LeBron James has been a big deal for a long time now. In the NBA alone, the man has spent 20 years living amidst unbridled, yet justified hype. And before that of course, were his legendary years as the star man of St. Vincent St. Mary high school.

Given the phenom he was even when he was just 17, multiple different channels were streaming his games live to the masses. And so, even in that period, you can probably guess just how popular the man was.

And of course, with fame comes admiration, sometimes from powerful places. And with all the eyes on you, it may bring some trouble with it too.

And back before he declared for the NBA draft, LeBron James almost got into some on two different occasions.

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LeBron James received a Hummer as a gift

LeBron James may be worth $1 billion today, but he comes from a very humble background. So, when he received a Hummer, for his birthday, a luxury car before he even got to the NBA, things seemed very suspicious.

The authorities swiftly moved in with questions, as the credibility of the chosen one was suddenly in doubt.

But then, it was later revealed that the King’s mom, Gloria James had taken out a loan of $50,000 to buy him the vehicle.

Later, the authorities cooled on the matter, announcing that they were satisfied with the documents they had received.

However, the controversy did not end there.

LeBron James also received gifts from others worth $845

Given that we now know how big of an athlete LeBron James is, that may not seem like a big deal. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

OHSAA, the authorities on the matter had ruled that amateur athletes may only receive apparel worth up to $100 as gifts.

The story goes that LeBron James and some friends decided to visit a local clothing store. Here, the man picked out two jerseys, one of Gale Sayers, and the other of Wes Unseld. The former cost $395, while the latter $450.

After the store owners saw who wanted it, he let him have them for free, later commenting that since James often spent big in the store, it was a way of giving back to their best customers.

However, that wasn’t enough for the OHSAA.

A court case followed. And despite a long, long battle, James was deemed as having forfeited his amateur status.

Perhaps a blessing in disguise, considering the NBA career that was to follow.

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