[Highlight] 23 years ago in Oct 29 2003, 18-year-old LeBron James scores 25 points in his first game, the most points scored in an NBA debut by a prep to pro player
Moderator Announcement
Read More »
Replays/alternate angles
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
Basically my entire adult life this guy has been playing basketball. This fuckery etc.
For my WHOLE life he’s been playing basketball lol
Well shit I’m old
“Well that can’t be true. LeBron’s only been in the league for 24 seasons. The oldest you could possibly be is only 2- oh God I’m old”
I was 10 when he started playing. Now my son is 13 years old.
Damn you had the kid young as hell
20 is not THAT young to have a kid
For tortoises maybe
Was 7 when he entered the league. Im turning 31 on Saturday and he still out here. Won’t see anything like this again.
include the childhood, I was 9 when he was drafted, im now 33!
No one will ever have the same hype coming into the league as Lebron.
I lived halfway across the world in the middle of nowhere and people were talking about “the next Michael Jordan”. No social media back then btw. People were following his every move and all interviewers basically told him as a rookie he’d be a bust if he didn’t end up a Hall of Famer.
Frankly I don’t know how LeBron hasn’t gone insane. He seems like such a stable guy despite spending majority of his life being followed by a camera, his life has literally been the Truman Show since he was 16 years old.
Hyping players is easy, we see it every year.
Even more impressive is the fact that he lived up (or even surpassed) to the hype for so so long.
Players get hyped but I can’t remember any player who came near the stratospheric hype of LeBron tho.
LeBron broke thru beyond sports media to mainstream media and cultural awareness.Media is super fragmented now so I think it’d be impossible to match it ever again.
When we see hype now it’s like Zion or Wemby level max. Where sports and basketball circles are hyper aware and saturated but non-basketball people weren’t talking about Wemby for a year.
Maybe Yao is the closest player to ever have that level of hype and crossover into mainstream. And maybe Yao eclipsed LeBron levels of hype, but just not stateside.
Why did he have this hype at high school? Because it really was stratospheric, to have “the chosen one” calls before you’ve left high school is pure insanity. And what’s also double crazy is that he was in fact the chosen one.
He was basically viewed as a Kobe Bryant but way more physically imposing
If you look up tapes of what he was doing to kids in high school, you’d probably come to the same conclusion.
Only other examples I can think of for players who were hyped as potential GOATs before they were even adults and actually made it to the conversation are Messi and Nadal
I mean it’s kinda hard to surpass the hype he had. He was dubbed “The Chosen One” as a highschool sophomore.
The thing is LeBron is still playing. Once he finally retires maybe people will try to build hype for the next big thing. I know they try here and there but why look for the next LeBron when LeBron is still active
There’s no way to match the LeBron hype in the modern era of media. I don’t think anyone will come close again.
which LeBron is going to be out of the League first?!
He probably has a secret minecraft city
He surrounds himself with grounded and loyal people who remember when he was HS. Same friends for decades, I think his read of people is really sharp after being in the league for so long and seeing the good and bad stories about players
Where was this
And he lived up to itThat’s the thing
The Wemby hype was pretty big, I think it’s the first time I’ve made a point to watch a player’s first game on a while
The closest was Wemby coming in the league
Lebron was still on a whole different level because everyone, even people with 0 interest in basketball, knew his name. He was that big already and he’d barely even started playing.
It’s because he was playing in the US. If the 2nd best basketball league in the world was in the US then Luka Doncic would have been treated as the 2nd coming of christ.
No chance. Culture is so significantly more fragmented than it was in 2003. There just is no way the non-sports world becomes so interested in a prospect like that again.
Especially not in the US. I think the only place a player may ever reach LeBron levels of cultural awareness and mainstream media would be China where govt influence can make media across the board somewhat more lockstep. And they love sportswashing. So Yao 2.0 could be that. But even then it wouldn’t break through stateside as much.
