,[122] Miami matched their best start to a season in franchise history,[123] and at the conclusion of the lockout-shortened 2011–12 season, he was named MVP for the third time, finishing with averages of 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.9 steals per game on 53 percent shooting.[124]

text: In Game 4 of the second round of the playoffs, James registered 40 points, 18 rebounds, and 9 assists to help even the series against the Indiana Pacers.[126] Miami eventually defeated the Pacers in six games.[127] Facing elimination in Game 6 of the Conference Finals against the Celtics, James scored 45 points to lead the Heat to victory in what The New York Times called a "career-defining performance".[128] Miami won Game 7 to advance to the Finals, earning them a matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder.[127] Late in Game 4 of the series, James hit a three-pointer to give the Heat a lead, helping them win the game despite missing time with leg cramps.[129] In Game 5, he registered a triple-double as Miami defeated Oklahoma City for their second-ever championship and James' first championship.[130] James was unanimously voted the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player with averages of 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game.[131] His full postseason run, in which he averaged 30.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game, was later ranked the second best in modern NBA history by ESPN.[132]

text: In February of the 2012–13 season, James' performance was described by Sports Illustrated as a "month for the ages",[133] averaging 29.7 points and 7.8 assists per game while setting multiple shooting efficiency records.[134][135][136] During this period, the Heat began a 27-game winning streak, the third longest in NBA history.[137] Behind his play, Miami finished the year with a franchise and league best 66–16 record,[138] and James was named MVP for the fourth time, falling just one vote shy of becoming the first player in NBA history to win the award unanimously.[139] His final season averages were 26.8 points, 8 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 1.7 steals per game on 56.5 percent shooting.[39]

text: In Game 1 of the Conference Finals, James scored a buzzer-beating layup to give Miami a one-point victory against the Pacers.[140] Throughout the series, his supporting cast struggled significantly, and his added scoring load prompted him to compare his responsibilities to those of his "Cleveland days".[141] Despite these struggles, the Heat advanced to the Finals for a meeting with the Spurs,[142] signifying a rematch for James from his first Finals six years earlier.[143] At the beginning of the series, he was criticized for his lack of aggressiveness and poor shot selection as Miami fell behind 2–3.[75][142][144] In Game 6, he recorded his second triple-double of the series, including 16 fourth quarter points, to lead the Heat to a comeback victory.[145] In Game 7, he tied the Finals record for most points scored in a Game 7 victory, leading Miami over San Antonio with 37 points.[146] He was named Finals MVP for the second straight season, averaging 25.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2.3 steals per game for the championship round.[147]

text: Fourth consecutive Finals (2013–2014)

text: On March 3 of the 2013–14 season, James scored a career-high and franchise-record 61 points in a game against the Charlotte Bobcats.[148] Throughout the year, he was one of the few staples for a Heat roster that used 20 different starting lineups due to injuries,[149] finishing with averages of 27.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game on 56.7 percent shooting.[39] In the second round of the playoffs, he tied a career postseason-high by scoring 49 points in Game 4 against the Brooklyn Nets.[150] In the next round, Miami defeated the Pacers to earn their fourth consecutive Finals berth, becoming one of only four teams in NBA history to do so.[151] In Game 1 of the Finals, James missed most of the fourth quarter because of leg cramps, helping the Spurs take an early series lead.[152] In Game 2, he led the Heat to a series-tying victory with 35 points on a 64 percent shooting rate.[153] San Antonio eventually eliminated the Heat in five games, ending Miami's quest for a three-peat.[154] For the Finals, James averaged 28.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game.[155]

text: Return to the Cavaliers (2014–present)

text: 2014 free agency

text: On June 25, 2014, James opted out of his contract with the Heat and officially became an unrestricted free agent on July 1.[158] On July 11, he revealed via a first-person essay in Sports Illustrated that he intended to return to the Cavaliers.[159] In contrast to The Decision, his announcement to return to Cleveland was well received.[160][161][162] On July 12, he officially signed with the team,[163] who had compiled a league-worst 97–215 record in the four seasons following his departure.[164] A month after James' signing, the Cavaliers acquired Kevin Love from the Minnesota Timberwolves, forming a new star trio along with Kyrie Irving.[165]

text: Ending the 52-year Cleveland sports curse (2014–2016)

text: In January of the 2014–15 season, James missed two weeks due to left knee and lower back strains, the longest stretch of missed games in his career.[166] In total, he played a career-low 69 games and his final averages were 25.3 points, 6 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game.[39] In the second round of the playoffs, he hit a baseline jumper at the buzzer to give Cleveland a 2–2 series tie with the Bulls.[167] In the Conference Finals, the Cavaliers defeated the Hawks to advance to the Finals, making James the first player since the 1960s to play in five consecutive Finals.[168] For most of the Finals against the Golden State Warriors, Irving and Love were sidelined due to injury, giving James more offensive responsibilities.[168] Behind his leadership, the Cavaliers opened the series with a 2–1 lead before being eliminated in six games.[169] Despite the loss, he received serious consideration for the Finals MVP Award,[170] averaging 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game for the championship round.[169]

text: During the 2015–16 season, James was criticized for his role in several off-court controversies, including the midseason firing of Cavaliers' head coach David Blatt.[171][172] Despite these distractions, Cleveland finished the year with 57 wins and the best record in the East.[173] James' final averages were 25.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game on 52 percent shooting.[39] In the playoffs, the Cavaliers advanced comfortably to the Finals, losing only two games en route to a rematch with the Warriors,[173] who were coming off a record-setting 73 win season.[174] To begin the series, Cleveland fell behind 3–1, including two blowout losses.[175] James responded by registering back-to-back 41 point games in Games 5 and 6, leading the Cavaliers to two consecutive wins to stave off elimination.[176] In Game 7, he posted a triple-double and made a number of key plays, including a memorable chase-down block on Andre Iguodala in the final two minutes,[177][178][179] as Cleveland emerged victorious, winning the city's first professional sports title in 52 years and becoming the first team in NBA history to come back from a 3–1 series deficit in the Finals.[180] James became just the third player to record a triple-double in an NBA Finals Game 7,[181] and behind series averages of 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 2.3 blocks, and 2.6 steals per game,[175] he also became the first player in league history to lead both teams in all five statistical categories for a playoff round, culminating in a unanimous Finals MVP selection.[182]

