Unknown Facts

10 Amazing Fact about LeBron James

September 20, 2014 by Khabir Uddin Mughal

Fact about LeBron James

The most popular basketball player of recent days is undoubtedly LeBron James according to basketball fanatics. After being drafted as the 1st overall pick of the first round by Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003 NBA draft, he continued to play for Cavaliers till 2010. He then transferred to Miami Heat and played for them till this year and recently moved back in his old team, Cleveland Cavaliers. He led Miami Heat to victory of the NBA championship twice consecutively and was also selected as the NBA finals Most Valuable player on those two occasions. He became the NBA MVP regular season four times and made it to All-Star a breathtaking ten times out of which he was named NBA All-Star Game MVP twice. He was selected in All-NBA First Team eight times and made it to NBA All-Defensive First Team five times till now. LeBron is also a three times Ohio Mr. Basketball. The numbers of fans are endless for LeBron as the facts about him are also endless. So here is the list of 10 Amazing Fact about LeBron James.

You may Also Like: Unknown Facts About Michael Jordon

10 Amazing Fact about LeBron James

His mother spent a week in jail

#1 Fact about LeBron James

James was born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio, when his mother Gloria Marie James was just 16 years old. Gloria single-handedly raised LeBron and she herself faced a lot of trouble while doing so. While remembering his mother, he stated, “I had my mother to blanket me, to give me security. Growing up, she was my mother, my father, everything.” After his mother Gloria had been taken into custody for committing crimes like trespassing and unauthenticated conduct when he was in his school, he was too ashamed to go to school in fourth grade. Although his mother spent only seven days with cops, but, for the shame that haunts LeBron, he missed around 100 days of school. He once stated, “Whatever my mom could do or could not do, I also knew that nobody was more important in her life than I was.”

You May Also Like: Most Popular Sports in the World

His similarity with Michael Jordan

#2 Fact about LeBron James

There are lots of similarities between the two of the biggest superstars in the basketball industry, Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Jordan was just 29 years old when he was in his top form in 1992. Jordan became regular season NBA Most Valuable Player and also the NBA final MVP in 1992, whereas he was the team member of US national team for the Olympics on the same year where they won the gold medal. LeBron did the exact same thing when he was just 27 years old. He became the NBA finals MVP and regular season MVP and also established himself as a key member of the US National team which won the 2012 London Olympic Games. Both of Jordan and LeBron also won two gold medals in Olympic Games, Jordan in 1984 and 1992, and LeBron in 2008 and 2012.

You May Also Like:10 Unknown facts about Neymar

His first shoe was inspired by the Hummer H2

#3 Fact about LeBron James

It created a lot of controversies when a two-week investigation was conducted to determine the law violation by LeBron, when he caught driving a H2 which has a base retail price of $50,000. But his mother Gloria gave subsequent proof that she herself bought the car for LeBron in his 18th birthday. It created an even greater controversy and also a certain admiration toward his mother, when irrespective of the socio-economic problems she was facing that time, she never hesitated to plan a perfect gift for young LeBron. Gloria took a loan from a bank to fulfill her son’s dream to ride his favorite car the Hummer H2. To honor the memory, LeBron designed his first pair of NIKE shoes while having the Hummer H2 in mind. According to him, the shoe was a memory token for the effort of his mother while buying the car.

You May Also Like: 10 Unknown Facts about Lionel Messi

His shares in Liverpool FC

#4 Fact about LeBron James

The second-most celebrated English football club after Manchester United, Liverpool FC, is co-owned by the basketball megastar LeBron. He invested in the football club in April 2011 as a part of the marketing policy with Henry’s Fenway Sports Group. After £25 million per season for the next six years deal with Warrior Sports and Liverpool FC for the kit, the club attended the financial supremacy when various other investors, along with LeBron James himself, supported the club. While talking about the success of his team, the Liverpool FC, he stated, “18 championships, I see myself trying to do the same things they have.” James also released the Liverpool Edition of the Nike Lebron 9 Low sneaker to honor his attachment with the team.

