LeBron James, whose illustrious career began in 2003, has been a dominant force in the NBA for nearly two decades, having won four NBA titles, four Finals MVPs, and four MVP accolades. Having graduated from high school that year, the King entered the NBA, and his tenure with the Fighting Irish is legendary.
During his four seasons with the team, James established himself as an absolute menace on the court, guiding them to three division championships with absurdly high scoring totals. He was re-named Ohio Mr. Basketball after averaging 31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 3.4 steals per game during his final season. Many began to deem him the finest high school basketball player of all time due to his dominance, and an NBA fan distributed rare footage of LeBron James destroying the competition during his high school career.
LeBron appeared to be head and shoulders above the competition in the NBA, as he left an indelible mark on every aspect of the sport. His high school prowess was so remarkable that he petitioned for entry into the NBA Draft in 2002, but was denied. James had to endure an additional year of waiting to make it to the NBA, but once he did, he demonstrated why wasting time in college was completely unnecessary.
LeBron never turned back after slashing 25 points in his NBA debut against the Sacramento Kings, which established a record for the most points scored by a pre-pro player in their inaugural regular season contest. James recalls his high school years with great fondness. Not too long ago, he commented on a SportsCenter footage depicting his time with the Fighting Irish, reflecting on the immense responsibility that rested upon him. At the age of 18, LeBron James entered the NBA under more duress than any other athlete in history; in fact, he has, in some respects, even surpassed the astronomical standards that were initially set for him.