text: Post-championship (2017–present)

text: The 2016–17 season was marred by injuries and unexpected losses for the Cavaliers;[183] James later described it as one of the "strangest" years of his career.[184] Following a January defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans, he publicly criticized Cleveland's front office for constructing a team that he felt was too "top heavy", for which he received criticism.[185] The Cavaliers finished the season as the East's second seed, with James averaging 26.4 points and career highs in rebounds (8.6), assists (8.7), and turnovers (4.1) per game.[39] In Game 3 of the first round of the postseason, he registered 41 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists against the Pacers, leading Cleveland to a comeback victory after trailing by 25 points at halftime, representing the largest halftime deficit overcome in NBA playoff history.[186] In Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Celtics, James scored 35 points and surpassed Michael Jordan as the league's all-time postseason scoring leader.[187] The Cavaliers won the game and the series, advancing to their third consecutive Finals against the Warriors.[188] Behind averages of 33.6 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists per game, James became the first player to average a triple-double in the Finals, but Cleveland was defeated in five games.[189]

text: National team career

text: James made his debut for the United States national team at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.[190] He spent the Games mostly on the bench,[191][192] averaging 14.6 minutes per game with 5.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game in eight games.[190] 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 professionals to their line-up.[190][193] James felt his limited playing time was a "lowlight" and believed he was not given "a fair opportunity to play".[194] His attitude during the Olympics was described as "disrespectful" and "distasteful" by columnists Adrian Wojnarowski and Peter Vecsey, respectively.[195][196]

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.[197][198] The team finished the tournament with an 8–1 record, winning another bronze medal.[197] James' behavior was again questioned, this time by teammate Bruce Bowen, who confronted James during tryouts regarding his treatment of staff members.[195][199]

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.[195][200] 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.[201][202] Team USA went 10–0, winning the gold medal and qualifying for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.[190] 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."[192] At the Olympics, Team USA went unbeaten, winning their first gold medal since 2000.[203] In the final game, James turned in 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists against Spain.[203]

text: James did not play at the 2010 FIBA World Championship but rejoined Team USA for the 2012 Olympics in London, England.[204] He became the leader of the team with Kobe Bryant, who would soon be 34, stepping back.[205][206][207] James facilitated the offense from the post and perimeter, called the defensive sets, and provided scoring when needed.[208][209][210][211] 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.[a][211] Team USA went on to win their second straight gold medal, again defeating Spain in the final game.[213] James contributed 19 points in the win, becoming the all-time leading scorer in U.S. men's basketball history.[190][213] 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.[214] 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."[215]

text: Player profile

text: Standing 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 m) and weighing 250 pounds (113.4 kg), James has started at small forward and power forward, but he can also play the other three positions.[216] With career averages of 27.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 1.6 steals per game,[39] he is considered one of the most athletic and versatile players in the NBA,[122][217][218] and has been compared to Hall of Famers Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan.[31][219] Since 2011, he has been ranked the best player in the NBA by ESPN and Sports Illustrated.[b][c]

text: Many basketball analysts, coaches, fans, and current and former players consider James to be one of the greatest players of all-time, often ranking him as the best small forward and in the top five overall.[d] He has earned All-NBA honors every season since his sophomore year, All-Defensive honors every season from 2009 to 2014, and was named Rookie of the Year in his debut season.[39] With four MVP awards, he is part of a select group of players who have won the award four times, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, and Bill Russell; James and Russell are the only two players who have won four MVP awards in a five-year span.[238] 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.[66][239] James has appeared in the Finals eight times and won three championships. Some analysts have criticized him for not having a better Finals record, while others have defended him, arguing that James usually performed well but was defeated by superior competition.[240][241][242]

text: Offense

text: Upon entering the NBA as a 19-year-old rookie, James made an immediate offensive impact and led the Cavaliers in scoring.[244][245] He holds numerous "youngest to" distinctions, including being the youngest player to score 28,000 career points.[e] During his first stint in Cleveland, he was primarily used as an on-ball point forward. His shooting tendencies were perimeter-oriented,[122] and he established himself as one of the best slashers and finishers in basketball; he led the NBA in three-point plays in 2006.[250] His combination of speed, quickness, and size often created matchup problems for opposing teams as he was capable of blowing by larger defenders and overpowering smaller ones.[251] These qualities became more apparent in transition, where he developed a reputation for grabbing defensive rebounds and then beating the defense downcourt for highlight-quality baskets.[252] Around this time, James was frequently criticized for not having developed a reliable jump shot or post game.[253] 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 utilized by Spurs coach Greg Popovich in the 2007 Finals, where James converted on only 36 percent of his field goals in four games.[254]

text: In Miami, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra changed James' role to a more unconventional one.[122] James began spending more time in the post and shooting fewer three-pointers, attempting a career-low 149 in 2012.[39][122] He improved his shot selection and accuracy on jump shots, finishing second in the league in catch-and-shoot field goal percentage in 2013.[255] He also learned how to work as an off-ball cutter in the Heat's "pass-happy" offense.[256] Behind these improvements, James' overall scoring efficiency rose to historically-great levels,[257] peaking in 2014 when he registered a 64.9 true shooting percentage.[39] During this period, ESPN's Tom Haberstroh called James' free throw shooting his biggest weakness, describing it as "average".[258] Upon returning to the Cavaliers, James began to experience subtle age-related declines in productivity,[259] posting his lowest scoring averages since his rookie season in 2015 and 2016.[39][260] His shooting also temporarily regressed, and he briefly ranked as the worst high-volume outside shooter from outside the paint in the NBA.[261] Despite these changes, he has remained an elite offensive player who is capable of beating defenses with body control, strength, and varying attacking speeds.[251]