You May Also Like: 25 Interesting Facts About Tendulkar

His German chocolate cakes

#5 Fact about LeBron James

LeBron and his mother Gloria moved from apartment to apartment in the neighborhoods of Akron while Gloria was struggling hard to get a steady job which will financially assist her family and also to raise LeBron. But after several failed attempts, his mother decided that LeBron needed to be in a more stable family environment. A local football coach called Frank Walker, who also introduced LeBron to basketball when he was just nine years old, came to stand by the side of the family of LeBron. His mother allowed LeBron to stay with Walker family. Frank Walker’s wife, Pam, started to bake German chocolate cakes as a gift for his birthdays when LeBron was living with them. LeBron still has the tradition of getting German chocolate cake for his birthday.

You May Also Like: Golf Hall of Fame 2015 – Top 10

His jersey number

#6 Fact about LeBron James

Before he finally took his famous jersey no.6 for the Miami Heats, LeBron tried various jersey numbers. During his early childhood days when he was a toddler, LeBron had a great admiration towards basketball legend Julius Erving aka Dr. J, who played for Philadelphia 76ers at that time. Even though LeBron was just 4 years old when Dr. J retired from professional basketball, he never hesitated to show his respect towards the legend. LeBron wore jersey No. 32 in high school because his second-favorite player after Jordan, Dr. J, wore it first. LeBron also wore Jordan’s No. 23 jersey to honor the legend but later gave it up while stating the jersey No. 23 should be retired from the entire NBA to honour the greatest legend of basketball.

You May Also Like: Cricket Hall Of Fame 2015 – Top 10

Left Hand Right Hand

#7 Fact about LeBron James

LeBron is famously known as a right-handed shooter, and with right hand, he has made an enormous amount of amazing shots which dropped right into the basket. But as an interesting fact, he is not at all a right-hander. He is a left hander by birth and writes and eats with his left hand since his childhood. When his first coach Frank Walker had taken him under his training, Frank taught him how to dribble and pass, and how to shoot left-handed layups. During his training in junior school and high school, he started adopting right-hand shooting and from that time, he established himself as one of the very best right-hand shooters of basketball history.

You May Also Like: Tennis Hall of Fame 2015 – Top 10

His Secret Handshake with Jay-Z

#8 Fact about LeBron James

Every basketball fan knows about the friendship of two legendary stars from two different fields, between LeBron and Jay-Z. When Washington Wizards player DeShawn Stevenson called LeBron James “overrated” during the Wizard-Cavs series in 2008, Jay-Z recorded a freestyle rap called DeShawn Stevenson diss track to defend his dearest friend LeBron. Jay-Z also made the freestyle called “Blow the Whistle” famous in the 2008 playoffs as a friendship gift and later, the two of them were seen together at various events. There are enough clues to identify the relationship of Jay-Z and Illuminati, but Jay-Z and LeBron did something hilarious in 2012. After a Heat vs. Nets game in 2012, Jay-Z and LeBron met on the sidelines of the court and exchanged a pretty intricate handshake which resembles the Illuminati sign.

You May Also Like:Soccer Hall of Fame 2015 – Top 10

The King-Kong pose

#9 Fact about LeBron James

LeBron was on the covers of various magazines since his childhood which also includes his first cover of Sports Illustrated called “The Chosen One” on the February 18, 2002 issue. But he created best sensation when he appeared on the cover of Vogue in March 2008 issue. LeBron became the first Afro-American man to appear in the cover of Vogue and also the third “Man” overall after Richard Gere and George Clooney. He posed with Brazilian fashion model Gisele Bündchen as a classic imagery of the movie monster King Kong. The cover created huge controversy for racism when many of the sports columnists and bloggers found that very offensive because the cover portrays racism while capturing a light-skinned love interest of black “monsters.”

You May Also Like: Top 10 Most Difficult Sports to Play

The truth behind No.6

#10 Fact about LeBron James

After he tried jersey No. 32 as a tribute to Dr. J and jersey No.23 as a tribute to Michael Jordan, he finally decided to wear jersey No.6 for rest of his life. LeBron married his high school sweetheart Savannah Brinson on September 14, 2013, in San Diego and they have two children together. LeBron, while talking about his jersey number, stated that his first child LeBron James, Jr. was born on 6th of October and his second child Bryce Maximus James was born in June which is also the 6th month of the year. As a tribute to his children, he wore the same jersey number which resembles his toddlers’ births. Later, he also added that no. 6 was his Olympic number for which he has a strong fascination towards no.6.

