After the Cleveland Cavaliers won the 2003 NBA Draft Lottery, LeBron James held his first interview in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. With his good buddies standing behind him and dressed in full Nike gear, the high school phenom was asked all kinds of questions by reporters, and he wittily answered all of them.
When James was asked about being the savior of the Cavaliers franchise, LBJ rejected that notion, explaining that he isn’t going to last as long as most players in the league.
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“I’m not gonna be around to save the franchise,”said LeBron. “I’ll be around for, hopefully, the average of 10 to 15 years. But I’m just try to make Cleveland the way it was when…I don’t want to say this, but when Michael Jordan used to kill us all the time. But I’m just gonna do the best that I can. And I think that I’m gonna do a real good job.”
No guarantee of a championship, just a promise to be better
Before LeBron came to Cleveland, the Cavs had missed seven consecutive postseasons. The last time they made the playoffs was in 1997-98, during the Chicago Bulls‘ “Last Dance” campaign.
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In 2002-03, the Cavs had the third-worst season in franchise history at 17-65. That year, they were tied with the Denver Nuggets for the worst record in the league. The prize for that was King James.
“I’m not gonna guarantee no championship. I’ll tell you that. I’ma guarantee that we’re gonna get better every day…We’re gonna be a lot better team than last year. I can guarantee that,” he added in that May 22 interview.
There was internal turbulence in LeBron’s first season. But still, the 18-year-old won Rookie of the Year honors and led the Cavs to a 35-win campaign, 18 wins better than the previous year. That number went up to 42 in Year 2, but still the Cavs missed the playoffs.
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In James’ third year, they finally made the playoffs after a 50-win campaign. The Cavs made it to the second round. A year later, they had another 50-win season and made it to the 2007 NBA Finals, where they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs.
He stuck to his plan, and he’s still here 23 years later
However, the Cavs’ yearly progression wasn’t the only one that LeBron foretold that day. When he was asked about the biggest adjustment he would make from high school to the NBA, James talked about the length of the season and what he needed to do to stay on the right path. What he said was prophetic.
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“Just staying focused. Going from 27 games to 82. And it’s all about eating right and staying healthy, and doing the right things on and off the court. I think that’s the biggest…Skittles? I still eat Skittles. I got to eat Skittles,” he added.
23 years later, LeBron is still playing in the NBA, and many expect him to return to at least a 24th season next year. He’s lasted this long because of discipline — Bron eats clean and reportedly spends $1 million per year to keep his body healthy and in shape. The Skittles turned into chocolate chip cookies in Miami. In recent years, he’s had a thing for wine.
However, not only has James avoided serious injury in 23 years, but he’s also kept his clean image ever since he first said he would. Talk about a kid who followed his game plan to the “T”. LeBron did what he said, except for playing for only 15 years.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 31, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.