It's 2001, and sports fans are beginning to hear more about some kid named LeBron. Born to an underprivileged family, making it this far was already a scoring feat for the teenager. At 16 years old, LeBron James had made it onto the cover of "Sports Illustrated" magazine as a high school basketball player at St. Vincent-St. Mary. James' striking performances earned him a household name.
In October 2001, ESPN RISE (formerly Student Sports) interviewed James about his hopeful NBA career, comparisons to other childhood prodigies, and dealing with huge pressure.
"I am not really thinking about it right now," James said in response to drawing comparisons to Kobe Bryant. "I worry about those decisions when I have to. Right now, I'm just trying to have fun. But I don't want to be Kobe, I want to be LeBron."
This level of maturity from such a young player was stunning. At this point, James was still getting used to the constant media swirling around him. Most young athletes would've been engulfed by the thought of having to do a feature interview — it was a piece of cake for the future NBA superstar.
Interviewer: "How have you handled all of the attention that you've received this summer, especially some of the comparisons?"
James: "All of it hit me rather quickly. I try not to listen that much to what people say about me and just to go out and work."
The first game of the 2001-02 season
Over that summer, James' name started reaching global waves. By the time the next basketball season started, many were tuned in to watch and see what this kid was really about — they weren't left disappointed.
On November 30, 2001, the 16-year-old led St. Vincent-St. Mary to a comfortable win over Avon Lake. James dazzled: 28 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists on 13-19 shooting overall and 2-3 from the 3-point line.
"You've got Michael Jordan talking about him being one of the best in the country, and he's only a junior in high school," voiced Avon Lake head coach Dave Olinger. (h/t Jason Lloyd of The Morning Journal)
Bron played his normal game — yes, that stat line was completely standard for the junior. He sat a good chunk of the first half, too. The game was already too easy for him.
"It was a perfect game for me," he said. "I got my team in the game first, then myself. I can turn it on and off, but some of my teammates can't."
Related: "It's unfortunate that we got cheated in a lot of them games in the playoffs" - Larry Bird's hilarious joke about his rivalry with Magic Johnson
Bron was a football stud
If you needed a refresher, LeBron was a world-class athlete in multiple sports. He was never going to leave his NBA dream. His basketball gifts were too many to count, even though he was a standout football player.
With his name growing and being linked to Michael Jordan, James still played football in his junior season after initially withdrawing.
Interviewer: "When you came back to school, you initially decided not to play football. Then, after a week of the season, you changed your mind and joined the team. Many people wonder why you would risk your future to play football."
James: " I'll let people say what they want about that. There are people who are going to say I'm stupid for doing it. But you can only be in high school once, and I love playing football. My mom didn't want me to play, but we talked about it, and we decided that I should go out and have fun while I still can."
As easy as it would've been for LeBron to succumb to the pressure, the young superstar athlete didn't bat an eye. He stood tall and kept a straight face. When asked about Kobe Bryant or Jordan, he didn't shrink — the legendary forward absorbed the dialogue and kept it moving.
While there were numerous high school superstars before and after James — and more that'll come in the future — perhaps no one will offer the kind of poise No. 23 had as a teenager.
Related: "I don't really know what else I could have done" - What 19-year-old Carmelo Anthony said after losing the ROY award to LeBron James
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