LeBron always created a sensation with his amazing activities since his childhood and junior school days. As an interesting fact, he participated in the Adidas ABCD Camp as a high school senior wearing Nike sneakers and attended the Nike All-American Camp while wearing Adidas sneakers.

10 Unknown facts about Neymar Jr

September 10, 2014 by Khabir Uddin Mughal

facts about Neymar

After coming in the third position in 2010, Neymar, at the age of 19, won the 2011 South American Footballer of the Year award. He continued his legacy by winning the same award again in 2012. He led his team Santos FC to the final of 2011 FIFA Club World Cup and won the Bronze Ball. In 2013, Neymar was selected as a member of Brazilian national team by Luiz Felipe Scolari for the 2013 Confederations Cup. He won the golden ball for the best player of the tournament on that occasion. Neymar scored four goals and received the Bronze Boot as the tournament’s third highest goal scorer. Neymar was ranked as the sixth best player in the world by The Guardian on December 2013. He was also secured his place in the World Cup All Star XI in 2014. There are so many things a football fan should know about this football prodigy, and here is the list of 10 Unknown facts about Neymar.
You May Also Like: 10 Unknown Facts about Lionel Messi

10 Unknown facts about Neymar

1. He Scored His 100th Professional Goal on His 20th Birthday

Neymar Jr. with his real name Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. was born in Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, Brazil on February 5, 1992. He is the son of Neymar, a former professional Brazilian soccer player, and followed his father’s legacy. He joined Santos FC through the youth system at the age of 11. He continued playing for that club at professional levels till his recent transfer to Barcelona. One of his marvelous shot won FIFA Goal of the Year in 2011, and on the same year he also led Santos FC to its first Copa Libertadores in last 48 years. Neymar completed his 100th goal as a professional football player on his 20th birthday on February, 2012. This achievement came while playing against Palmeiras in the Campeonato Paulista.

You May Also Like: Unknown Facts About Michael Jordon

2. He Nearly Joined Real Madrid

As a child prodigy, his skills were spread as far as Europe. His agent, Wagner Ribeiro, who is introduced to him by Betinho, another well-respected agent, was first brought the offer to play for Real Madrid to him. Real Madrid primarily selected him, after Wagner’s pitching of his CV to them. Neymar visited Europe for the final selection session and stayed for 19 days in the training camp in Spain when he was just 14 years old. He scored 27 goals in various training sessions during those 19 days. Real Madrid was so impressed by him that they wanted to sign him, as soon as possible. Then, his former club Santos FC came into the scenario and offered him a handsome amount of money so that he could stay in the squad of his own team.

You May Also Like: 10 Amazing Fact about LeBron James

3. He Is the Only Brazilian Athlete to Be on the Cover of TIME Magazine

His agent and his beloved father revealed On 25 April 2013 that Neymar would leave before the 2014 FIFA World Cup for Europe, leaving his former team Santos FC. On 26 May, he played the last match for Santos against Flamengo. 2013 was a successful year for him. Along with his rising popularity, he was also selected for the cover of the Time magazine. His cover edition was published in February 2013, and the issue included an article titled, “The Next Pelé” and subtitled “How the career of Brazilian football star Neymar explains his country’s economy.” He is the only Brazilian athlete to receive this honor in history.

You May Also Like: 25 Interesting Facts About Tendulkar

4. West Ham Was the First Club to Make a Bid for him

After his success was widely admired in Brazilian football league, Chelsea is the first club who tracked Neymar and gave him an amazing offer for his transfer, back in 2008. The Blues tried to convince him for the transfer for about two long years. But they were in difficulty to meet his asking price for it. West Ham is the first club which officially bid for Neymar in 2010, when he was just 18 years old. West Ham offered him an astonishing contract price of €16 million. That is also a record for West Ham’s history of transfer, as they paid the highest amount till bidding for Neymar to Craig Bellamy which is €7.5 million.