text: James' playmaking ability is generally considered to be one of his premier skills, with some analysts ranking him among the greatest passers in NBA history.[262] He is the only frontcourt player in league history to register over 7,000 career assists.[263] Using his size, vision, and the attention he garners from opposing defenses to his advantage,[264] James is able to create easy points for his teammates with accurate assists, manufacturing a league leading 2.6 three-pointers per game by way of his passing alone in 2013.[265] He will often execute passes that would normally be considered unconventional, including passes after leaving his feet and passes through defensive traffic.[266] His uncanny tendency to find the open man played a significant role in the evolution of modern NBA defenses, forcing 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.[251]

text: Early in James' career, he was criticized by the media for his play in pressure situations; specifically, for passing instead of shooting in the waning seconds of close games.[267][268] In a 2011 interview, teammate Chris Bosh stated that he would rather have Dwyane Wade take a last-second shot than James.[269] Later in James' career, his clutch play was viewed more favorably; for example, a 2011 article by Henry Abbott revealed that James had a better shooting percentage with the game on the line than such notables as Ray Allen and Kobe Bryant.[270] In 2015, FiveThirtyEight wrote that he might be "the most clutch playoff shooter of his generation".[271]

text: Defense

text: At the beginning of James' NBA career, he was considered to be a poor defensive player,[272] but he improved steadily through the years. Near the end of his first tenure in Cleveland, he became proficient at the chase-down block, which involved coming in from behind the opposition in transition to block their shot.[65] In Miami, he developed into a more versatile defensive player, and the Heat relied on him to guard all five positions.[273] James was paired with teammates Shane Battier and Dwyane Wade, and Miami used him in an ultra-aggressive defensive scheme,[274] with James cheating off the ball to help out inside or get into rebounding position.[275] Beginning in 2014, some analysts noted a regression in his defensive impact, stemming from a lack of effort and expected age-related declines.[276][277] James himself admitted to taking plays off at times, referring to this approach as "chill mode".[278] Writing for ESPN in 2016, Nate Duncan observed that while James tended to take off more plays than in his younger days, he was able to raise his level in that year's Finals and temporarily recapture his Miami form.[279]

text: Personal life

text: At a December 31, 2011 party celebrating New Year's Eve and his 27th birthday, James proposed to Savannah Brinson, his high school sweetheart.[280] She accepted and the two were married on September 14, 2013 in San Diego.[281] Together, they have three children: LeBron James Jr. (b. 2004),[282] Bryce Maximus James (b. 2007),[283] and Zhuri James (b. 2014).[284] During his tenure with the Heat, James resided in Coconut Grove, an affluent Miami neighborhood, where he bought a $9 million three-story mansion overlooking Biscayne Bay.[285] In November 2015, James bought a 9,350 square-foot East Coast–style mansion in Brentwood, Los Angeles for about $21 million.[286]

text: James is an active supporter of the Boys & Girls Club of America, Children's Defense Fund, and ONEXONE.[287] He also has his own charity foundation, the LeBron James Family Foundation, which is based in Akron.[288] Since 2005, the foundation has held an annual bike-a-thon in Akron to raise money for various causes.[289] In 2015, James announced a partnership with the University of Akron to provide scholarships for as many as 2,300 children beginning in 2021.[290] In 2016, he donated $2.5 million to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture to support an exhibit about Muhammad Ali.[291] In 2017, he received the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award from the NBA for his "outstanding service and dedication to the community".[292]

text: Business interests

text: James is represented by agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports.[293] 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.[294] James, Paul, Maverick Carter, and Randy Mims—all childhood friends—formed agent and sports-marketing company LRMR after James left Goodwin. LRMR handles James' marketing, including the marketing of The Decision, for which it was criticized.[295][296]

text: Throughout his career, James has taken a unique approach to his playing contracts, usually opting to sign shorter term deals in order to maximize his earnings potential and flexibility;[297][108][298] for example, 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.[299] This move ultimately allowed James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh to sign with the Heat together.[300] During his second stint in Cleveland, he began opting out and re-signing on new contracts after each season in order to take advantage of higher salaries resulting from the NBA's rising salary cap.[163][301][302][303] In 2016, he signed with the Cavaliers on a three-year deal,[304] becoming the highest-paid player in the league for the first time in his career.[305]

text: James has been the recipient of numerous endorsement contracts; some of the companies he does business with are Audemars Piguet,[306] Coca-Cola,[307] Dunkin' Brands,[308] McDonald's,[309] Nike,[307] State Farm,[310] and Samsung.[307] Coming out of high school, he was the target of a three-way bidding war among Nike, Reebok, and Adidas,[311] eventually signing with Nike for approximately $90 million.[312] His signature shoes have performed well for Nike.[313] 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 FC,[314] who he has claimed his support for.[315] As a result of James' endorsement money and NBA salary, he has been listed as one of the world's highest-paid athletes.[316] In 2013, he surpassed Kobe Bryant as the highest paid basketball player in the world, with earnings of $56.5 million.[317] 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.[318] In 2015, he was ranked the sixth highest earning sportsperson,[319] and third highest in 2016 (after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi).[320] James has stated that we would like to own an NBA team in the future, albeit in a hands-off capacity.[321]

text: James and comedian Jimmy Kimmel co-hosted the 2007 ESPY Awards.[322] In other comedic pursuits, he hosted the 33rd-season premiere of Saturday Night Live.[323] He has also tried his hand at acting, appearing in a cameo role on the HBO series Entourage.[324] In 2015, he played himself in the Judd Apatow film Trainwreck,[325] receiving positive reviews for his performance.[326] That same year, James' 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 New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman.[327]

text: Along with business partner Maverick Carter, James owns production company SpringHill Entertainment,[328] whose first work was the Lions Gate documentary More Than a Game, released in 2009 and chronicling James' high school years.[329] Series produced by SpringHill include the Disney XD sports documentaries Becoming,[330] Starz sitcom Survivor's Remorse,[331] and animated web series The LeBrons.[332] 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.[333] 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.[334][335]

text: Public image

text: James is considered by many people–including his fellow players–to be the "face of the NBA".[336] His opinions have yielded significant influence on important league decisions; for example, in 2014 he asked commissioner Adam Silver to increase the duration of the All-Star break, and the request was granted the following season.[337] On February 13, 2015, James was elected the first Vice President of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA).[338]

text: Throughout his career, James has been ranked by Forbes as one of the world's most influential athletes,[339][340] and in 2017, he was listed by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.[341] During his first stint with the Cavaliers, he was adored by local fans, with Sherwin-Williams displaying a giant Nike-produced banner of James on its world headquarters.[342] Despite their affection for James, Cleveland fans and critics were frequently annoyed when he attended Cleveland Indians baseball games versus the New York Yankees sporting a Yankees hat.[343] Following his actions during the 2010 free agency period and, more specifically, The Decision, he was listed as one of the world's most disliked athletes.[344] 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.[345] In 2014, he was named the most popular male athlete in America by the Harris Poll.[346] He has led the league in jersey sales six times.[347]

text: In March 2008, James became the first black man—and third man overall after Richard Gere and George Clooney—to appear on the cover of Vogue, posing with Gisele Bündchen.[350] Some sports bloggers and columnists considered the cover offensive, 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 light-skinned love interest.[348][349]

