Lebron James’ Hairline Changes throughout His Career

LeBron James's hairline has been a topic of discussion for a long time; the star basketball player has had various hairstyles over the years but could not escape speculation about his hairline. So James took it into his own hands and surprised fans with his new look.

James's hairline has grabbed the attention of fans for years; the athlete had memes made of his hairline, with social media users poking fun at the constant changing of his hair. James surprised the internet when Bleacher Report shared a picture of James seemingly at the barbershop.

James smiled into the camera in the image and sported a new trim- he'd gone bold. Some fans praised the basketball player for his new do while others were less believing in his new hairstyle.

How Did Lebron James's Hairline Change?

When James first stepped into the basketball scene, he rocked an afro. Footage of him shooting hoops during a game when he was 16 emerged on Twitter, to which James responded, admitting that he'd never seen the video before. He said:

"Well, I wish I still had that nappy afro."

His choice in hairstyle was due to his administration for Kobe Bryant; growing up, he admitted he admired both Bryant and Michael Jordan. He felt reaching Jordan's level of success was unobtainable, so he chose Bryant; the late basketball player also wore his hair in an afro.

LeBron, who was also on the football team at the time and had a promising career, began braiding his hair in cornrows to ease the discomfort of wearing a helmet as his hair grew. SLAM shared a picture of James from 2001, wearing his hair braided with an Adidas headband; SLAM called the photo "iconic."

Before he was drafted with the first pick in the 2003 NBA draft, the basketball superstar opted for a shorter cut; he attended the ceremony in an all-white suit, and a sharp fade was made visible when he was not wearing his red cap.

In 2007, fans began to notice his devil horns- the two receding corners on each side of his forehead. His receding hairline grew more prominent over the years; he brought back his afro in 2010, but fans noticed he wore his signature headbands further back to conceal his hairline.

When he returned to Cleveland, his thinning hair was more noticeable. He shaved his head in the summer of 2017 and began 2018 with what appeared to be a new hairline. A publication wrote:

"True enough, his bald spots were gone, and his hair was magically restored."

However, James's headband was pushed back during a game against the Utah Jazz and revealed he still struggled with a receding hairline. His teammate Anthony Davis called out to James mid-game to notify him of the state of his hair.

Situation and Reaction

When it was revealed that James went bald, Twitter users reacted quickly. Many did not believe James had shaved his bead; Evan Turner wrote a response and said, "Is this true?" He was not the only one unbelieving; one user wrote that it had to be a snapshot filter.

Another user added the laughing/ crying emoji and wrote that it was "definitely" a filer and suggested James share another picture. Another user agreed that James had used a filter to trick fans into believing he had shaved his head.

LeBron James had been on the receiving end of jokes and punchlines about his hairline, so much so that his thinning hair overshadowed his second MVP award in 2010. He took matters into his own hands and chose to shave his hair off, with fans having mixed reactions of praise and disbelief.