You May Also Like: Top 10 Home Grounds of Soccer Clubs

5. He Is the World’s Most Marketable Athlete

Neymar, the Brazilian prodigy, is the most marketable sportsperson in the world. He achieved the top rank in the list of 50 Most Marketable Athletes by SportsPro magazine. He defeated stars like Lionel Messi, Christiano Ronaldo, Usain Bolt and racing champion Lewis Hamilton, while reaching the top position to be the most marketable athlete. SportsPro editor-in-chief, David Cushnan, said “Essentially the crux of it is we are trying to predict marketing value over the next three years. We’re trying to forecast who is going to be worth investing from a sponsorship point of view but also who perhaps offers real value for money.”

You May Also Like: Amazing TV commercial by Athletes

6. He became a father at just 19 years of age

Before he dated the Brazilian actress BrunaMarquezine for a year, he was engaged with Carolina Dantas. He had a baby boy with Carolina when he was just 19. His son, David Lucca da Silva was born on August 24, 2011 in São Paulo. After his son’s birth, Neymar said that his baby is a “2.8 kilograms of pure happiness” and also said to the media, “Mother and baby are in good condition just after childbirth.” Remembering the joy he got when he became father, he stated “I cried when I learned that I would be his father. At first, I felt fear. Then joy. It is a new responsibility and I am now enjoying it.”

You May Also Like: 10 Most Handsome Soccer Players

7. His own comic book

Many Brazilian footballers like Pele, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho have already been adapted in famous cartoon series. Neymar also joined the league when he tied up with famous Brazilian cartoonist Mauricio de Sousa. Leading Brazilian cartoonist Mauricio released a Monica’s Gang comic in April 2013, featuring a baby version of Neymar, named Neymar Jr. in the cartoon, as the main character. He was portrayed as a child with a group of his football-lover friends. The first issue was named “A boy with talent” where Neymar showed up with his unique known Mohawk hair style. Along with his adult fans, he also became popular among kids for this comic strip.

You May Also Like: Top 10 Athletes with Star Parents

8. His ownership

As his first and only club before he started playing in European leagues, Santos FC was supposed to hold the full ownership rights of Neymar. But interestingly, the club did not hold the full ownership and included three separate entities. Santos FC holds 50 percent of ownership rights. An investment partner of Santos FC, DIS Group bought 40% ownership rights from Neymar’s family back in 2009. His club also sold 5 percent shares on future transfer fees received for Neymar to Terceira Estrela Investimentos S.A, an investment group, for $3,549,900 on 30 November 2010. No matter who has his ownership right, this prodigy is a beauty on the field for Barca and his national team.

You May Also Like: Top 10 Best Looking Male Athletes

9. His international career

Neymar was neglected by the Brazilian national football team during 2010 World Cup football, despite his immense talent with the ball. Many big football stars like Pelé and Romário had a direct conversation with team manager Dunga to recruit him in the national team for World Cup. Even after a petition signed by 14,000 fans reached Dunga, requesting him to include Neymar, he didn’t respond. Neymar was not even on the stand-by list for that World Cup. Under the new manager Mano Menezes, he made his debut in a friendly match against the United States on August, 2010. He also scored in his debut match for his national team.

You May Also Like: Top 10 Best Looking Female Athletes

10. He is a pop icon

Neymar is an icon in promoting Brazilian modern pop music. He is particularly attracted to MúsicaSertaneja. It made a huge sensation on the media when he danced with his teammates in the locker room of Santos FC to the tune of “Ai se eutepego!” by Michel Teló. That song also reached No. 1 position in 15 different countries and became the first No. 1 in Portuguese song on Billboard’s Latin Pop Airplay chart. In April, 2014, he also revealed that he would collaborate with pop sensations One Direction for a new video of their song. He told the CNN, “I like One Direction, they’re an excellent band.”