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.[351] Those include the War in Darfur,[352][353][354][355] the Trayvon Martin case,[356] the now-former NBA owner Donald Sterling's racist comments in 2014,[351] the Michael Brown verdict,[357] and the death of Eric Garner.[358] Following a racist incident at his Los Angeles home in 2017, James stated, "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."[359] Later on that same year, in the aftermath of the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, James questioned President Donald Trump's Make America Great Again slogan by stating "It's sad what's going on in Charlottesville. Is this the direction our country is heading? Make America Great Again huh? He said that" and "Our youth deserve better!!"[360]

text: In June 2008, James donated $20,000 to a committee to elect Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.[361] 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.[362] The ad was shown on a large screen above the stage, where Jay-Z later held a free concert.[362] James later publicly endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Presidential election.[363]

text: NBA career statistics

text:
Legend

  GP
Games played
  GS
Games started
 MPG
Minutes per game

 FG%
Field goal percentage
 3P%
3-point field goal percentage
 FT%
Free throw percentage

 RPG
Rebounds per game
 APG
Assists per game
 SPG
Steals per game

 BPG
Blocks per game
 PPG
Points per game
 Bold
Career high

text:
†
Denotes seasons in which James won an NBA championship

*
Led the league

text: Regular season

text:
Year
Team
GP
GS
MPG
FG%
3P%
FT%
RPG
APG
SPG
BPG
PPG

2003–04
Cleveland
79
79
39.5
.417
.290
.754
5.5
5.9
1.6
.7
20.9

2004–05
Cleveland
80
80
42.4*
.472
.351
.750
7.4
7.2
2.2
.7
27.2

2005–06
Cleveland
79
79
42.5
.480
.335
.738
7.0
6.6
1.6
.8
31.4

2006–07
Cleveland
78
78
40.9
.476
.319
.698
6.7
6.0
1.6
.7
27.3

2007–08
Cleveland
75
74
40.4
.484
.315
.712
7.9
7.2
1.8
1.1
30.0*

2008–09
Cleveland
81
81
37.7
.489
.344
.780
7.6
7.2
1.7
1.1
28.4

2009–10
Cleveland
76
76
39.0
.503
.333
.767
7.3
8.6
1.6
1.0
29.7

2010–11
Miami
79
79
38.8
.510
.330
.759
7.5
7.0
1.6
.6
26.7

2011–12†
Miami
62
62
37.5
.531
.362
.771
7.9
6.2
1.9
.8
27.1

2012–13†
Miami
76
76
37.9
.565
.406
.753
8.0
7.3
1.7
.9
26.8

2013–14
Miami
77
77
37.7
.567
.379
.750
6.9
6.4
1.6
.3
27.1

2014–15
Cleveland
69
69
36.1
.488
.354
.710
6.0
7.4
1.6
.7
25.3

2015–16†
Cleveland
76
76
35.6
.520
.309
.731
7.4
6.8
1.4
.6
25.3

2016–17
Cleveland
74
74
37.8*
.548
.363
.674
8.6
8.7
1.2
.6
26.4

Career
1,061
1,060
38.9
.501
.342
.740
7.3
7.0
1.6
.8
27.1

All-Star
13
13
29.4
.518
.344
.735
6.0
5.8
1.3
.2
24.2

text: Playoffs

text:
Year
Team
GP
GS
MPG
FG%
3P%
FT%
RPG
APG
SPG
BPG
PPG

2006
Cleveland
13
13
46.5
.476
.333
.737
8.1
5.8
1.4
.7
30.8

2007
Cleveland
20
20
44.7
.416
.280
.755
8.1
8.0
1.7
.5
25.1

2008
Cleveland
13
13
42.5
.411
.257
.731
7.8
7.6
1.8
1.3
28.2

2009
Cleveland
14
14
41.4
.510
.333
.749
9.1
7.3
1.6
.9
35.3

2010
Cleveland
11
11
41.8
.502
.400
.733
9.3
7.6
1.7
1.8
29.1

2011
Miami
21
21
43.9
.466
.353
.763
8.4
5.9
1.7
1.2
23.7

2012†
Miami
23
23
42.7
.500
.259
.739
9.7
5.6
1.9
.7
30.3

2013†
Miami
23
23
41.7
.491
.375
.777
8.4
6.6
1.8
.8
25.9

2014
Miami
20
20
38.2
.565
.407
.806
7.1
4.8
1.9
.6
27.4

2015
Cleveland
20
20
42.2
.417
.227
.731
11.3
8.5
1.7
1.1
30.1

2016†
Cleveland
21
21
39.1
.525
.340
.661
9.5
7.6
2.3
1.3
26.3

2017
Cleveland
18
18
41.3
.565
.411
.698
9.1
7.8
1.9
1.3
32.8

Career
217
217
42.1
.485
.330
.742
8.9
6.9
1.8
1.0
28.4

text: Awards and honors

text:
Three-time NBA Champion: 2012, 2013, 2016
Three-time NBA Finals MVP: 2012, 2013, 2016
Four-time NBA Most Valuable Player: 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013
13-time NBA All-Star: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
Two-time NBA All-Star Game MVP: 2006, 2008
11-time All-NBA First Team: 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
Two-time All-NBA Second Team: 2005, 2007
Five-time NBA All-Defensive First Team: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
NBA All-Defensive Second Team: 2014
2004 NBA Rookie of the Year
2004 NBA All-Rookie First Team
2008 NBA Scoring Champion

