“You have NO friends on the court, LeBron James!”: When Tracy McGrady gave the teenage King essential advice, during his high school days

Nithin Joseph | 20/06/2022
"You have NO friends on the court, LeBron James!": When Tracy McGrady gave the teenage King essential advice, during his high school days

LeBron James is a veteran in the sport of basketball. However, he was a young star once and received some great advice from Tracy McGrady!

In 2003, the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted hometown sensation, LeBron James, with the first overall pick. At the time, James was only 16 years old, coming out of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School.

The young King did not disappoint in his rookie season. He averaged 21 points, five rebounds, and six assists per game, en route to bagging the Rookie of the Year award.

The rest has been history, as he is now a four-time NBA Champion, four-time Finals MVP, four-time league MVP, and an 18-time All-Star!

Also Read: “LeBron James in his first Finals was 22/7/7 shooting 36% and so was Jayson Tatum shooting 37%”: A wild stat by NBA Twitter shows Celtics star’s identical Finals numbers to Lakers star

He may be a legend of the sport now, but he started off as a young teenager fresh out of high school. A place where he was nurtured and where he received some important advice.

LeBron James received some useful advice from Tracy McGrady when he was still a young kid in High School

Before being drafted into the NBA, King James was no more than a young prince dominating the high school scene. Playing in St. Vincent-St. Mary, LeBron was the most talked-about prospect since Tim Duncan.

However, two years before he declared for the NBA draft, LeBron James was just a junior. He was showing off his skills all across the country, and even then was hailed as the best.

Nevertheless, he didn’t let it get to his head, and was adamant about finishing high school with his friends before going pro. He recalled some valuable advice from Tracy McGrady, who reminded him that once he stepped on the court, he would have no friends!

Safe to say, James took T-Mac’s advice to heart, and his career has certainly been better for it. Now, he gets the chance to impart the same advice to the next generation of ballers.

Also Read: “Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James can be the best 1v1 defender, but they decide not to”: NBA Reddit says superstars playing defense is over-valued

Post Edited By: Raahib Singh
LeBron James NBA Tracy McGrady

About the author

Nithin Joseph

Nithin is a content writer at The SportsRush. Like his favorite athlete Kobe Bryant, the company has helped Nithin elevate his writing skills to a whole new level, especially as an NBA content writer. With over 1500 articles to his name, Nithin's love for the sport knows no bounds. And, as he continues to watch the sport on a daily basis, he hopes his fascination with the NBA, especially the Miami Heat will inspire more and more readers to give the sport a chance. Perhaps, one day making basketball in India as big as it is in the United States.

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