At his age of 22 years, he has already become a superstar in football. With Neymar’s worldwide popularity, he is also the 4th highest paid footballer after CR7, Leo Messi and Ibrahimovic. Along with his $12 million salary from Barcelona, he also gets huge endorsement fees of $16 million in total from Nike, Castrol, Panasonic, L’Oreal, Volkswagen and many other. For his amazing dribbling skill and ball control Ronaldinho once stated, “He will be the best in the world.”

Note: Please comment below if you know any interesting Fact about Neymar, and want to include in the article, we will include that with thanks.

Some Of Related Posts To Neymar Jr:

10 Unknown Facts about Lionel Messi

September 6, 2014 by Khabir Uddin Mughal

Facts about Lionel Messi

Messi is one of the greatest forwards in soccer who plays for the Argentina national team and Spanish club FC Barcelona. In 2009, he was nominated for FIFA World Player of the Year and Ballon d’Or when he was just 21, and received his first Ballon d’Or along with FIFA Player of the Year on the same year. Messi is the only player to be bestowed with four “Ballon d’Or” in football history. He was also the first to win three European Golden Shoe awards. He achieved three UEFA Champions Leagues, two UEFA Super Cups, six Supercopas de España, six La Ligas and many more for his club Barcelona. He also holds the record of the most hat-tricks scored in a competition. Messi is also the only player to score five goals in a single match in Champions League. He sets the record for being the top scorer in four consecutive Champions League season. The achievements are endless, so is his popularity. And here is the list of 10 Unknown Facts about Lionel Messi.

10 Unknown Facts about Lionel Messi

1. He had growth hormone deficiency

Messi was diagnosed with Growth Hormone Deficiency, which restricted his growth when he was just 11. Along with the height problem, he also suffered lower immunity and poor vision due to this deficiency. The only treatment was injecting human growth hormone externally. According to Messi, “I had to start a treatment to help me to grow. Every night I had to stick a needle into my legs, night after night after night, every day of the week, and this over a period of three years.” His first club, River Plate, didn’t want to pay for his hormonal treatment which was costly, around $1500 each month. The former coach of Newell who also became the technical staff at Barcelona, Adrian Coria said “Perhaps we weren’t aware of it then.”

2. His first contract was signed on a tissue paper

CarlesRexach, Barcelona’s technical secretary, held a meeting with 13 year old Messi on Dec. 14, 2000, at the Pompeia Tennis Club to determine the contract of this Argentinean. Carles was so impressed by young Messi, who came to the meeting with his father, that he wanted to sign him right that time. The entire technical team rushed to manage a contract paper, but the nearest available piece of paper was a napkin. Messi signed his first contract with Barca on that napkin, which reads “In Barcelona, on the 14th of December of 2000 and in the presence of JosepMinguella and HoracioGaggioli, CarlesRexach, FCB technical secretary, it commits under his responsibility and despite some views against it to sign the player Lionel Messi, as long as we remain within the amounts agreed upon.”

3. He is a Foodie

He is a big time food lover from his childhood. His favorite dish was MilanesaNapolitana, an Argentinian delicacy made with fried beef, ham, chopped tomatoes, cheese, onions and a variety of spices. Messi’s mother Celia stated in Luca Caoili’s book ‘Messi’, “Lionel has simple gastronomic tastes: schnitzel, but not made with ham or horsemeat; chicken with a sauce made of pepper, onions, tomatoes and oregano. He doesn’t care much for elaborate dishes.” He continued his unbalanced diet even in his initial days at Barcelona. After Guardiola became Barcelona’s manager, he noticed Messi’s food habit and recruited a physiotherapy staff to take care of it. Guardiola also removed the coke vending machine from the center which was mostly occupied by Messi.

4. He was offered to play for Spain

During his early Barca days in 2004, he was asked to play for the Spanish under 20 national team which he refused. Messi stated “I was asked informally if I wanted to play for Spain.” After turning down this opportunity, he played for Argentina and led them to victory in the FIFA Youth Championship. Messi went on record to say, “I would have never played for Spain. I’m Argentinian and no one and nothing can change what I feel for the Argentinian colors.” It was a true disappointment for the Spanish people as Graham Hunter, in his book, ‘Barca – The making of the greatest team in the world’, stated, “Just imagine it for a second – Messi up front for this Spain team. He’d have been more appreciated, he’d have won more trophies, he’d have been playing with club-mates and friends and he’d have been far from the first Argentinian to jump ship to La Roja.”