tag: ul

text:
Two-time Olympic Gold Medal winner: 2008, 2012
2004 Olympic Bronze Medal winner
2006 FIBA World Championship Bronze Medal winner
2007 FIBA Americas Championship Gold Medal winner
2012 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year
Commemorative banner in Miami's American Airlines Arena (for his 2012 gold medal won as a member of the Miami Heat)

text:
2003 National Champion
Three-time OHSAA Champion: 2000, 2001, 2003
Two-time Gatorade National Player of the Year 2002, 2003
Two-time USA Today High School Player of the Year 2002, 2003
Three-time Ohio Mr. Basketball: 2001, 2002, 2003
Three-time USA Today All-USA First Team: 2001, 2002, 2003
Two-time PARADE High School Player of the Year: 2002, 2003
2003 Naismith Prep Player of the Year[365]
2003 McDonald's National Player of the Year[366]
2003 McDonald's High School All-American[367]
2003 McDonald's All-American Game 2003
2003 EA Sports Roundball Classic MVP[368]
2003 Jordan Capital Classic MVP[368]
Number 23 retired by St. Vincent-St. Mary[369]
St. Vincent-St. Mary Hall of Fame (class of 2011)[370]
St. Vincent-St. Mary home basketball court named The LeBron James Arena[371]

text:
Three-time Cleveland Sports Awards Professional Athlete of the Year: 2009, 2016, 2017[372]
Two-time AP Athlete of the Year (2013, 2016)[373]
Two-time Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year (2012, 2016)[374]
2012 Sporting News Athlete of the Year[375]
2006 Sporting News NBA MVP[376]
2004 Sporting News Rookie of the Year[377]
Sports Illustrated NBA All-Decade First Team (2000s)[378]
17-time ESPY Award winner in various categories (13 individually, four as part of a team)[379]
Two-time Hickok Belt winner: 2012, 2013
2017 NAACP Image Awards – Jackie Robinson Award
South Main Street in downtown Akron renamed King James Way[380]
10-story commemorative banner in downtown Cleveland[381][382]
Six-story commemorative banner in downtown Akron[380]
Honorary lockers at Ohio State's football and basketball facilities[383][384]


document_title: Little Red Riding Hood

question_text: what the name of little red riding hood

question_tokens: what the name of little red riding hood

root

text: Little Red Riding Hood

text: Tale[edit]

text: The story revolves around a girl called Little Red Riding Hood. In Grimms' and Perrault's versions of the tale, she is named after her magical red hooded cape/cloak that she wears. The girl walks through the woods to deliver food to her sickly grandmother (wine and cake depending on the translation). In the Grimms' version, her mother had ordered her to stay strictly on the path.

tag: p

text: A Big Bad Wolf wants to eat the girl and the food in the basket. He secretly stalks her behind trees, bushes, shrubs, and patches of little and tall grass. He approaches Little Red Riding Hood, and she naively tells him where she is going. He suggests that the girl pick some flowers, which she does. In the meantime, he goes to the grandmother's house and gains entry by pretending to be the girl. He swallows the grandmother whole (in some stories, he locks her in the closet) and waits for the girl, disguised as the grandma.

text: When the girl arrives, she notices that her grandmother looks very strange. Little Red then says, "What a deep voice you have!" ("The better to greet you with", responds the wolf), "Goodness, what big eyes you have!" ("The better to see you with", responds the wolf), "And what big hands you have!" ("The better to hug/grab you with", responds the wolf), and lastly, "What a big mouth you have" ("The better to eat you with!", responds the wolf), at which point the wolf jumps out of bed and eats her up too. Then he falls asleep. In Charles Perrault's version of the story (the first version to be published), the tale ends here. However, in later versions the story continues generally as follows:

text: A woodcutter in the French version, but a hunter in the Brothers Grimm and traditional German versions, comes to the rescue and with his axe cuts open the sleeping wolf. Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother emerge unharmed. They then fill the wolf's body with heavy stones. The wolf awakens and tries to flee, but the stones cause him to collapse and die. Sanitized versions of the story have the grandmother locked in the closet instead of eaten and some have Little Red Riding Hood saved by the lumberjack as the wolf advances on her rather than after she is eaten where the woodcutter kills the wolf with his ax.[4]

text: The tale makes the clearest contrast between the safe world of the village and the dangers of the forest, conventional antitheses that are essentially medieval, though no written versions are as old as that.[citation needed] It also warns about the dangers of not obeying one's mother (at least in the Grimms' version).[citation needed]

text: Relationship to other tales[edit]

text: A very similar story also belongs to the North African tradition, namely in Kabylia, where a number of versions are attested.[6] The theme of the little girl who visits her (grand-)dad in his cabin and is recognized by the sound of her bracelets constitutes the refrain of a well-known song by the modern singer Idir, A Vava Inouva:

text:
‘I beseech you, open the door for me, father.
Jingle your bracelets, oh my daughter Ghriba.
I’m afraid of the monster in the forest, father.
I, too, am afraid, oh my daughter Ghriba.’[7]

tag: table

text: The theme of the ravening wolf and of the creature released unharmed from its belly is also reflected in the Russian tale Peter and the Wolf[citation needed] and another Grimm tale The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids,[citation needed] but its general theme of restoration is at least as old as the biblical story, Jonah and the Whale.[citation needed] The theme also appears in the story of the life of Saint Margaret, wherein the saint emerges unharmed from the belly of a dragon,[citation needed] and in the epic "The Red Path" by Jim C. Hines.[citation needed]

text: The story displays many similarities to stories from classical Greece and Rome. Scholar Graham Anderson has compared the story to a local legend recounted by Pausanias in which, each year, a virgin girl was offered to a malevolent spirit dressed in the skin of a wolf, who raped the girl. Then, one year, the boxer Euthymos came along, slew the spirit, and married the girl who had been offered up as a sacrifice.[8] There are also a number of different stories recounted by Greek authors involving a woman named Pyrrha (literally "Fire") and a man with some name meaning "wolf".[9] The Roman poet Horace alludes to a tale in which a male child is rescued alive from the belly of Lamia, a female ogress in classical mythology.[10]