Zion was more hyped than Wemby imo
I agree
For me personally, the closest was Zion. Amazing how the spurs have had 3 Centers fit the bill though in Wemby, Duncan, and Robinson! My honorable mention is Greg Oden. Might’ve lived up to the hype if not for that hip and those knees.
Oden was closest.
Wemby has had plenty of immature moments since he came into the league. Lebron was on a whole another level….
What does it have to do w the topic about hype coming into the league ffs
a lot to be honest
So this might be the craziest story. But the amount of HYPE for this game was insanity! You just had to be there (sorry youngsters)!
You heard about this kid for YEARS in HS. I’m talking about Sports Illustrated covers etc. No social media! He was the next Michael Jordan and celebrities were pulling up to a high schooler’sp game. His only scandal was his mom buying him a Hummer!
Imagine being 18, skipping college, and being crowned KING JAMES before your first game.
The pressure, the hype, the rumors, and the story about this “Kid from Akron” who some would say is the best basketball player they’ve ever seen. Yes, even better than MJ.
Then on October 29, 2003 that “kid” showed the world that he was the real deal and put on a show putting belt to ass on grown men!
WHAT A FUCKING TIME TO BE ALIVE.
I’ll add that before this debut, Nike released an ad showing Lebron in this exact game, featuring actual Kings players, where Lebron gets the ball on the first possession of the game and just…freezes. He freezes for 15 seconds, with people getting increasingly puzzled and concerned, with someone in the stands going “maybe the pressure got to him.” Then Lebron laughs, revealing he only pretended to freeze, and drives to the rim.
Absolutely insane confidence before he had even played a single minute in the NBA.
“The chosen one”On the cover too.
You just had to be there.
Cleveland fan. I’ll never forget the lottery show that year. Was between us and DEN for 1 and 2 at the end. And we had Melo and LBJ right there. Incredible
Just for you, here’s the Cavs front office staff watching the lottery that day.
Amazing. Never seen
Not just celebrities, the best basketball players in the world at the time (Like prime Shaq) were going to his highschool games when they played in Cleveland to see if he was the real deal
Yall gotta understand that 25 points back in 2003 would be like an 18 year old dropping 40 in his first game today
And he passed up on a few buckets too.
I vivdly remember watching sportscenter with my dad the day after this and him incredulously saying “he scored 25 points?!” lol. t-mac led the nba with 28.03 that year
ESPN had several of his high school games televised. You just KNEW he was going to be good, but there was a lot of doubt if he could actually live up to the hype.
I think he’s exceeded it. I’ve had the pleasure of watching him play in person a couple of times. To quote Final Fantasy 7: LeBron’s strength is unreal. He is far stronger in reality than any story you might have heard about him.
Say what you will about the guy but there has never been a rookie that came into the league shooting jump shots and ally oops passes that confidently since day 1.
LeBron James will always be the gold standard
That there is a CD player.
They totally included that at the beginning just to amplify how long he’s been around.
That and the point and shoot (possibly film) camera made me smile
I’m assuming the headphones were tethered to it so he doesn’t lose them.
2 and a bit months before Wemby was born. damn
Dude debuting 23 years ago and he’s a starting caliber player
Opinions on him vary (I’ve certainly become less of a fan because of the polymarket shit) but this is tremendous longevity
Half of Reddit doesn’t know why that guy brought a camera lol
Maybe a hot take, but this guy is going to be a bust. Too much pressure to live up to.
And against Sacramento too. They’re elite defense back then.
That team was robbed the year before.
I don’t know if this is sarcastic, but the Kings were not a good defensive team at the time. However, they were an excellent offensive team, and super fun to watch.
seeing peja stojakovic and vlade divac jump passing lanes struck fear into every nba offense
To think that he has not had one scandal or anything.
Being in the limelight since a teenager and not having anything that people can complain about is absolutely insane.
Dude used his God given talents and used them to their fullest. Been legit since day 1.
The polymarket ad
That’s not a scandal.
He hasn’t had any kind of allegations or anything like that.