5. His debut lasted 44 seconds

Messi debuted for the Argentinian national team on August 2005 against Hungary when he was just 18 years old. He came to the ground as a substitute for Lisandro Lopez in the 65th minute of the match. He was sent off just 44 second later by a red card from referee Markus Merk for elbowing Hungarian defender VilmosVanczak. Vilmos also got a yellow card for pulling Messi’s jersey on that same occasion. After Argentina won the match with 2-1, Messi stated “It wasn’t the way I dreamed it would be.” Remembering this match, Nicky Salapu said “Lionel Messi is sitting in the corner of the Argentina dressing room in the FerencPuskas Stadium. His head is in his hands, tears are in his eyes. It is not supposed to end like this.”

6. His Heritage Is Italian

His family stayed in the Italian city of Ancona long time back. Later, his ancestor Angelo Messi immigrated to Argentina in 1883 and made Argentina their permanent address. Another theory also suggests that, Messi’s ancestral home was at Recanati, a small town in the Province of Macerata in the east of the Marche region in Italy. Messi himself also said in an interview with MUTV that most of his family actually belongs to English ancestry. His father belongs to an Italian origin and happens to be the only one different from the ancestors. However, his mother was Lebanese.

7. He is the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador

In March 2010, Messi was appointed as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. On that occasion, Director of Private Fundraising and Partnerships Philip O´Brien said “We are very proud and very excited to welcome you to the UNICEF family.” After being the ambassador, Messi visited Argentina, Haiti and Costa Rica to raise awareness and support for UNICEF’s work. To save the lives of thousands of dying children every year due to nutrition malfunction, he made an urgent plea in December 2012. He said “We all can help to stop child deaths from preventable causes, they don’t have to die, but they do.” Leo Messi also celebrated his son’s first birthday with UNICEF.

8. His philanthropy works

In the year 2007, Messi established the Leo Messi Foundation which works for unhealthy children and funds them for their treatment and food expenses. Lionel Messi donated $812,000 for a child hospital re-establishment in his hometown of Rosario, Argentina. The money was mainly donated for the modification of the Victor J Vilela Children’s Hospital’s child oncology unit. He also donated $130,000 to the children of Syria on August 2013. According to the Spanish newspaper “Sport,” Messi earned €300,000 for the North American tour with his club Barca. He decided to donate one-third of his earning to the innocent child victims of the ongoing civil war in Syria.

9. He won 3 European Golden Shoe

The European Golden shoe award is given to the top scorer in European league. Messi sets his record as one of the greatest players in European league by achieving the European Golden Shoe thrice. Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the only players to have won the European Golden Shoe three times where Messi is the only Non-European to do so. He is also the only player to achieve this reward in two consecutive years, 2011–2012 and 2012–2013. His first European Golden Shoe came in 2009-2010 season when he scored 34 goals in European League. He scored 50 goals and won the Golden Shoe again in 20112-2012 season. His last Golden shoe came when he scored 46 goals in La Liga. His club, Barcelona also won the league by beating Real Madrid on final in the following season.

10. His son is already signed by the Newell’s Old Boys supporters club

His son, Thiago was born on 2nd November, 2012. Just after his son could see the first light on earth, Thiago became a prime target for many different clubs. Messi’s first club Newell’s Old Boys was first in line and achieved the height when they signed junior Messi just 72 hours after he was born. Messi’s father, Jeorge, negotiated the contract for his grandson Thiago with Newell’s Old Boys. The club officials traveled to Europe and completed the documentation with their newest and youngest member on 5th November, 2012. A replica kit of Thiago’s size was also given to the new-born, along with a small version of No.10 “Thiago” Jersey of the club.

Messi, along with his football fame, is also a huge sensation for media. He is the second highest paid soccer player in the world and also the second most marketable athlete after Neymar Jr. One interesting fact is that, he is one of the shortest forward in football history with just a 1.69 meters height.