text: The dialogue between the Big Bad Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood has its analogies to the Norse Þrymskviða from the Elder Edda; the giant Þrymr had stolen Mjölner, Thor's hammer, and demanded Freyja as his bride for its return. Instead, the gods dressed Thor as a bride and sent him. When the giants note Thor's unladylike eyes, eating, and drinking, Loki explains them as Freyja's not having slept, or eaten, or drunk, out of longing for the wedding.[11]

text: Tale's history[edit]

text: Earliest versions[edit]

text: The origins of the Little Red Riding Hood story can be traced to versions from various European countries and more than likely preceding the 17th century, of which several exist, some significantly different from the currently known, Grimms-inspired version. It was told by French peasants in the 10th century[1] and recorded by the cathedral schoolmaster Egbert of Liege.[12] In Italy, the Little Red Riding Hood was told by peasants in the fourteenth century, where a number of versions exist, including La finta nonna (The False Grandmother), written among others by Italo Calvino in the Italian Folktales collection.[13] It has also been called "The Story of Grandmother". It is also possible that this early tale has roots in very similar East Asian tales (e.g. "Grandaunt Tiger").[14]

text: These early variations of the tale, do differ from the currently known version in several ways. The antagonist is not always a wolf, but sometimes an ogre, vampire[15], or a 'bzou' (werewolf), making these tales relevant to the werewolf-trials (similar to witch trials) of the time (e.g. the trial of Peter Stumpp).[16] The wolf usually leaves the grandmother's blood and meat for the girl to eat, who then unwittingly cannibalizes her own grandmother. Furthermore, the wolf was also known to ask her to remove her clothing and toss it into the fire.[17] In some versions, the wolf eats the girl after she gets into bed with him, and the story ends there.[18] In others, she sees through his disguise and tries to escape, complaining to her "grandmother" that she needs to defecate and would not wish to do so in the bed. The wolf reluctantly lets her go, tied to a piece of string so she does not get away. However, the girl slips the string over something else and runs off. In these stories she escapes with no help from any male or older female figure, instead using her own cunning, or in some versions the help of a younger boy who she happens to run into.[19] Sometimes, though more rarely, the red hood is even non-existent.[18]

text: In other tellings of the story, the wolf chases after Little Red Riding Hood. She escapes with the help of some laundresses, who spread a sheet taut over a river so she may escape. When the wolf follows Red over the bridge of cloth, the sheet is released and the wolf drowns in the river.[20] And in another version the wolf is pushed into the fire, while he is preparing the meat of the grandmother to be eaten by the girl.[18]

text: Charles Perrault[edit]

text: The earliest known printed version[21] was known as Le Petit Chaperon Rouge and may have had its origins in 17th-century French folklore. It was included in the collection Tales and Stories of the Past with Morals. Tales of Mother Goose (Histoires et contes du temps passé, avec des moralités. Contes de ma mère l'Oye), in 1697, by Charles Perrault. As the title implies, this version[22] is both more sinister and more overtly moralized than the later ones. The redness of the hood, which has been given symbolic significance in many interpretations of the tale, was a detail introduced by Perrault.[23]

text: The story had as its subject an "attractive, well-bred young lady", a village girl of the country being deceived into giving a wolf she encountered the information he needed to find her grandmother's house successfully and eat the old woman while at the same time avoiding being noticed by woodcutters working in the nearby forest. Then he proceeded to lay a trap for the Red Riding Hood. Little Red Riding Hood ends up being asked to climb into the bed before being eaten by the wolf, where the story ends. The wolf emerges the victor of the encounter and there is no happy ending.

text: Charles Perrault explained the 'moral' at the end of the tale:[24] so that no doubt is left to his intended meaning:

text: From this story one learns that children, especially young lasses, pretty, courteous and well-bred, do very wrong to listen to strangers, And it is not an unheard thing if the Wolf is thereby provided with his dinner. I say Wolf, for all wolves are not of the same sort; there is one kind with an amenable disposition – neither noisy, nor hateful, nor angry, but tame, obliging and gentle, following the young maids in the streets, even into their homes. Alas! Who does not know that these gentle wolves are of all such creatures the most dangerous!

text: This, the presumed original, version of the tale was written for late seventeenth-century French court of King Louis XIV. This audience, whom the King entertained with extravagant parties, presumably would take from the story the intended meaning.

text: The Brothers Grimm[edit]

text: In the 19th century two separate German versions were retold to Jacob Grimm and his younger brother Wilhelm Grimm, known as the Brothers Grimm, the first by Jeanette Hassenpflug (1791–1860) and the second by Marie Hassenpflug (1788–1856). The brothers turned the first version to the main body of the story and the second into a sequel of it. The story as Rotkäppchen was included in the first edition of their collection Kinder- und Hausmärchen (Children's and Household Tales (1812)).[25]

text: The earlier parts of the tale agree so closely with Perrault's variant that it is almost certainly the source of the tale.[26] However, they modified the ending; this version had the little girl and her grandmother saved by a huntsman who was after the wolf's skin; this ending is identical to that in the tale The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids, which appears to be the source.[27] The second part featured the girl and her grandmother trapping and killing another wolf, this time anticipating his moves based on their experience with the previous one. The girl did not leave the path when the wolf spoke to her, her grandmother locked the door to keep it out, and when the wolf lurked, the grandmother had Little Red Riding Hood put a trough under the chimney and fill it with water that sausages had been cooked in; the smell lured the wolf down, and it drowned.[28]

text: The Brothers further revised the story in later editions and it reached the above-mentioned final and better-known version in the 1857 edition of their work.[29] It is notably tamer than the older stories which contained darker themes.

text: After the Grimms[edit]

text: Numerous authors have rewritten or adapted this tale.

text: Andrew Lang included a variant called "The True History of Little Goldenhood"[30] in The Red Fairy Book (1890). He derived it from the works of Charles Marelles,[31] in Contes of Charles Marelles. This version explicitly states that the story had been mistold earlier. The girl is saved, but not by the huntsman; when the wolf tries to eat her, its mouth is burned by the golden hood she wears, which is enchanted.

