His mother used her son's future earning power to get a bank loan to
buy an $80,000 Hummer H2 for his 18th birthday, prompting an
investigation by the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA).
Under the OHSAA guidelines, no amateur may accept any gift valued over
$100 as a reward for athletic performance. When James later accepted
two jerseys from a Cleveland sports store worth $845 in exchange for
him posing for pictures to be displayed on its walls, the OHSAA
stripped him of his eligibility. James appealed, and a judge blocked
the ruling, reducing the penalty to a two-game suspension, allowing the
phenom to play the remainder of the season (February 2003)