Before he entered the GOAT conversation, LeBron James was considered the most hyped basketball prospect in history. The fanfare surrounding him started as early as his sophomore season with St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. He was a 6’7″ 210-pound point guard then.
Scouts deemed him a Swiss Army Knife who could do great things on both ends of the floor. He was a combination of skill and physical ability we’ve never seen up until that point.
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Basketball scout Tom Konchalski praised James’ feel for the game, which he felt was ahead of NBA stars Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter. James saw things before they happened. He not only mastered his own playbook, but he also knew the other team’s plays and tendencies.
It’s because of LeBron’s advanced skill set that Konchalski believed James would skip college and declare for the draft.
Education
The 16-year-old James wasn’t swayed by all the hullabaloo surrounding him. The teenager remained even-keeled even as more and more people prodded him to declare for the draft. His maturity on the court extended off the court.
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The young James was confident he would make it to the NBA. And he also knew that a career in professional sports doesn’t last long. It’s important to have another set of skills at your disposal.
“College is important,” LeBron said, via the New York Times. “You can’t play basketball all your life. You should prepare for something else, too.”
His mother, Gloria, didn’t look far ahead like LeBron. She took it one step at a time and wanted his son to finish high school first. After that, they’ll have a conversation about their future, but she was confident her son would do the right thing.
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“What I want for LeBron is his happiness,” said Gloria, who has worked in accounting and sales but is now unemployed. “He loves basketball. But I would like to see him graduate with his class from high school, at least. But we’ll make a decision when the time comes. He’s a level-headed boy. He’s never given me a lick of problems. He’s mannerable and respectful.”
Immediate impact
James’ intention to go to college didn’t stop the hype from building up. By his junior season, the Ohio native landed on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the headline “THE CHOSEN ONE.”
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He continued to don the Fighting Irish jersey, showcasing his dominance on the floor. His games were televised and arenas were sold out. Even NBA players went to his games just to see if the hype was real.
After James graduated from high school, people found that he had changed his mind. College was no longer an option. The young King declared for the 2003 NBA Draft and was picked first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Even before he played a single NBA game, he was being compared to Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Analysts deemed he wasn’t just going to be a superstar, but a Hall of Famer.
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NBA fans hotly anticipated his debut. Right off the bat, LeBron proved the hype was real with an impressive stat line of 25 points, nine assists, six rebounds and four steals. It marked the beginning of a new era in the Association.
And the rest was history.
Related: “Everyone has that vision” – LeBron James dreamed of being teammates with Michael Jordan
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 2, 2025, where it first appeared in the College section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.