text: James N. Barker wrote a variation of Little Red Riding Hood in 1827 as an approximately 1000-word story. It was later reprinted in 1858 in a book of collected stories edited by William E Burton, called the Cyclopedia of Wit and Humor. The reprint also features a wood engraving of a clothed wolf on bended knee holding Little Red Riding Hood's hand.

text: In the 20th century, the popularity of the tale appeared to snowball, with many new versions being written and produced, especially in the wake of Freudian analysis, deconstruction and feminist critical theory. (See "Modern uses and adaptations" below.) This trend has also led to a number of academic texts being written that focus on Little Red Riding Hood, including works by Alan Dundes and Jack Zipes.

text: Interpretations[edit]

text: Besides the overt warning about talking to strangers, there are many interpretations of the classic fairy tale, many of them sexual.[32] Some are listed below.

text: Natural cycles[edit]

text: Folklorists and cultural anthropologists, such as P. Saintyves and Edward Burnett Tylor, saw "Little Red Riding Hood" in terms of solar myths and other naturally occurring cycles. Her red hood could represent the bright sun which is ultimately swallowed by the terrible night (the wolf), and the variations in which she is cut out of the wolf's belly represent the dawn.[33] In this interpretation, there is a connection between the wolf of this tale and Sköll, the wolf in Norse mythology that will swallow the personified Sun at Ragnarök, or Fenrir.[34] Alternatively, the tale could be about the season of spring or the month of May, escaping the winter.[35]

text: Rite[edit]

text: The tale has been interpreted as a puberty rite, stemming from a prehistoric origin (sometimes an origin stemming from a previous matriarchal era).[36] The girl, leaving home, enters a liminal state and by going through the acts of the tale, is transformed into an adult woman by the act of coming out of the wolf's stomach.[37]

text: Rebirth[edit]

text: Bruno Bettelheim, in The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales (1976), recast the Little Red Riding Hood motif in terms of classic Freudian analysis, that shows how fairy tales educate, support, and liberate children's emotions. The motif of the huntsman cutting open the wolf he interpreted as a "rebirth"; the girl who foolishly listened to the wolf has been reborn as a new person.[38]

text: Norse myth[edit]

text: The poem "Þrymskviða" from the Poetic Edda mirrors some elements of Red Riding Hood. Loki's explanations for the strange behavior of "Freyja" (actually Thor disguised as Freyja) mirror the wolf's explanations for his strange appearance. The red hood has often been given great importance in many interpretations, with a significance from the dawn to blood.[39]

text: Modern uses and adaptations[edit]

text: Erotic, romantic, or rape connotations[edit]

text: A sexual analysis of the tale may also include negative connotations in terms of rape or abduction. In Against Our Will, Susan Brownmiller describes the fairy tale as a description of rape.[40] However, many revisionist retellings choose to focus on empowerment, and depict Little Red Riding Hood or the grandmother successfully defending herself against the wolf.[41]

text: Such tellings bear some similarity to the "animal bridegroom" tales, such as Beauty and the Beast or The Frog Prince, but where the heroines of those tales transform the hero into a prince, these tellings of Little Red Riding Hood reveal to the heroine that she has a wild nature like the hero's.[42] These interpretations refuse to characterize Little Red Riding Hood as a victim; these are tales of female empowerment.

text: Animations, films, and TV shows[edit]

text:
In Tex Avery's short animated cartoon, Red Hot Riding Hood (1943), the story is recast in an adult-oriented urban setting, with the suave, sharp-dressed Wolf howling after the nightclub singer Red. Avery used the same cast and themes in a subsequent series of cartoons.[43]
Neil Jordan's film version of The Company of Wolves (1984) is about the journey of a young girl into womanhood, which can be interpreted as her menstruating for the first time (at the start of the tale, she is in bed with a stomachache, according to her sister), but also of sexual awakening (in it, she wears red lipstick in bed). The wolf in this version of the tale is in fact a werewolf, which comes to the newly menstruating Red Riding Hood in the forest, in the form of a charming hunter. He turns into a wolf and eats her grandmother, and is about to devour Red Riding Hood as well, but she is equally seductive and ends up lying with the wolf man.[44]

text: Lipstick[edit]

text: Allusions to the tale can be more or less overtly sexual, as when the color of a lipstick is advertised as "Riding Hood Red".[45]

text: Literature[edit]

text:
Charles Perrault's "Le Petit Chaperon rouge" ("Little Red Riding Hood") is centered on an erotic metaphor.[46]
Little Red Riding Hood appears in Angela Carter's short story "The Company of Wolves", published in The Bloody Chamber (1979), her collection of "dark, feminist fables" filled with "bestial and ferocious" heroines.[47] In her revision of the classic, Carter examines female lust, which according to author Catherine Orenstein is "healthy, but also challenging and sometimes disturbing, unbridled and feral lust that delivers up contradictions."[48] As Orenstein points out, Carter does this by unravelling the original tale's "underlying sexual currents" and by impregnating the new Little Red Riding Hood (Rosaleen played by Sarah Patterson) with "animal instincts" that lead to her transformation.[48]
In Michelle Augello-Page's story "Wolf Moon",[49] Little Red is an adult who has been irrevocably changed by the events in her childhood, and it is the hunter who saves her "once upon a time, and again" in this tale of sexual awakening, bdsm, relationships, female rites and rebirth.
In the manga Tokyo Akazukin the protagonist is an 11-year-old girl nicknamed "Red Riding Hood" or "Red Hood". Akazukin means red hood in Japanese.

text: Music[edit]

text:
A.P. Randolph's "How Could Red Riding Hood (Have Been So Very Good)?" (1925) was the first song known to be banned from radio because of its sexual suggestiveness.[citation needed]
Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs's hit song, "Li'l Red Riding Hood" (1966), takes the Wolf's point of view, implying that he wants love rather than blood. Here, the Wolf befriends Little Red Riding Hood disguised as a sheep and offers to protect her on her journey through the woods.
The Kelly Family's "The Wolf" (1994) is inspired by the tale, warning the children that there's a Wolf out there. During the instrumental bridge in live shows, the song's lead singer, Joey, does both the Little Red Riding Hood's and the Wolf's part, where the child asks her grandmother about the big eyes, ears and mouth.

