by Bob Gurnett
LeBron and his team’s amazing run came to a halt when they played the number one team in the country, the Oak Hill Academy. Oak Hill was located in Virginia, so even though they never met in the state playoffs, they were one of St Vincent-St Mary’s fiercest rivals. Oak Hill had future NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony on their roster, and they were famous for producing NBA talent. LeBron knew he would have to play well to beat such a good team. He also knew he had to make everyone on his team better. Inside, LeBron was nervous, but outside, he knew he had to lead. He felt intimidated by the talent on the other team. But Coach Culp told Lebron that they were good enough to win, and once LeBron bought in, everyone else on the team did, too. They followed his lead.
Every player on the Oak Hill roster was headed to a top-tier college on a basketball scholarship. Their center was 7 feet tall, something LeBron’s team wasn’t used to. LeBron and his team put up a strong fight. They tried their best and even led 52–42 at one point. But it wasn’t enough. Oak Hill won 79–78 after LeBron barely missed a buzzer beater. Oak Hill Academy would become LeBron’s greatest high school rival.
A RIVALRY BORN
A rivalry in sports is when two people or teams who compete for the same goal and are almost equal in skill. An example of a rivalry in the NBA is the one between the Lakers and the Celtics. LeBron has had a lot of rivalries in his long career, but Oak Hill Academy was his first big one.
LeBron and his team did not feel sorry for themselves or give up after the big loss. LeBron saw this loss as a reason to work even harder. The 15-year-old team leader told reporters that while he was disappointed, it was time to get back to work. The very next day he went right back to practice to try and make himself a better player. The team did not lose another game all season and reclaimed their throne as state champions! After two years in high school, LeBron’s record was 53 and 1.
At the end of the season, LeBron took home a trunk load of awards. He was the playoffs MVP again. He was named Ohio All-State first team. He was the first sophomore ever to be named Ohio’s Mr. Basketball, given to the state’s best basketball player, a title he earned his junior and senior year, too. He was also named a USA Today All-American, something no one that young had ever done! He truly was one of a kind and was only going to get better.
His junior year was a bit rockier with the Fighting Irish, but it was one of LeBron’s best seasons. The team lost three regular season games, triple the number of his first two years combined! The team had a new coach and a harder schedule, but LeBron kept being LeBron. Over the season, he averaged 28 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. He had twelve double-doubles, including a stretch in the playoffs where he had three in a row! He filled up scorecards and stadiums! So many people came to see LeBron that they had to move home games to the Rhodes Arena in Akron. But sold-out arenas were nothing compared to what happened next!
On February 18th, 2002, LeBron James, a high school junior from Akron, Ohio, was on the cover of Sports Illustrated. He is still, to this date, the only high school junior basketball player to be featured on the cover of the magazine. The cover was captioned, “the Chosen One,” and would become one of the many nicknames that followed him through his career. At 16, LeBron wasn’t just a basketball star, he was a media superstar. He was already used to NBA and college scouts watching every game, but now his every move was followed by thousands of fans, long before Twitter and Instagram.
Despite all the attention, and LeBron playing better than ever, his team lost the state Finals. In the loss, LeBron again had a huge game. He played aggressively and used his speed to dance around defenders. When the defense tightened up under the basket, he drilled jumper after jumper. They did not have a way to stop him. By the end of the game, he had 32 points. He played so well that he still won the MVP. Even with the award, LeBron was heartbroken. He went right back to work to focus on getting better.
After the season was over, LeBron was again showered with awards. He was Ohio’s Mr. Basketball again. Even more important, he was a rare junior NATIONAL Mr. Basketball. He was a USA Today All-American for the second time. There were also new awards, too. He was the Parade Player of the Year, and the Gatorade Player of the Year. He was the first junior ever to win these awards.
LeBron was so good that people thought he might skip his senior year of high school to go play in the NBA. There were no rules against it and it was clear LeBron, now standing at 6 foot 8, could compete with NBA talent. Even the athletic director of St. Vincent–St. Mary’s agreed LeBron already played like a professional. But LeBron was a smart kid. He put those rumors to rest right away. He told the press first he had to finish school.
LeBron returned for the 2002–2003 season ready to take another shot at the championship, hoping to take his team to the Finals four years in a row. Things were tougher now, though. He not only had to focus on basketball, but he had to prepare for what happened after high school. It was clear he would be drafted in the NBA and almost certainly as the first overall pick. In the NBA draft, teams get to take turns picking new players, just like a captain chooses teammates on the playground. Everyone knew LeBron would get picked first.
Despite shoe sponsors, college recruiters, and NBA stars like Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan now fighting for his attention, LeBron still improved his game. Remember how in LeBron’s sophomore year, he scored more than 30 points in a game for the first time? In his senior year, he averaged more than 30 points a game. He scored more than 40 points five times and had two games where he scored more than fifty points! He had played in some high school games where entire teams weren’t scoring fifty points, but LeBron did it all by himself not once, but twice!