Everyone’s forgotten about it already
Couldn’t agree more. It’s a really shitty tarnish to me personally. Not saying other people have to feel the same, but that was such a huge bummer
Too bad no one gives a shit anymore, old news
damn near every major athelete has done sports betting ads, not to mention the league itself having sports betting partnerships, this is not a scandal if almost every major athlete has done the same thing.
It hit different for him though
It’s not a scandal. But ten millionaires and near billionaires promoting sport betting apps that ruins lives and families by putting people in immense debt is just a shitty slumlord look.
I mean you’d also have to denounce every single major athlete and sports team and sports league by that standard. I think this is a very simplistic way of looking at this issue. Gambling needs to be regulated and our politicians need to be criticized. Criticizing the people in the commercials will do nothing, and is irrelevant
“legit”
this is one of my favorite things about him - he’s at worst corny
He had some things people complain about if that’s the bar you’re setting. but not a lot for how long he’s been in spotlight.
Him criticizing Daryl Morey for highlighting genocide in China and Hong Kong was a pretty big deal. And people did complain.
Morey tweeted “stand with Hong Kong.” And Lebron was upset by that. In the aftermath of that, his refusal to say anything at all about the Chinese genocide of Muslims put a negative spotlight on him and got a decent amount of backlash since he has such a large financial connection to the country.
Even prior to that he had an extremely similar backlash about 20 years ago for being too financially entwined w China when he declined to sign a teammates letter condemning China for their role in genocide in Darfur.
Regardless of your feelings on any of that and whether he should have to speak out about those things, people did absolutely have complaints about his financially-motivated allegiance to China and refusal to criticize China.
If I had a nickel for every time LeBron chose sneaker money over acknowledging Chinese genocide, I’d have 2 nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s still surprising it’s happened twice.
Daryl Morey for highlighting genocide in China and Hong Kong
Completely fake news, Daryl Morey said nothing about genocide in China, his post was about Hong Kong. Literally just shared “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong”, and immediately deleted in less than 30 minutes because of not just his own financial implication but the NBA’s as well.
What I don’t understand is if ya’ll had this smoke towards Lebron or Harden or whoever about making whatever bad statement, why not have the smoke towards Morey who cowardly deleted just minutes after his tweet?
LeBron chose sneaker money over acknowledging Chinese genocide
Again neither lebron nor Morey or anyone we’re talking about has said anything about Chinese genocide, you people are just severely misinformed. The Hong Kong protests had nothing to do with genocide.
I see things differently. Morey was forced to take that down by his employer. LeBron didn’t have to say anything.
I think anyone with enough internet to see the tweet could pretty quickly know what it meant.
I think they could also figure out what might make someone delete a tweet they clearly believe in.
I don’t know if you fit into the latter category.
good job ignoring most of my comment. Again, do you sincerely believe the Hong Kong protests had anything to do with genocide?
You’re simply not educated on the history there. Neither Daryl, nor LeBron or anyone we’re talking about said anything about genocide.
If your biggest scandal is not saying something then it isn’t actually a scandal lol.
I think it is saying something to Morey when someone says stand with Hong Kong during a genocide by China and then LeBron says Morey doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
Both of those instances caused backlash. And while I personally think bowing to Winnie the Pooh is pathetic, I do agree he isn’t someone who’s had a lot of negative press in an incredibly long time in the spotlight.
That’s hardly a scandal lol.
Morey when someone says stand with Hong Kong during a genocide by China
The Hong Kong protests had nothing to do with genocide. Are you sure you even know the history of what happened?
Mao ZeBron.
Really not that big of a deal
Haters grasping at straws and clutching their pearls in this thread. Witness Greatness.
He cheats on his wife. But I think they have an agreement
I don’t think any of what you said is true, but fwiw if they have an agreement then it’s not cheating lol
I think the Kobe situation happening a few weeks after the draft played a huge part in LeBron staying out of trouble
Or he’s just a decent person.
No one had done anything bad up to that point in time and therefore LeBron realized he needed to lay low.
Millions of years of peace until Kobe.
