LeBron James has exceeded all expectations since his draft, to the point of becoming one of the very best all-time players. Some were already not mistaken a year before his draft, a coach explaining that only a handful of athletes were untransferable once morest him.
At 38, he has won almost everything on the court. Quadruple champion and MVP of regular season as Finals, LeBron James is now also the most prolific scorer in history, he who overtook Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the standings a few days ago. Given that he is still running at more than 30 points on average, he might also continue to write history statistically.
Indeed, as the King has no plans to retire immediately (he intends to still be active when his son Bronny presents himself for the draft in 2024), we can expect him to cross the mark of 40,000 points scored in the regular campaign. As he has already integrated that of 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists, he would create an ultra-VIP club there which will be very difficult to join for the competition.
Danny Ainge wowed by LeBron James in 2002
This is to say the monstrous career achieved by the star of the Lakers, a success already anticipated by some while he was still evolving in high school. In 2002, while still serving as a coach in Phoenix, Danny Ainge made a real plea once morest Bron a few days before the draft. For him, only a handful of big names in the league were then untouchable, even for him:
If I was the league’s GM, I’d say there’s only four or five NBA players I wouldn’t trade for him right now. I love Jason Williams at Duke, and I’ve heard of the Chinese (Yao Ming, who will be picked by the Rockets with the first pick in 2002, editor’s note), but if LeBron came out this year, I wouldn’t even have to think it. I would take him as number 1 in the draft.
When you know that Ainge would go on to become one of the best leaders in the league on the Celtics side, the compliment is strong for the Chosen One. It must be said that at the time, LBJ was truly a sensation on the side of Saint Vincent – Saint Mary, with breathtaking highlights. No wonder that to this day, he remains perhaps the most hyped newcomer rookie in NBA history:
How good was LeBron in high school?
These nasty highlights are from the 1st half of 1 game!!???? @Hoopmixtape pic.twitter.com/ZRpeXSreah
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) December 30, 2022
Already in 2002, when LeBron James was not yet a pro, Danny Ainge saw him become a real superstar on the parquet floor. What we would like to know are which players were untransferable for him, even if it was an exchange articulated around the King!