NBA scouts said in LeBron’s junior year that he was the number one pick if he decided to go. Those same scouts were blown away by how much his game had improved while he was still in school. He was already the best high school player his junior year, so to go continue growing during his senior year was an incredible feat! NBA scouts loved his versatility. He had a step back jumper, post moves, and was a great passer. It was amazing to see someone as big as LeBron who could do all of those things.
DID YOU KNOW?
In the off-season for basketball, many of the best players in the league play in camps such as the Five Star Camp. This camp has hosted the best of the best. Hall of Famers like Michael Jordan, Alonzo Mourning, Isiah Thomas, and current NBA superstars like Kevin Durant and Steph Curry all played at the Five Star Camp during their summers in high school. Despite how many talented players went through the camp, LeBron James was the only sophomore good enough to move up and play with the older guys. But LeBron, being LeBron, still wanted to play with his friends, so he struck a deal that let him play in both the freshman/sophomore games and the junior/senior games. He’s the only player to ever play in both. Not surprisingly, he won each league and took home MVP honors for both. A scout at the camp said he had never seen a player as good as LeBron James.
Due to all this media attention, LeBron and St. Vincent–St. Mary’s game against their rival Oak Hill Academy was the first ever prime-time nationally televised broadcast of a high school basketball game. The pressure was on for LeBron, now a senior, since he had never defeated Oak Hill. He was ready this time and played extremely well, all while being broadcast into homes all over the country. He scored 31 points, had 13 rebounds, and 6 assists, but, more importantly, he finally beat Oak Hill. After that, LeBron kept pouring it on for the rest of the season, playing the best high school basketball anyone had ever seen.
LeBron would propel his team to the Finals again for the fourth time in four years. They won behind a strong showing from LeBron. Three out of those four years, LeBron was the state champion. He won every award possible for a high school basketball player. He was the USA Today Player of the Year, Mr. Basketball, State Tournament MVP, Naismith Player of the Year, the Wootten Player of the Year, and the first ever Gatorade Athlete of the Year. Scouts called him a once-in-a-lifetime player. The local paper ran a da
ily column on him. His unique game—a combination of size, strength, and finesse—had captivated the nation. Fans, journalists, scouts, and his opponents all agreed: LeBron was the best high school player they had ever seen.
After his victory lap, LeBron still got to play a few more fun games, like the McDonalds All American High School Game. This game is an exhibition game, or just for fun, where the best high school seniors in the nation play each other. LeBron wasn’t just facing other Ohio teams, he was now playing against America’s best talent, all of them with college and professional basketball in their future. This was his second nationally televised game, and more importantly, it was the last time scouts would see LeBron play a game before the draft. LeBron did not disappoint. He shredded the competition and walked away with another MVP award. Again, the scouts were impressed by LeBron’s commitment to teamwork, preparation, determination, drive. One scout even noticed that LeBron was the first player on the court that day, warming up for the game.
Less than a month after his high school career came to a close in 2003, LeBron said what everyone already knew. He was going to skip college and go straight to the NBA. Scouts and members of the press predicted that he would be the first player picked to go to the NBA. Every team wanted to have him. He was the greatest high school player of all time and had potential to be an even greater NBA player. A month after he declared his intention to go to the NBA, the draft order was announced. The team with the first pick was none other than the Cleveland Cavaliers, his favorite team and the team of his home state. His NBA career would start less than an hour drive from where he and his mother once slept on couches. The boy who would later be called the King was going to stay home and build his NBA career right where he started his middle school and high school basketball careers, in Ohio.
3
WITNESS A GREAT START
The Cavs stunk. Fans knew it. The NBA knew it. LeBron knew it. Because of how the NBA Draft works, the worst teams get the first picks of incoming players. The Cavaliers had only won 17 games the previous year, and they had lost 50 or more out of 82 games the past four years in a row. They didn’t just have one bad season; they had many. They had stunk for a long time. But many fans in Cleveland and the rest of Ohio had faith that the hometown hero could turn around the dismal franchise.
Before LeBron even set foot in a Cavaliers gym, he was already a multimillionaire. In 2003, LeBron signed a record-setting, seven-year, $90 million deal with Nike. It was the largest endorsement deal ever signed by a rookie. For comparison, Michael Jordan’s Nike deal when he was a rookie was only $2.5 million. Jordan’s deal was huge at the time, but it was nothing compared to LeBron’s.
LeBron scoring against the Spurs
ENDORSEMENTS
LeBron James Endorsements (2018):
• NIKE
• VERIZON
• INTEL
• COCA-COLA
• BEATS BY DRE
• KIA
In 2017 LeBron made $86 million, and only $30 million of that was from his league-high basketball salary. He made another $56 million from companies paying him to advertise their products. Nike has paid him more a billion dollars for a lifelong endorsement deal. He makes more in endorsement deals than any other active American athlete. (He is second in the world behind tennis star player Roger Federer.)