He destroyed the whole game - with flopping and chasing teams
You’re too young for Vlade Divac, I see…smh. Oh, Reggie Miller… but OF COURSE it was LeBron who magically started to flop, right? Smh. Y’all kids know nothing about the sport.
Oh, and I think you forget that Charles Barkley ring chased as well… Oh and Kevin Garnett…but it started with LeBron, right? If idiots wouldn’t bring up the stupid. “BuT RiNgZ…” debate then these players would not even be doing it. Yet people complain about the thing that the brought on.
I blame LeBron more on the “don’t go 100% until it’s needed” type of game.
Dude has been coasting for a while now and I know it’s to get the most out of his longevity. But if he was on all the time he would’ve been gone years ago.
How did you feel when he did a scheduled TV show to say he was leaving for Miami
It raised a bunch of money for charity??? I was sad to see him go, but I knew he was gone. We always have 2016, best title in NBA history imo
Fair. It was truly wonderful that he won one there after all that.
That was hardly a scandal. Cavs fans were naive not to see it coming because I’m pretty sure everyone thought he was gone. At least he went back a won them a title.
I didn’t say it was a scandal, I asked how he felt. I think it’s safe to say there were a few complaints.
Only dickheads complained about the decision. There are too many fans that think the players owe them the consideration when it’s no different than anyone trying to get a better paying job.
He left a city when his contract was up, I expected him to leave.
Seems to be the consensus right now..
LeGoat
LeDiscman
It’s been said before but, nobody before or since has had the level of hype coming into the league that LeBron had, and the fact that he not only lived up to it but even surpassed it is nothing short of incredible. Living in Europe, I only got into watching the NBA during the 99-00 season, and I didn’t get to see prime MJ live. Getting to follow LeBron’s entire career in real time has been a privilege.
I’ve been working full-time since 2002, so I have exactly one more year of experience than this mofo. I’m 47 btw
#longevity
I was born 2 months before he was drafted. I’ve been at my current job for almost 3 years now.
One of my favourite lebron moments is when he is completely open and dishes it to ricky davis. Its like perfect foreshadowing for how he played in his career
it’s absolutely insane how much hype he had coming into the league and how he arguably surpassed everyone’s highest expectations of him.
i can’t imagine another player like this in my lifetime
The hype was 100% real
They had Carlos Boozer?
Yeah he fucked us pretty hard
Cavs were trying to be cute and declined his team option to let him become a RFA as a way to give him more money over a longer timeframe (6⁄40) and instead Utah threw 6⁄68 at him that the Cavs couldn’t match and lost him.
His agent that orchestrated this masterful deception? Rob Pelinka
Damn just looked all this up. Pelinka had to resign due to the scandal. Lebron should have held a grudge and gotten him fired
Cavs fans still haven’t forgiven him for leaving.
Yeah trading boozer really fucked them. They may have one a championship if they didn’t.
Nah Boozer had hoodwinked them. It was a handshake deal, and he had went to another team
They didn’t trade him. He left for a bigger bag as a free agent. Cleveland did not have the salary cap space to match Utah’s higher offer.
This is why nba history should be a core subject in school for every American. If it was, you’d know that Boozer screwed the Cavs and their blind owned by jumping ship to Utah
May have what?
dude, dont you go on reddit? boozer tricked a blind man.
That was his 2nd year in the league as he was drafted in the 2nd round the year before Lebron. Those teams for each of Lebron’s first 7 years were.. interesting to say the least.
Another father son duo LeBron has gone up against.
He wasting too much time in Cleveland
It sucks they couldn’t draft or sign at least one star to pair with him
He was so good right away that they started competing in the playoffs and couldn’t get any good draft picks
LeGOAT James
Who remembers LeBron being investigated because of the hummer H2? Lmao
Imagine growing up in front of millions of people and giving them almost nothing to criticize for 20+ years. 😭 Man built a legendary career while being a husband, a father, and a role model off the court too. The way he’s carried himself through all that fame is honestly just as impressive as what he’s done on the court. That’s a different kind of greatness. 👑🐐