text: Other adaptations[edit]

text: Animations and films[edit]

text:
Soyuzmultfilm (1937) is a classic Soviet, black-and-white, animated film by the sisters Brumberg, "grandmothers of the Russian animation". Its plot differs slightly from the original fairy tale. It was issued on videotapes in various collections in the 1980s, via the SECAM system, and in the 1990s, via the PAL system, in collections of animated films of a videostudio "Soyuz" (since 1994). (And 1995).
The Big Bad Wolf is an animated short released on 13 April 1934 by United Artists, produced by Walt Disney and directed by Burt Gillett as part of the Silly Symphony series. Acting as an adaptation of the fairy-tale Little Red Riding Hood, with the Big Bad Wolf from 1933's Three Little Pigs acting as the adversary to Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother.
In the USSR-based animated film Petya and Little Red Riding Hood (1958), directed by Boris Stepantsev and Evgeny Raykovsky, the main character (a boy named Petya Ivanov) see the Grey Wolf deceived a trusting girl and risks his life to rescue her and her grandmother. Now, the animated movie is considered a cult film, many phrases have become part of popular culture, and in 1959 and 1960, the film received awards[which?] at festivals in Kiev, Ukraine and Ansi, Estonia.[citation needed] In Russia, it is repeatedly republished on DVD in collections of animated films.[citation needed]
Hoodwinked! (2005) is a retelling of "Little Red Riding Hood" as a police investigation.
The film Red Riding Hood (2006) is a musical movie based upon this tale.
The film Red Riding Hood (2011) is loosely based upon this tale.[50]
The wolf appears in the Shrek franchise of films. He is wearing the grandmother's clothing as in the fairytale, though the films imply he merely prefers wearing the gown and is not dangerous.[51]
Red Riding Hood briefly appears in the film Shrek 2 (2004), wherein she is frightened by Shrek and Fiona and runs off.
Red Riding Hood is one of the main characters in the film adaptation of the musical "Into the Woods" (2014) portrayed by Lilla Crawford.
Little Red Riding Hood is parodied in the Warner Bros. cartoons Little Red Riding Rabbit (1944, Merrie Melodies) and The Windblown Hare (1949, Looney Tunes), with Bugs Bunny, and Red Riding Hoodwinked (1955, Looney Tunes) with Tweety and Sylvester

text: Games[edit]

text:
In the Shrek 2 (2004) video game, she is playable and appears as a friend of Shrek's. She joins him, Fiona, and Donkey on their journey to Far Far Away, despite not knowing Shrek or his friends in the film.
In Dark Parables 4 (computer game) The Red Riding Hood Sisters (2013) computer game, the original red riding hood was orphaned when a wolf killed her grandma. A hunter killed the wolf before it could kill her. He took her in as his own out of pity. The red riding hood of this story convinced the hunter to teach her how to fight. They protected the forest together until the hunter was killed during a wolf attack. The red riding hood continued on protecting the forest and took in other orphaned girls and taught them to fight too. They take up wearing a red riding hood and cape to honor their teacher. Even after the death of the original red riding hood the girls continue doing what she did in life.
In the fighting game Darkstalkers 3 (1997), the character Baby Bonnie Hood is a parody of Little Red Riding Hood, complete with childish look, red hood and picnic basket. But instead of food, her basket is full of guns and grenades. Her personality is somewhat psychotic, guerrilla-crazy. During the fights, a small dog named Harry watches the action from the sidelines and reacts to her taking damage in battle. Two rifle-wielding huntsmen named John and Arthur briefly appear alongside her in a special power-up move titled "Beautiful Hunting" that inflicts extra damage on opponents.

text: Literature[edit]

text:
Jerry Pinkney adapted the story for a children's picture book of the same name (2007)
Anne Sexton wrote an adaptation as a poem called "Red Riding Hood" in her collection Transformations (1971), a book in which she re-envisions 16 of the Grimm's Fairy tales.[52]
James Finn Garner wrote an adaptation in his book "Politically Correct Bedtime Stories: Modern Tales for Our Life and Times", a book in which thirteen fairy tales were rewritten. Garner's adaptation of "Little Red Riding Hood" brings up topics like feminism and gender norms.[53]
Michael Buckley wrote the children's series, The Sisters Grimm which included characters from the fairytale into the storyline.
Dark & Darker Faerie Tales by Two Sisters is a collection of dark fairy tales which features Little Red Riding Hood, revealing what happened to her after her encounter with the wolf.
Singaporean artist Casey Chen re-wrote the story with Singlish accent and published it as "The Red Riding Hood Lah!". The storyline largely remains the same, but happened in Singapore setting and comes with visual hints of the country placed subtly in the illustrations throughout the book. The book is written as an expression of the Singapore identity.

text: Music[edit]

text:
"Little Red Riding Hood" is a raw hardstyle song by Da Tweekaz[54]
Sunny's concept photo for Girls' Generation's third studio album The Boys was inspired by "Little Red Riding Hood".

text: Musicals[edit]

text: Little Red Riding Hood is one of the central characters in the Broadway musical Into the Woods (1987) by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine. In the song, "I Know Things Now", she speaks of how the wolf made her feel "excited, well, excited and scared", in a reference to the sexual undertones of their relationship. Red Riding Hood's cape is also one of the musical's four quest items that are emblematic of fairy tales.[55]

text: Television[edit]

text:
In the pilot episode "Wolf Moon" of the MTV hit series Teen Wolf the protagonist Scott McCall wears a red hoody, when he gets attacked by an alpha werewolf in the woods in the night of a fullmoon.
The pilot episode of NBC's TV series Grimm reveals that the Red Riding Hood stories were inspired by fabled blutbaden attacks, werewolf-like beings who have a deeply ingrained bloodlust and a weakness for victims wearing red.
Red Riding Hood is a character in ABC's Once Upon a Time (2011) TV series. In this version of the tale, Red (portrayed by Meghan Ory) is a werewolf, and her cape is the only thing that can prevent her from turning during a full moon. Her Storybrooke persona is Ruby.[56]