Financially, LeBron had already made it. He had enough money for his mom and him to live lavish lifestyles for the rest of their lives. Even if his game got worse over time, he was set. But LeBron was a champion and wanted to win for winning’s-sake, not just for the money. He had a tough road ahead, since the Cavs were a mess. Some players didn’t believe LeBron would be able to turn the team around. After all, he was just a kid fresh out of high school, playing against men in their 20s and 30s who had been in the NBA for years. The starting power forward for the Cavs, Carlos Boozer, thought they had better players at LeBron’s position. LeBron, at 6 foot 8 and 225 pounds, was still playing shooting guard, but he would eventually switch to small forward. Boozer had no idea what the kid from Akron would become. The most critical teammate was Darius Miles, another prep-to-pro (high school to NBA) player. Miles was vocal about how he did not think it was possible for a high school player to turn around an NBA team.
They were right to be a bit nervous about a high school to pro player. So many prep-to-pro players before him had been busts, only lasting a few years in the league. It was a huge gamble by the Cavaliers to put so much faith in a player this young. Only time would tell if LeBron could handle the leap from playing 17- and 18-year-olds to playing NBA professionals.
LeBron did not make the fans wait long to see what he was capable of. His very first NBA game was October 29, 2003. Six months earlier, he was a high school senior and now, he was starting in an NBA game against the Sacramento Kings. His team was a collection of young players and NBA journeymen, or guys who play for many teams over their careers. The Sacramento Kings had NBA stars Mike Bibby, Vlade Divac, and 3-time NBA All Star Peja Stojakovic. The Kings had won 59 games and gone to the Western Conference Finals the year before. Meanwhile, the Cavs had lost 65 games and had the league’s worst record. This meant that LeBron did not have time to ease into the NBA. He played against one of the best teams, right out of the gate.
And he dazzled the crowd! In his first ten minutes on the court, he had 9 points and looked even better than he had in high school. He was grabbing rebounds, making amazing passes that set his teammates up for baskets, and scoring in every way. Late in the 1st quarter, he jumped into a passing lane and stole the ball. He gathered the ball and sprinted for the basket. Just like when he played his middle school teachers, no one was in his way. He sprinted from half court and when he got to the free throw line, he lifted off, soaring to the hoop with the ball pulled way back behind his head, and slammed it into the hoop with force and confidence. It was as if he screamed to all his fans, “I’m here!”
LeBron ended the game with 25 points, the most ever scored by a player right out of high school in his first game. He scored easily on NBA defenders, and he was only 18 years old. His critics were stunned and his supporters were excited. After the game, LeBron was only concerned with one stat: the L. The Cavs lost 106 to 92. Just as in high school, LeBron didn’t care about his stats if his team didn’t win. Even though he set records with his opening performance, his team was now 0–1. LeBron wasn’t happy. He told reporters that he felt like he could have done more for his team.
The Cavaliers would lose 5 more games before LeBron could experience his first NBA team victory against the Washington Wizards, 111–98. Eventually, the Cavs won a few more games, but the team was struggling over all. LeBron played well, but it wasn’t enough to raise the team to super-star status.
LeBron knew, even at 18, he had to be a leader again, just like he was in high school. The team needed a point guard to succeed. The point guard is the primary ball handler and runs the offense. LeBron jumped at the chance to make his team better. Most teams would not feel comfortable coordinating the offense through an 18-year-old, but LeBron was special. He spent day and night learning the offense, and his coach, Paul Silas, was amazed at how quickly he picked it up—faster than any of the other players on the team. LeBron knew as point guard he could get the other players involved. He didn’t just learn his role in the offense, he learned every single position. This way he could understand what player was doing and where to get them the ball. He would rather get highlight dunks and big shots for his teammates than for himself.
The team gradually started improving with LeBron at point guard. Many of the team’s players began to warm up to the young prodigy. After all, he was crushing it at a position he had never played before and was making everyone around him better. Yet some players were not so convinced. The team’s top scorer from the year before, Ricky Davis, wasn’t impressed. He would throw parties but leave young LeBron out. He also berated LeBron on the court for not passing to him. Ricky had been a 20-point scorer t
he previous season and insisted the Cavs were still his team. He wanted to take as many shots as possible and LeBron spreading the ball around made that harder. Eventually, the coaching staff had enough of Davis trying to push around LeBron. He was traded not long after for two veteran players who might not have been stars like Davis, but played the kind of team basketball Silas was looking for. After the trade, the team played more unselfishly. They even had a seven-game winning streak. For a team that only won 17 games the year before, this was a huge deal. Almost as important as their win streak was the fact that LeBron was starting to make friends on the team. He was starting to feel like he belonged.
LeBron continued to surprise even his biggest supporters by posting huge numbers. On March 27, 2004, LeBron became the youngest player in NBA history to score 40 points or more in a game against the New Jersey Nets, in a 107–103 victory. He also had 12 games throughout the season where he scored more than 30 points. This was absolutely unheard of for a rookie, not to mention one who was only 18 years old.
Everyone thought the team would be better with LeBron, but no one imagined how quickly that would happen. They finished the season with a record of 35–47. It was a losing season, meaning that the team lost more games than it won, but it would be the last losing season of LeBron’s NBA career.
CONFERENCES
The NBA is divided into two conferences: East and West. Those conferences have three divisions each. At the end of the season, the top eight teams in each conference go to the playoffs.
