In the Netflix series “Starting 5,” former Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James put into words the overwhelming amount of stardom he had to deal with as a youngster in the early part of his NBA career.
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James entered the NBA right out of high school, as he was selected with the top pick in the 2003 NBA Draft after spending four years playing basketball at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School.
The forward proved himself to be a phenomenal player at such a young age, and that seemingly helped drum up high expectations for James. In his high school career, he averaged 25.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. He also totaled well over 2,000 points across his four years with the Fighting Irish.
What was so impressive about the start of James’ NBA career was that he more than lived up to the hype that folks generated around him. As soon as he stepped foot in the league, he was one of its better players.
His production as a rookie during the 2003-04 regular season provides ample evidence of the notion that James didn’t need much of a learning curve as he joined the NBA ranks, if at all. He averaged 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.7 blocks per contest and won the Rookie of the Year award.
It didn’t take long at all for James to make the leap from a rising star into a legitimate superstar, either. In just his second season in the pros, he was named an All-Star, appeared on the All-NBA Second Team and finished sixth in MVP voting.
Additionally, with him guiding the team, Cleveland finished with a record above the .500 mark for the first time in years. He checked that box in his second season, giving the Cavaliers their first winning record since they won 47 games in the 1997-98 campaign, when Shawn Kemp led the team in scoring.
James almost single-handedly changed the fortunes of the Cavaliers franchise for the better. Across two stints with the Cavaliers, James helped the team win a title in 2016 and reach numerous NBA Finals.
